766 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/882dc1b79dca3b9f84e018891a95ebf8.mp3 ff1d7d79c687bd2711cd80a3db07a572 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 Baccalaureate Sunday Pentecost III Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 11:4 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-0-19860608 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-06-08 Title A name given to the resource Social Security??? 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 June 8, 1986 entitled "Social Security???", on the occasion of Baccalaureate Sunday, Pentecost III, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 11:4. 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/d8e341fd76fc684ae79d6c82f1255ca7.mp3 dc83c9615afec788a9f7b34a206998e7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/61a14a14b5538f6715a57794144dd3a6.pdf a923405b3cbf333d68ff8a5b06f2bb1e PDF Text Text Christ Community: A People Who Belong Text: I Corinthians 3: 21-23 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan June 15, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon ... everything belongs to you ... yet you belong to Christ, and Christ to God. I Cor. 3:21-23 Last evening the Parlour was filled with people for a media event sponsored by the Reformed Church in America, and it was a very interesting evening very well done: a teleconference which linked up Chicago, New York and California. The General Synod of the Reformed Church in America is convening at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, and the program largely emanated from the Crystal Cathedral, but within seconds there was a switch to New York and to Chicago and back again. One of the marvels of the modern world is the technology that can bind people together across the nation, across the continent. Of course, this was small compared with the world-embracing media events that we have experienced in recent months. Nonetheless, it was quite significant and for me, at least, quite a thrill and I think we all enjoyed it. It's part of an attempt by the Reformed Church in America, of which we are a part, to discover its identity in this last part of the 20th century - to discover our identity in order not necessarily to know what we have been but, in the light of what we have been and what God is calling us to be, what posture we should assume as we look forward to Century Twenty-One. What is God's will for this church? What is God's will for the whole Church? What is God calling His people to be in this world of which we are a part? Perhaps you saw on the Church Page in the Tribune last evening an article about a book that has come out, a study of the world evangelization and world class cities, which documents what we really have known for a long time and that is that the Christian effort to witness to Jesus Christ is not keeping up with world growth and world population, and that the major cities of the world in the 21st century will be cities which will not only not be Christian in predominant culture, but may even be hostile to Christian faith. We simply live in Western Michigan in a kind of cocoon that does not face us with the reality of the world, a world which is not only not being conquered for Jesus Christ (I don't like to use that militaristic term and yet it's been one that has been a part of the Church vocabulary for a © Grand Valley State University   �Christ Community: A People Who Belong Richard A. Rhem Page 2   long time), we're not only not winning the world for Christ, we are not keeping up with population growth, and we will face down the line, and our children and our children's children increasingly will face, a Western culture which will not be able to take for granted the things that Western culture takes for granted today, even though Western culture today is not meaningfully and significantly rooted in the Gospel of Christ anymore. There can be no argument about the fact that what we became in Western civilization has arisen very largely out of the biblical vision of things. The Judeo-Christian tradition has shaped the values that we think perhaps are part and parcel of the American way of life, and yet, if we go back, if we study the history of ideas and the development of culture, then it becomes obvious that the things that we value so highly and take for granted are things that come out of a commitment to a biblical vision. And the day will not go on forever. I suppose that someday we will wake up with a shock at that reality. The RCA is simply one denomination that is saying, in the light of today's world, in the light of the imperative of the Gospel, what is God calling us to be? And so the event last night was one event in a series of events in a three-year period in which we are asking that question. It's a good question to ask. The whole Church should be asking that question in light of the world situation that we face. Recently, at the Commencement of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, I with several others delivered a paper on the idea of RCA identity, and in working over that paper, I discovered that the genius of Reformed Faith is that it refused to admit to being a new faith or another faith, and the intention of the Reformers of the 16th century was not to start another church, not to start a competing institution. That actually did happen and once that happens, the splintering continues, but the name Reformed was really used almost in the sense of a verb. It's always better to use a verb than a noun. A noun states a condition, a state of being. A verb bespeaks action. And what was in mind in the 16th century was not to begin a new church, but to rediscover the one, holy, apostolic catholic church, to find that biblical faith once for all delivered to the saints, and to reshape the institution in order that that Gospel might be released in all of its pristine clarity. And so, to be Reformed was not really to be a member of a competing church organization. It was the claim to be the Church re-formed according to the Word of God. Or to be a Church, The Church reforming. That was the insight. That was the genius of that branch of the faith that emanated out of Switzerland particularly, took root in Germany and in the Low Countries: to be the Christian Church, the catholic Church, reforming, always needing to be reforming. Because the Church takes shape in history, and the Church is peopled by people who tend to absolutize the relative and to make ultimate that which is only transitory and partial, to take a partial insight and baptize it as though it were the whole Truth. And so, in that 16th century when they were so sensitized to the corruptibility of all human institutions and the partiality of all human insights, the Reformers of the Reformed branch of the faith called themselves the Church Re-Formed according to the Word of God. © Grand Valley State University �Christ Community: A People Who Belong Richard A. Rhem Page 3   As I worked on that paper, I realized that John Calvin had a great passion for the unity of the Church. John Calvin was in favor of calling pastors together from the whole continent in order to discuss how that unity could come to expression. John Calvin was ready to have a church council called which had been the custom of the Church in the early centuries - to call a Council of the whole Church over which he was willing to have the Pope preside, on the condition that the Pope himself would abide by the decisions of the Council. And so, it was in the early expression of the Church re-formed according to the Word of God that there was only one church, that there could be only one church, and that there must be constant intentionality to discovering and expressing the unity of the Church of Jesus Christ. And at New Brunswick, in the paper that I shared, I used our experience to say that the local community of God's people could be a genuinely ecumenical community. I used that opportunity to say that in 15 years we have experienced the possibility of becoming a body of Christian people from a diversity of backgrounds and traditions, finding our unity in Jesus. It is hardly possible on the level of the large Church structure. Frankly, there are too many popes, cardinals, bishops, executive secretaries and all other kinds of officialdom with too much vested interest who piously say, "We are concerned about the Church and the Truth," but who are really concerned about their positions, so it is almost impossible on that giant Church level ever to affect unity. Structural unity will probably for a long time to come evade the grasp of the Church because people really don't want it. I mean, if I have position, power and prestige in the RCA, why should I want that merged into one great body in which I would become just, you know – I mean, if I'm a Chinook swimming in Lake Michigan, why do I want to become a perch in the ocean? Right? And down deep, that's what keeps the Church in its separate compartments. But when I came back here 15 years ago, I had had an experience of the possibility of genuine ecumenicity in a local fellowship. The four years that I was in the Netherlands, I worshiped sometimes in the Dutch Church, sometimes in the American Protestant Church of the Hague. In the APC, at that time, well in The Hague at that time, there were 4,000 Americans back in the late 60s. There were many of them who were oil people prospecting off in the North Sea. A lot of them came out of Oklahoma and Louisiana and Mississippi. They brought great, large, red Bibles to church, floppy Bibles. Southern Baptist folk. And then, there were also a few High Church Episcopalians, and there were all assorted kinds of Methodists and Baptists and Presbyterians. When you were an alien in a foreign land, you seek out a community of people with whom you can fellowship. Then theological distinctions are not quite so important. And I found that in that American Protestant Church in The Hague, there was a conglomeration of people of every stripe and every background who found something being together, united in Jesus Christ. And it was simply impossible for me to come back here and to squeeze back into the narrow © Grand Valley State University �Christ Community: A People Who Belong Richard A. Rhem Page 4   confines of a church with a specific confessional background and a specific ethnic caste. And as I was reflecting on this, I suppose that it was that experience that was the background for the experience of going out to the Institute of Church Growth and Leadership in California, which some of us attended in ' 71 where we recognized the possibilities for the church and came back and within a very short time we had changed the name of this church. It was May 3, 1971 when I preached on the text of this morning, suggesting it was reasonable and responsible to change the name of this church. And after 101 years of history, the First Reformed Church of Spring Lake became Christ Community Church. The vote on a rather warm, weekday evening at a special congregational meeting was 120 yes and 4 no. We also that night called Gordon VanHoeven. The vote was 117 yes to 7 no. He searched out those 7 and dealt with them. All kinds of people have written to me since that time to say, "How in the world did you ever effect the name change?" because people seem so glued to that which is traditional and familiar. And I have to say I don't know, but there was a momentum that was generated which we really believe was attributable to the Spirit of God, and that name signaled to us all a radical departure, a movement out of a narrow, confessional track, a movement out of a narrow ethnic background, and an intention of becoming a genuinely ecumenical community. And at this point, Christ Community has become as diverse as the American Protestant Church of the Hague. Now, how do you find your identity with all of that diversity? How do you find unity amid all of that pluralism? Well, it's very simple, because thank God that, in the inception of the Reformed Faith, the intention was not to begin another Church, but simply to be the one, holy, catholic Church, and simply to let it be reformed by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. Add, in so doing, the reformers were recognizing the essential unity of the Church. In our denominational structures we give witness to the unity of the Church, but our practice denies it. What we have done in this local community is simply not waited for the huge Church structures to move at their snail's pace, but we have become here genuinely Christ's Community; we have become the holy, catholic Church. Now, this movement toward unity reflects the biblical imperative and at its very inception the Church had to wrestle with the question of divisiveness. We read it this morning. Paul founded the Church at Corinth. He spent some time there, and within a little time, people came to him from the congregation and said, "We've got divisions. We've got jealousy and strife. We've got a party that meets out in the parking lot and they claim to be the people of Cephas or Peter. We've got people that meet in the Parlour. They claim to be people of Apollos. The First Apollos Christian Church. We've got people that even claim your name, Paul. And then we have that special group that meets around the altar. They say,' We're Christ's people.'" © Grand Valley State University �Christ Community: A People Who Belong Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Paul said, "Is Christ divided? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? " And then he goes on to deal with Jesus and the cross and so forth, and he comes back and says, "You know, I would really like you people to move on and to get into spiritual depth, but I can't even deal with the things that are really important. The world needs to hear about Jesus, and you're arguing about whether it's Paul or Apollos or Cephas. I'd like to feed you meat and all you are really ready for is milk!" And then he goes on at the end of that chapter to say, "Look - Apollos is yours, Peter is yours, I am yours. All things are yours. Everything belongs to you. The world. Life. Death. The past. The future - all is yours. But you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." And on the basis of that text, this congregation didn't dare vote to continue to be calling itself the First Reformed Church. How could we? How could we disobey the Word of God? How could the Church with all its self-righteous pronouncements and its pious affirmations continue in its division when there can only be one holy, catholic Church? Now, it was true already in Corinth. No wonder that we've got a Lutheran Church. No wonder we've got Calvinists rallying around the banner. No wonder we've got Wesleyans all over the place. And how can you be Roman Catholic? That's like being a particular universal. It's a contradiction in terms. You're either Roman or you're Catholic. You can't be Roman Catholic. We don't hear the Word of God, and we perpetuate our divisions and our selfrighteous assurance that we have a corner on the truth. Friends, there is no form of church government that is biblical as opposed to others. It doesn't really matter if we're Congregational or Presbyterian or Episcopal in our government. There are glimmerings of all of those in the Scripture, but there's not any scriptural justification for being separate churches because of the way we organize ourselves. There is no correct liturgy over against some other form of ritual. All of them arose in historical circumstances ministering to specific needs in concrete situations. There is no final confession of faith that has said it all. The Apostles Creed is probably the most unifying symbol in the Christian Faith, largely because it avoids theological definition and simply points to the historic life of Jesus. But even the Apostles Creed doesn't say it all. It, too, has a history, a context. The problem with the Church throughout all its life is its absolutizing of that which is relative, its claim for ultimacy for that which is transient and partial. Because there's something in us all that wants to say, "My church has got it. Every i dotted, every t crossed. We say it better than you do. We do it better than you do. And we're closer to the Scriptures and to the will of God and all of that." And it is simply not true. So, what we have tried to do on a local level is be simply Christ's, belonging to God. What we have tried to become here is a community of people who recognize that we are brothers and sisters of one another because Jesus Christ is our Elder © Grand Valley State University �Christ Community: A People Who Belong Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Brother, and God is our Father, and so we're members of the family together. What we've tried to bear witness to here is the one holy, catholic faith, that faith in Jesus Christ which has taken various historical forms and various institutional forms and had its faith come to expression this way at one time, and this way at another time, all of which is for us to learn from, to appreciate, to give thanks for, and all of us together, simply, to attempt to be Christ's who is God's. So, this community has only a relative grasp of the Truth, and we're open to continue to learn what God has to say to us. This church happens to be Presbyterian in government, but if they could ever get the whole thing together, I'd be willing to give that up if there were a way in which the whole Church could be united in a form of government that would get us together. We have certain ritual forms. If we could just stick with the biblical forms everything else is negotiable. We haven't got it all together. We're pilgrim people, of limited insight, of partial vision. We're just a pilgrim people on the way. We belong to Jesus, through whom we belong to God, and because we do, we belong to each other. Maybe the calling of the Reformed Church in America in the century before us is to give up its life, for the whole Church to become truly catholic again. Maybe the calling of Christ Community Church is to be a catalyst in the midst of the Reformed Church in America that the RCA may be to the larger Church what we have become. Maybe God is calling us in deep humility and deep commitment simply to model out that it is possible for people of diversity to became one in Jesus. I love ethnic festivals. I love mostly the food. I have roots. You have roots. Some of us share the same roots, some of us have other roots, but I love to enter into the roots of others. I was in New York a few weeks ago and we worked late on this theological journal and we went out to eat and then someone said, "There is an Irish tavern where they sing Irish music," and so we all went. In the back room, filled with people, all these Irishmen. I didn't say I was Dutch; I just sort of slipped into a booth. They bring their piccolos and their flutes and their drums and their fiddles, and they sing and they make music and drink beer, and sing and make music and drink more beer. The Irish are marvelous people. Their country's blowing up, and they sing. I love shish kabobs from the Greeks, and Hungarian goulash, and the beer halls of Munich. I love the English and I love my old wooden shoes. The Church of Jesus Christ doesn't have to be some bland, lowest common denominator. It can have all of the richness of a diverse community of people who say with many tongues and many tunes, through many expressions, "Jesus Christ is Lord." And out of all of the richness of that diversity which we can celebrate together, we can recognize that all of that diversity is relative to the only thing that matters – that we are Christ's and Christ is God's. Thank God that we belong. Maybe we can become that catalyst because our most famous, most meaningful confessional statement has no confessional or ethnic bias. It begins with this question, "What is your only comfort in life and in © Grand Valley State University �Christ Community: A People Who Belong Richard A. Rhem Page 7   death?" And the answer is, "That I, body and soul, in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ." Why, if you can say that, you are my brother, you are my sister. We're one in Jesus Christ. So, what else matters? So, what's the big deal? So, why don't we get smart and love each other in Jesus' name, to the glory of God? Let us pray. Thank you, Father, for forming us into Your family. Enable us to live in love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 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 IV Scripture Text I Corinthians 3:21-23 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-0-19860615 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-06-15 Title A name given to the resource Christ Community: A People Who Belong 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 June 15, 1986 entitled "Christ Community: A People Who Belong", on the occasion of Pentecost IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: I Corinthians 3:21-23. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Faith Diversity Ecumenical Pluralism Reformed Church https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f4e943366171d6512917baf1b6532a1a.mp3 4ec11f99cbca03edefddf5d1c61f4550 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 Ordination, Installation Scripture Text II Timothy 1:7 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-0-19860629 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-06-29 Title A name given to the resource Leadership for Greatness 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 June 29, 1986 entitled "Leadership for Greatness", on the occasion of Pentecost VI, Ordination, Installation, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: II Timothy 1:7. 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/89a7f6fd1a3e1f686f551262b0bbc54f.mp3 49b7d401a5418c388137f255c0fdd175 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 Liberty Weekend Celebration Scripture Text Isaiah 65:17-25 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-0-19860706 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-07-06 Title A name given to the resource A Vision of Liberty - a celebration of dialogue, music and word 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 6, 1986 entitled "A Vision of Liberty - a celebration of dialogue, music and word", on the occasion of Liberty Weekend Celebration, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 65:17-25. 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/a9ec1c0f919315843b3050c93ef556cc.mp3 d91c2dc732200613371acd599bcd5c0b 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 VIII Scripture Text John 18:37-38 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-0-19860713 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-07-13 Title A name given to the resource A Vision of Reality - The Impossible Dream (Man of LaMancha) 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 13, 1986 entitled "A Vision of Reality - The Impossible Dream (Man of LaMancha)", on the occasion of Pentecost VIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: John 18:37-38. 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/b45f45074c510333223295a4129f2dce.mp3 158e8bb80a7a096300ea02f75271e77e 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 Jeremiah 37:17 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-0-19860720 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-07-20 Title A name given to the resource Where Can One Find a True Word? 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 20, 1986 entitled "Where Can One Find a True Word?", on the occasion of Pentecost IX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 37:17. 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/48371bb25c8da3b293474fa6f916921f.mp3 2e87951fa710a8b9d0bd75660a3cac22 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/157fe6b1dc352f3f19c26faf1871da87.pdf 07ccb4e194cf4619fac0d3a1130c546e PDF Text Text I Want to Make It On My Own From the sermon series: God’s Prodigal Love Text: Luke 15: 13 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan July 27, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon …The younger son turned the whole of his share into cash and left home for a distant country… Luke 15: 13 The Parable of the Prodigal Son is misnamed. It is really a parable, not about a prodigal son, but about the prodigal love of God. If there is anything prodigal in the story, it is the love of God, the love of the Father, the love of God as reflected in the behaviour of the father in the story. We call it the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and one would be fighting a losing battle to try to rename it, I suppose, but I think the series title that we embark on this morning does reflect more accurately the nature of the parable. It really is a parable about God's love, about the nature of God, about the manner in which God relates to us - far more important than the action of the son. The parable was told by Jesus in the first place in order to defend his own behaviour as a reflection of the behaviour of God, or the attitude and spirit of God. In reading those first verses of Luke 15, one finds that the story was addressed to the scribes and the Pharisees, the uptight, upright who were condemning Jesus for his associations. In the Gospels we don't really get a fair picture of the Pharisees, and that is because we get this overagainstness, this adversarial relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees. But we do see the contrast, even if it is only given in that one-sided fashion in the Gospels. Nevertheless, the Pharisees, who were the strict, separated ones, believed it necessary to disassociate themselves from people who were considered ritually unclean. They called everybody that was not one of their own sect a sinner. NonJewish people were sinners; Jewish people who were engaged in some kind of employment whereby they could not maintain their ritual purity were sinners. And so, they very quickly wrote off everybody that was other than they were as sinners. Publicans, tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes - whatever the designation may be, there was a kind of general categorization of all of those who were other © Grand Valley State University   �I Want To Make It On My Own Richard A. Rhem Page 2   than the Pharisees. And the Pharisee would have nothing to do with the likes of sinners. And so they were condemning Jesus who was open to all, available to all, accessible to everyone, and, as a sign of his accessibility, would have table fellowship with such people. The Dutch New Testament scholar, Edward Schillebeekx, says that the most fundamental characteristic of Jesus in the Gospels is his table fellowship. That which speaks most loudly about who Jesus was are the narratives about his table fellowship. In that context, to break bread with someone was not only to extend friendship, but was to embrace that person. It was the most intimate sign of acceptance and the offering of fellowship to another. Now, it is still, to a certain extent, true for us as well. To have a meal together is a sign of friendship and is a method by which we share intimacy. But it was especially true then. And so, Jesus, being open to all and accessible to all and breaking bread with any, no matter where they were coming from, no matter what their history, no matter what their present circumstance, no matter what their status in society – that openness got him criticism and got him written off in the minds of the Pharisees. And to defend his action and to say that his action was such because God is that way was the purpose of this parable. And so, he told the story of the father who had two sons. One was a rebel who wanted his inheritance and who took off into the far country, only finally to come to himself and to come back. The other was uptight, upright, a model of the Pharisees to whom the parable was spoken, who did everything right, dotted every i, crossed every t, followed every command and lived in total subservience. But the interesting thing about both brothers was that both of them failed to be the one thing the father wanted them to be, and that was to be in relationship of love and trust. It is possible to go into the far country and to kick over the traces and to be a total rebel and live out of relationship with the father. And it is possible, as well, to stay in the father's' house and to dot every i and cross every t, follow every prescription, and use all of that righteousness and all of that rightness as an insulation also against the father, against the relationship of love and trust. What Jesus lived out was a relationship of spontaneity and a freedom that was characterized by love and trust. When he opened himself up to people, he was a reflection of the Father Who opened Himself up to all people, Who did not ask about one's history or where one was coming from, did not ask about the state of one's morality or the degree of one's righteousness, but simply said, "Come on, and let me embrace you. Let me love you. Let my grace make you new." The Father's heart was reflected in the action of Jesus who was open to all kinds of people. He spoke to the Pharisees who were mirrored in the elder brother, who in the father's house was as far from the father as the younger son who went into the far country. This morning I want to focus on the younger son. I have said already that the parable is about the father's prodigal love, but I have to admit that the perspective from which we are going to be looking at that is through the eyes of © Grand Valley State University �I Want To Make It On My Own Richard A. Rhem Page 3   the younger son, particularly. And so, this morning we are going to look at that young rebel as he looks at the father and he says in the depths of his being, as well as expressly to the father's face, "I want to do it on my own. I want to do it on my own." The younger son was a rebel. No, better, the younger son was simply human, and in this story Jesus painted that which lives in the heart of every human being. There is that in all of us that says, "I want to do it on my own." In fact, I want to suggest to you that probably within the skin of all of us live both the rebel and the elder brother. Probably there are not only two kinds of people, but most of us live with a kind of civil war going on most of the time. Most of us have within us both the rebel that wants to break out of bounds and the self-righteous Pharisee that condemns with a cold kind of legalism. And those two sides within ourselves live there with some kind of cold war going on and sometimes an act of rebellion against each other. We can find both of those sons within ourselves, and we can find people who reflect more the one or the other. But what Jesus was talking about was something that is intrinsic to our human nature, and this morning let us simply recognize that there is something within all of us that says, "I want to do it on my own." The thing that the youngest son failed to understand was that what he was seeking was not freedom, but autonomy. Now, God wants us to be free. Freedom is God's gift, and His intention for His people. But what we want, thinking that it is freedom, is really autonomy, and autonomy is to live as a law onto one's self. It comes from two Greek words which mean a self-law, and there is something in every human breast, I believe, that would desire to be a law onto oneself, to be autonomous, which is something other than freedom. Freedom is life in community, lived in responsible trust and love. Freedom is that ability to become fully actualized with the potential which God has created in us, but always in the parameters that have been set for us in the creative intention of God. Freedom is the ability to come to full expression by becoming what God intended us to be. Autonomy is that drive within us that says, "Don't let anybody tell me anything" (God, parents, husband, wife, child, government, whatever). "I'll take on the whole world. I will finally do it on my own." I think that until we come to recognize that some of that lives within us, we'll not fully own up to who we are. If it is true that within us live these two persons, the self-righteous Pharisee and the wild rebel, then, until we come to accept that about ourselves, we'll not really be truly healthy or spiritually whole. If we read a little bit in the field of psychology, we are told that we have to learn to accept our shadow side. That is, there is a dark streak in all of us we need to accept because it is a part of us. You see, the Pharisee gave to the world an exterior of total righteousness. But he lived behind a mask, because that external obedience to an external code, which could only be pulled off with a tremendous expenditure of energy, was not the real person. And if the Pharisee who lived with that total righteous mask, always on guard, always putting up a front, always © Grand Valley State University �I Want To Make It On My Own Richard A. Rhem Page 4   putting the best foot forward, didn't recognize that that was a facade and not the person, that within the person there was also the rebel, there was also this other person who was living quite differently according to his own compulsions and that which compelled him and drove him on – if the Pharisee didn't realize that, then he never came fully to be conscious of his total humanity. The rebel lives in us all, and if we have been so conditioned, so bound, if we have been so programmed that the rebel has never come to our consciousness and found expression in our life, then there's a whole part of us that we've never owned or reckoned with that someday could explode with great consequences. Within us all is that drive for autonomy that says, "Get off my back." (God, government, husband, wife, parents.) "Get off my back; I'll do it on my own!" And the best way to find it come to expression is to just push and probe a little bit and to see that welling up within, because there is that within us with which we have been created that wants to actualize itself. Now, in the story, the father doesn't fight that at all. The father simply goes to the safe and gets out the money, gives the boy the wallet and sends him on his way. And Jesus was saying something about God and about human nature. We understand what he was saying, because we have all lived through it ourselves. He purposely uses a father and two sons as a reflection of God and His children because he knows that that is exactly where we all live. And we've all been children. We've all moved through those dangerous, perilous years of adolescence. We've all felt the urge to break out and the constraint to hold it in. And if we are parents, we know that our families are so structured that we can hold the children in. And when the crisis comes, and you come to me and tell me about your son or your daughter, I can be quite objective. You can be at your wit's end, and I can smile in quite a relaxed fashion and say, "Look, she's only human. Look, give him a break. Look, you've baptized the kid. Trust God and give him a little room. Let them experiment a bit. Let them feel who they are." But, don't suggest that to me when it's my son or daughter, because then I get very worried, because they might be like I was, and I do want room for myself, but I don't want room for those I love because I know how deeply they can be hurt. I mean, this story ends rather nicely - the boy comes home. But what if the boy had been knifed in a brothel? Or what if he used his possessions in order to somehow or other engineer some plot to explode the world? We say, "Nice going, Father, you let the boy go and he came back." But what if he hadn't come back? And they don't always come back. Then we would say, "What a silly father! Why did you do it? Why did you let him go?" The father would say, "I had to let him go, because what I’m after, finally, is not an automaton, not a kind of puppet that responds to the pull of a string. I am for creating a child who loves spontaneously and trusts and lives in relationship." And that's the problem, isn't it? Even God has limited His power in order to exercise that kind of love, extending that kind of freedom in the cause of allowing © Grand Valley State University �I Want To Make It On My Own Richard A. Rhem Page 5   us to develop into fully human beings. It's a risky business, and God took the risk. In families, we do what we can to build a hedgerow to keep them going down the center of the road, somehow, not deviating too far to the right or to the left. If we do that in the family, we do that in the Church, too. The Church is an institution which is dedicated to the binding of human freedom. Why do many of the best people leave the Church? The most courageous spirits take off. Because, what do we do in the Church? We develop a ritual. We say we've got to worship this way. We develop a theology, and we say, "This is your dogma." And we develop rules of conduct and we say, "You're in or you're out, depending on whether you toe the line, dot the i, cross the t." The Church is institutionalized and becomes a great conservative force in society. There are people that don't believe in anything, but believe there ought to be a church because that keeps people in line. It is an anchor against the rebel in us all. And, of course, in government and society as a whole, we're always trying to program in order to hold that human rebel in check. And God delivers us to our freedom, stands lovingly in fear and trembling, looking to see if we'll come home. "I want to do it on my own. I want to do it on my own. Get off my back! Give me space; give me room. Let me breathe! Let me live! Let me be!" We say this until we find that that kind of autonomy leads to terrible anxiety and a bondage which we could never dream of. And then, thank God, there are those who come to themselves and come home, only to find that the real freedom they were seeking has been there all the time extended to them in the embrace of the Father, who just says, "Oh, good! You're home at last!" Jesus went about touching human beings, associating with them, eating with them, breaking bread, fellowshipping with them, hugging them, loving them, encouraging them, picking them up - the kind of people that the pure and the righteous really have little time for and no regard for and no hope for. And Jesus said, "You've got it all wrong. God is up there just waiting until you get it out of your system. And then when you're ready, He'll put His arms around you and say, 'Come home and find the freedom that you always thought you could find out of my presence.'" "I want to do it on my own." I suppose that there is a kind of once-for-all coming to God through Jesus Christ. There is a kind of once-for-all yielding up our arms, laying down our weapons, coming to the Father through Jesus, the Son. But I suspect that it is probably something we have to keep doing again and again, as well, because we can get way off in the far country, fall back into that old temptation to autonomy and doing it our own way, and all of a sudden wake up and say, "Gosh, I'm a long ways from home." And whether it's that once-for-all commitment, or just coming back again, the beautiful invitation is the Father standing there with open arms saying, "Who are you fighting? What are you running from? Why don't you just come home and let me love you?" © 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 Series God's Prodigal Love Scripture Text Luke 15: 13 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-0-19860727 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-07-27 Title A name given to the resource I Want to Make it On My Own 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 27, 1986 entitled "I Want to Make it On My Own", as part of the series "God's Prodigal Love", on the occasion of Pentecost X, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 15: 13. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Freedom Inclusive Grace Nature of God Parable Prodigal Son https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/13647f8b2d151e2d35b8a09b1903a798.mp3 bdcd28cff8cf96920890feb6b493be61 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 God's Prodigal Love Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 2:11, Luke 15:14 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-0-19860803 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-08-03 Title A name given to the resource Is This All There Is? 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 August 3, 1986 entitled "Is This All There Is?", as part of the series "God's Prodigal Love", on the occasion of Pentecost XI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 2:11, Luke 15:14. 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/a503d8a764d33009dd85e998c8a1de86.mp3 84ba667e9bf10ed011418446f9212014 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c7384105eae71b92553d5e333e550549.pdf 9424f83120501bf498932b261fa66021 PDF Text Text I Wish I Could Start Over From the sermon series: God’s Prodigal Love Text: Luke 15: 17 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 10, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon The parable of "The Prodigal Son" is probably the most familiar and best loved of Jesus' parables. Strange, then, that it should have become known as a story about a son when, in reality, it is a story told to portray the nature of God in His relationship to us. There is prodigality in the story, but it is the prodigality of God's love. "Prodigal" is defined as "given to extravagant expenditure," "recklessly wasteful," "lavish." That sounds like God's love, which comes to expression so powerfully in this compelling story. The story was told to "The Pharisees and the doctors of the Law." They had been grumbling at Jesus' behaviour; he extended fellowship to "sinners." He opened himself up to and embraced persons with whom the religious elite of his day would have nothing to do. "Sinners" covered a broad spectrum of persons. Of course, we do know that he was available to all, the prostitute of Luke 7, the hated tax collectors such as Matthew and Zaccheus, the Samaritan woman of John 4, Mary Magdalene whose past was colorful. But the category "sinner" referred not only to the obviously tainted, but all non-Jews and all Jews who failed to keep the ritualistic demands of the current interpretation of the Law. Jesus told the story to defend his openness to all persons, his offer of grace and forgiveness to all who came with a longing to be made new. He told the story of the father with two sons, each son representing different attitudes and situations of persons. The sons are necessary to the story, but the story is really told to reveal the heart of the father. The amazing truth we learn is that the father has a consistent, steady, boundless love for the rebel who leaves home, and for the uptight, upright son who stays home. The one is a rebellious youth who wants his own life, his independence, feeling he cannot be his own person in the presence of the father. The other is a meticulous, humorless, obedient son whose virtue through performance is offered in place of the one thing the father desired - a warm, spontaneous, loving relationship. © Grand Valley State University   �I Wish I Could Start Over Richard A. Rhem Page 2   The latter described those to whom the parable was addressed. The former described the persons about whom the grumbling occurred: the "sinners" Jesus received. The Truth of the parable is that God is limitless love, open to all, yearning for all His children, wanting their wellbeing, wanting them to be themselves fully, at home, in the Father's house. The focus of the first message was the younger son, the rebel who requested his inheritance and left home. He is a mirror of the person who says, "I want to do it on my own!" The second message pointed to the emptiness that is the end of a life of autonomy, a life which seeks to be a law unto itself, a life lived selfishly, selfindulgently with no meaning or purpose beyond the pleasure of the moment, a life out of relationship of love and trust. Such a life sooner or later raises the question, "Is that all there is?" That sense of emptiness or meaninglessness can come over one gradually or as a jolting revelation. Sometimes it comes after a period of treadmill existence with life going nowhere. Sometimes it comes about in a crisis. Whatever the concrete situation, we are caused to reflect on our lives, on the choices we have made, the priorities we have set and we may be led to sigh, "I wish I could start over." That is the place the younger son came to in the story Jesus told. In the midst of the disaster that befell him, he "came to his senses." (NEB) The Revised Standard Version renders it, When he came to himself. Reality hit. Sober reflection on his situation revealed the folly of his ways. He remembered his father and home. He decided to return; he wanted to start over. Wanting a new beginning is a very common human desire. There are so many areas of our lives that we would like to do over - choices we have made, decisions that directed our life in one course rather than another - to marry or not to marry, to marry this person rather than another, to get an education or not, to pursue one career rather than another, to have a family or not, to make a major move, to start a business. There is no end of the decisions one makes, and every decision becomes a thread in the weaving of the tapestry of our lives. The complexity of decisions forms a web and within that web our lives are caught. The sigh, "I wish I could start over," is thus not uncommon. Most of us, at one time or another, have known the feeling, the longing for a second chance. But there is no going back. © Grand Valley State University �I Wish I Could Start Over Richard A. Rhem Page 3   The very nature of our historical existence is such that we are writing a story in time that is moving from a point of beginning to an end point. Time can be recollected in memory; time can be anticipated in imagination; thus we can transcend the present moment but we cannot unravel time; we cannot undo it. Nor can we freeze it in the present moment. Relentlessly we must move on in the stream of time and to move on is to continue to make decisions. Such is the nature of our human existence. What might be included in the moment Jesus describes in the story as "coming to himself?" I suppose, first of all, there was an honest facing up to his life, to his story. Coming to one’s senses or coming to one’s self is a moment of Truth. Such moments are rare and precious. So much of our lives never come under honest scrutiny; many persons never come to a moment of Truth at all. Most of us live with denial; we may consciously suppress the truth of our lives and expend great energy keeping the truth under, or we may be unconscious of the denial and live with a vague restlessness and anxiety. Who am I really? What is the Truth about me? It takes courage to ask that question. Some of us never allow the question to surface. I doubt that the Elder Brother ever faced the question. Had he honestly engaged himself in dialogue, he might have come to self-awareness of the anger and resentment that were seething beneath the surface of his righteous exterior. He was not a free person, spontaneous, happy. He was without humor. He worked diligently but it was drudgery and life was a drag. When he came upon the joy and celebration of the prodigal's return, it all erupted; the dam burst, the volcano within exploded. He had never really come to know himself. The younger son paid a price for the choices he made. We must not glamorize his wild fling. He suffered. He came to the edge of despair and we must assume that he carried with him throughout his life some scars from his scrape with desolation. But all of that was as nothing compared to the experience of the moment of Truth. When he finally got the courage to do some serious introspection and to take inventory of his life, he came to himself; he came to the moment of Truth. Such a moment does not issue in a running away from oneself or a denying of one’s life. Indeed, that is precisely what had been the case. He had done his best as long as he could to convince himself that he was glad to be away from the father, on his own, actualizing his own person. As the emptiness became more and more evident, the denial of the mess he had made of things was increasingly difficult to sustain. Finally he could do it no more. Now he owned his life, he owned his story. He had made his choices and this is where it led. There was no wallowing in self-pity. There was no blaming of his Elder Brother or his father. He faced his life; he took responsibility for it. He decided on a course of action that would enable him to start over, to begin again. © Grand Valley State University �I Wish I Could Start Over Richard A. Rhem Page 4   In traditional Christian terminology - biblical terminology - the younger son repented; he changed his mind, changed his thinking. That is the literal meaning of the Greek word Metanoia. His thinking was turned around. The speech he prepared for his father indicates that he was aware of his own responsibility. He says bluntly, "I have sinned against heaven and against you." The parable shows us what Jesus understands by sin. It is going out from the father's house, i.e., godlessness and remoteness from God working itself out in a life in the world with all its desires and its filth. The word "sin" used in this instance means literally "missing the mark." That puts it well. That was what the younger son came to see, acknowledge, and confess. He said, "I've missed the mark." Today one might say, "I really blew it!" And then he acted on his new knowledge. He arose and went to his father. He came home. This, too, is a vital step and of critical importance. It is one thing to come to oneself. It is one thing finally to be engaged by the moment of Truth. It is another to act on that insight when it means turning around and facing up to wrong choices and deeds in the presence of family and friends. This phase of the story we might call conversion - the actual about-face. It involves the honest recognition and acknowledgment that one has been in the wrong and is responsible for "missing the mark" and for appropriate action in light of that acknowledgment - in the case of this story, the actual return to the father. All of this is included in coming to oneself. It is a crisis. It is devastating. It takes great courage and it is wonderfully liberating. Our young friend still knows nothing of grace, but he is now ready to face his father and bargain for a chance to start over on the father's terms. "Let me be as one of your hired servants; I know I can no longer expect to be considered your son. Thus he brings to expression the longing to start over. Let's reflect on that for a moment. Starting over is not a denial of the past. We write our story. What we are is the compilation of all we have been. Starting over does not rip us out of our past; rather it creates the opportunity for new beginning with the past no more a weight shackling us with guilt and remorse that would hobble our spirit and limit our future. We own our past. We assume responsibility for it. We are the wiser for it; we live with the consequence of it. © Grand Valley State University �I Wish I Could Start Over Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Sometimes that past is something we would not want ever to experience again, but even in its tragic dimension, having gone through it, we would not trade the lessons learned, the experience gained. One must come to accept and take responsibility for one's own story. Beginning again does not involve amnesia. There is no whitewashing, brainwashing or some other psychological trick that we play on ourselves. We put it behind us and we move on, but the past remains our past. It is our story. The younger son did not really realize the newness that grace creates. His intention was to return and earn at least servant status. What he was to encounter in the father's loving forgiveness and total acceptance was beyond his wildest dreams. Move, now, to the attitude and posture of the father. He did not use his authority to hold the young son. He used no coercion, manipulation or guilt trip. He let him go. From the reception he gave the boy on his return, we know this was not because of a lack of love and concern. We will focus on that love in the final message. Why, then, did he simply let the boy go? The answer is that he knew he would not have his boy home, even if he forced him to live under his roof, until the boy came to himself, until he came to his senses. That is the only way God's intention can be realized. What he desires is a gracious, personal relationship. Our relationship with him is not reciprocal in the sense of being "fifty-fifty." He initiates. He offers grace. He sustains us in relationship. But we are not passive blocks of wood. His initiation must call for the response which is a genuine turning toward him. Trust speaks of response. And for response to be the inward movement of the person, it must be elicited but cannot be demanded or forced. Remember again why Jesus told the story. He was claiming that his very presence was a sign of God's initiating grace, a sign of salvation present and freely offered. To respond to him was to respond to God - to come home to grace. When the son said, "I want to do it on my own!" the father recognized the always possible option of seeking autonomy rather than relationship. Only when he came subsequently to say, "Is that all there is?" had he made his own discovery that he was on a dead-end street. That was the moment of truth. He came to his senses. He said, "I wish I could start over." He had not yet encountered grace; he did not yet have the faintest idea of grace. But one thing he remembered: the sadness in his father's eyes when he left. The absence of anger, of threat. The sense that he might cut off his father, but his © Grand Valley State University �I Wish I Could Start Over Richard A. Rhem Page 6   father had not responded in kind, cutting him off. The posture of the father built no barriers for return. In our broken human relationship we often cut off the possibility of return because we respond in kind, anger for anger, wound for wound. Jesus portrays a father whose spirit and action communicate that the door is always open. There he was pleading with the religious leaders saying precisely that - come home, just as he pictured the younger son arising and going to the father. The good news of the message is that the way is open; the barriers do not exist beyond our own minds. The Father awaits us. We can start over. We can begin again. The longing for home is the first sign of grace. The honest owning of one's life, its light and shadow, its goodness and guilt is the dawning of something more wonderful than words can describe. There is much more to tell. We will come to that. But hear this good news, all who are weary, bored, empty, guilty, afraid — Come home. You can begin again. © 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 God's Prodigal Love Scripture Text II Corinthians 15:17 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-0-19860810 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-08-10 Title A name given to the resource I Wish I Could Start Over 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 10, 1986 entitled "I Wish I Could Start Over", as part of the series "God's Prodigal Love", on the occasion of Pentecost XII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: II Corinthians 15:17. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Forgiveness Nature of God Parable Prodigal Son Sin Unconditional Love https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6eaabb5f6c3838d1b287c3064ee37d23.mp3 1502e0b2905a94807a8d94111a19d5b7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/296334c1430357a5c0559c36e2e9080b.pdf 56237fec0160a8ded5b49259cefdabb0 PDF Text Text I Can’t Believe the Love I’ve Found From the sermon series: God’s Prodigal Love Text: Luke 15: 20-24 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 17, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon …while he was still a long way off his father saw him, and his heart went out to him. He ran to meet him, flung his arms round him, and kissed him….The father said to his servants, “Quick! Fetch a robe, my best one, …a ring…and shoes….Bring the fatted calf. …let us have a feast to celebrate the day…and the festivities began. Luke 15: 20-24 The next time I select this parable as the basis of the message, I will entitle it, "When Heaven Throws a Party." That says it well, better perhaps than our title today. But the title of this message is consistent with the perspective from which we have walked through the story; we've been looking at it primarily through the eyes of the younger son. An Old Scottish preacher treated it that way, too, but in one message he divided the story into three movements, "Sick of home, homesick, and home." That says it well, too. We've stayed with the story for four weeks and I think we, too, have gotten the feel of the movement: I want to do it on my own! Is that all there is? I wish I could start over! Now, finally, I can't believe the love I've found! I like that statement. It expresses the amazed joy of discovery the younger son experienced at his reception by the father and it points, as well, to the heart of the story, what the story is really all about – the love of the father, which is a parable of the love of God. We have rehearsed the story often enough; it is the most familiar parable Jesus told. But the climactic scene never fails to move us. But while he was still a long way off his father saw him, and his heart went out to him. He ran to meet him, flung his arms around him, and kissed him. © Grand Valley State University   �I Can’t Believe the Love I’ve Found Richard A. Rhem Page 2   What a vivid picture of love, forgiveness, reconciliation. What deep emotion is thus expressed and what deep chords the scene touches in our own hearts. Let us stick with the text for a moment. The son managed to get the first part of his rehearsed speech out: Father, I have sinned, against God and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son. No more could be spoken; no more need be spoken. Love took over; love simply overwhelmed the penitent. There would be no more discussion, only rapid-fire instructions by which the son would be restored fully to the position of son and heir and the party would be prepared. The father's rationale was simple: The dead one was alive; the lost one was found. Let the party begin! There you have Jesus' understanding of the nature of God's love and the way love acts. He was defending his own action, his openness to all kinds of persons – winners and losers, rich and poor, prestigious and peasant. He claimed to be in his behavior, spirit and attitude a mirror of the heart of God. The portrait of the father running down the road, embracing and kissing the son and restoring him fully is simply a picture of God waiting, watching and finally welcoming His children home. Let us reflect on the nature of God's love as it comes to expression in Jesus' story. It is obviously the love of God and quite foreign to all human conception or expression. I am reminded of a statement from the Old Testament prophet Hosea. He is preeminently the prophet of divine love in the Old Testament. The passage is not strange to us; we have focused on it often; but the nature of the love is strange to us precisely because, as God says in the prophet's words, "I am God and not man." Hosea's prophecy opens with a personal narrative of his love for a woman who proves unfaithful, a woman whom God calls him to forgive and embrace again. That personal experience was Hosea's parable of God's love for Israel. In the 11th chapter, Hosea records how God created and cared for Israel tenderly, lovingly, only to be rejected by her. He then speaks of judgment to fall on them for their rebellion and revolt. But then the mood changes. God says, How can I give you up Ephraim, how surrender you…? My heart is changed within me…I will not let loose my fury, I will not turn round and destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man. Hosea 11: 8, 9 I am always struck by that statement. So often we explain our behavior, our responses, our relationships with a shrug of the shoulders – "Well, I'm only © Grand Valley State University �I Can’t Believe the Love I’ve Found Richard A. Rhem Page 3   human." And it is true, only human - and so, I lose patience, my love has limits. You can push me over the line; my love comes to an end. I think there are some rights I do not have to give up. I take offense at some point of provocation and feel justified in doing so. In the family I set limits, I demand respect. I will not tolerate some things. I think the children need it and they do, but it is also true that I refuse to be used, abused. It makes me wonder if one could raise a family on the kind of love God displays. I know it won't work in the world of practical affairs, in business and government. Certainly not in international affairs. That kind of love ends up crucified. It is not practical. What are we saying about God? What are we saying about ourselves? Let's not try to qualify God's love as Jesus portrayed it. Let's not try to make it something else by all sorts of conditional clauses. Just think about it as Jesus portrayed it. It is like Hosea expressed, My love is what it is because I'm God and not man. What will we say? Too good for this world? Too impractical? Too idealistic? Some love, though! Some love. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said, "Great men never run in public." Research into the ways of Palestinian community life confirms that no father would pull up his garment and run down the road. It was a disgrace. God's love, Jesus says, loses proper decorum, loses dignity, has no self-regard – just races to embrace a child coming home. Some love! What are we saying? Are we wiser than God? Do we know better how to run the world? Is love really soft, ineffective? Let me suggest that love is really the only truly transforming power. Love changes us from the inside. Only an inside change is transforming. Fear can hold us in line. Behavior patterns can be changed by threat. A heavy smoker has a coronary, and the doctor says, "No more," and the habit is broken. Law can hold us in line. I really resist the seat belt law. It is foolish of me, but I resist being told I have to buckle up. One day this week I reached over and buckled up as I was approaching Bobbins Road on U.S. 31. At the light I stopped © Grand Valley State University �I Can’t Believe the Love I’ve Found Richard A. Rhem Page 4   and next to me the Sheriff's car stopped. Nancy said, "I wondered why you buckled up." But behavioral response to fear or law or threat of any kind - while it may control my behavior and keep me in line - which may be for my good and for the good of society - does not have the power to transform me so that I become a new person - my new behavior being the outward sign of my new being. Love is powerful. Love is transforming. Maybe our trouble is that we just do not trust love to do its work. We grow anxious; we want to exercise control; we want to secure the proper outcome. We are often well-intentioned. We really do want the best for our children, our nation, our world. But we don't trust love to effect it; we feel constrained to force the best solution in any situation. So we make demands and we threaten penalty. God loves. Jesus came into the midst of human history and he loved, and people felt its power and all kinds of people came to him. He made no distinctions; he simply loved people. And they were changed. Transformed. And Jesus was simply God's love in flesh and in action. Unconditional love - that is the love of God. Love that can be spurned, love that can be abused, taken advantage of, love that will not coerce, but that alone can transform. The Father did not play it cool; he did not remain aloof; he did not keep the boy hanging, put him on probation, lecture him on responsibility or vent the anger of his wounded pride. He just hugged him and kissed him and said, "My boy is alive; he's home again!" The son had gained insight. He had faced himself, come to his senses, acknowledged his foolishness and attained a proper humility. He was prepared to make a reasonable request of his father. He had come a long way, but he was still a stranger to grace until he felt the arms of his father, the hot, salty tears of the father falling on his shoulder. It was the love of the father that turned him inside out. It was the love that transformed him. How could he take it in? As he thought about it, he must have said, "I can't believe the love I've found." Maybe we are not wiser than God; maybe God is wiser. Maybe He knows that threat and condemnation do not transform even though they may coerce one to © Grand Valley State University �I Can’t Believe the Love I’ve Found Richard A. Rhem Page 5   conform. Maybe He trusts the power of love and so He deals with us with the patience of love. I wonder why we have missed that point in the Church. Sometime, taste some radio sermons or TV evangelists. Reflect on your experience in church over the years. Read sermon titles or the church page in the newspaper – it sounds like a horror story rather than a love story. What is the overwhelming impression created? Why do we use the phrase, "Don't preach to me!"? What is preaching in common usage? Is it not full of oughtness - full of threat, full of warning, and laced with condemnation? Why do we adopt a method that turns away when we have the message of an unbelievable love to share? Is it because we are insecure about the truth we bring? Do we want to force everyone into our mold? Are we unsure of love's transforming power? Do we rush in to force while God patiently waits? God loves. God waits. And then God races to embrace the one who finally comes to his senses. That is why the story ends with a marvelous party. The fatted calf. Music and dancing. Celebration. That is what worship ought to be – a great party. Once again, how we have mutilated the whole matter. There is a discipline of worship. I heartily commend it. Unless you arise on Sunday morning knowing it is the Lord's Day and you will worship without even stopping to make a decision, you will probably not worship with a disciplined regularity. But, why? Do we do God a favor? Do we honor God? Well ... perhaps. But what is this coming together? Is it not a party, a celebration for a grace amazing and a love beyond compare? I know there are spiritual disciplines, which I really need to keep in tune, in touch. But I do not do them for God's sake, to win His approval or curry His favor. I do them to keep in view this amazing love, the inspiring, uplifting experience of a love that keeps on throwing arms around me, believing in me when I give up on myself; a love that will never let me go. So I keep coming here to hear it again. I come here to say, "Thanks be to Thee, O God!" I really need to keep coming back; I forget so soon. I get down on myself. I see the ambiguity of my life, the equivocation of my commitment. I would give up on me; wouldn't God, Who knows the twists and warps of my soul better than I do? © Grand Valley State University �I Can’t Believe the Love I’ve Found Richard A. Rhem Page 6   The answer is simply, "No," He will never give up on me. Remember again this story is about God's love, His attitude toward His children. We've missed the point and ruined the story by making a big deal about the far country and loose living, but that is to distort the story and turn it into a moralism. It is not about how one lives, but about how God loves. If there is one great underlying, foundational, fundamental truth woven through the one story of the Bible, it comes to beautiful expression in this parable Jesus told and it is simply this - God loves us with an everlasting love. Personalize that; put your own name in the sentence: God loves…. Now, to make that felt, we should really take a moment and put our arms around each other. When you need space, go ahead - run, run like mad for as long as you need to run. Get it out of your system - that feverish cry, "I want to do it on my own!" One day you may wake up with a real headache and a heartache, as well, and ask, "Is that all there is?" When you get hold of yourself and feel that yearning inside and find yourself saying, "I wish I could start over," then remember this story Jesus told and simply come home - You won't believe the love you'll find. In the meantime, God waits, God searches for the slightest sign of homesickness, God loves and longs to have you feel it, in His embrace. Open yourself to the love and to God. Come to the party! © 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 God's Prodigal Love Scripture Text Luke 15:20-24 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-0-19860817 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-08-17 Title A name given to the resource I Can't Believe the Love I've Found 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 17, 1986 entitled "I Can't Believe the Love I've Found", as part of the series "God's Prodigal Love", on the occasion of Pentecost XIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 15:20-24. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Nature of God's Love Parable Prodigal Son Transforming Love Unconditional Love https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4e7379c450fe41b2a97aa022dfd48d15.mp3 39756aa068054e1e64124d4dd2d56b87 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 Music from CAROUSEL Scripture Text Psalm 42:11b 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-0-19860824 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-08-24 Title A name given to the resource With Hope In Your Heart 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 August 24, 1986 entitled "With Hope In Your Heart", as part of the series "Music from CAROUSEL", on the occasion of Pentecost XIV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 42:11b. 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/d6a587d0f31db12f796fc41643037582.mp3 4efcde8a6e790317357897109087d237 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ed205de2dc3b21693d6836b6cf101880.pdf 553952d0be11551691dcd748635efd53 PDF Text Text God is Easy to Live With Text: Psalm 103: 13-14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 31, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on all who fear him. For he knows how we are made, he knows full well that we are dust. Psalm 103: 13-14 The Psalmist begins this Psalm with a call to his own being to bless the Lord. The Psalm ends with the same call, now inviting the whole created order and all created beings to join in the praise of God. The body of the Psalm witnesses to who God is by pointing to all God does, thus giving the cause for gratitude which issues in the praise of God. Psalm 103 is an expression of pure praise. Nothing is requested; no plea or complaint is expressed. It is simply a paean of praise to the good and gracious God, a God Who is easy to live with. The psalm flows; it is a spontaneous eruption of joy at the contemplation of the wonder of God's goodness, compassion and grace. It is the amazement at the realization of Who God is and what He has done and continues to do. Praise is spontaneous. It arises in our hearts; it erupts on our lips; it breaks forth, irrepressible. The Psalmist calls himself to consciousness of God's mercy; praise is the result. Praise cannot be coerced; forced, it is not praise. But we learn from the Psalmist that it is in the contemplation of God in His saving acts toward us, His mercy and goodness to us, that we put ourselves into the posture of praise. Let us listen as the Psalmist describes the God Whom he calls upon his soul to bless. We bless God because of Who He has shown Himself to be. Old Testament faith was not speculative and abstract. Rather, the God Whom Israel praises was the God Who revealed Himself in human experience. He was the God Who revealed Himself to Moses. That brings to expression the whole history of redemption in which Israel was called and claimed by God to be © Grand Valley State University   �God is Easy to Live With Richard A. Rhem Page 2   His people. Israel had a sense of being God's chosen people. In the Exodus event, God freed their Fathers from Egypt's bondage. He was the God Who led them through the wilderness and brought them into the promised land. In His revelation of Himself to Moses, He made Himself known as merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Mercy, grace, steadfast love - what a list of attributes that makes. He was the God of salvation; He set His people free from the galling slavery that de-humanized and oppressed. He provided for them, nurtured them and established them in their own land. Israel's history was a history of salvation of the Mighty God Who delivered them. In Exodus, as Israel gathered at Mount Sinai and prepared to receive the Law, these were Moses’ words to them: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey my vice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples…. Exodus 19: 4-5 That beautiful image expresses well Israel's sense of being called and claimed by God. But not only in their corporate history, but also in their personal, human experience, the Old Testament people had a sense of God's grace and mercy. Just listen to the five verbs of verses 3-5. God pardons, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies. Consequently, His people live as renewed persons, kept in the steadfast love of God. Expanding on the first blessing mentioned - God's pardoning grace - the Psalmist gives us one of the most vivid figures of speech found anywhere to describe what God does with our wrongs. Here is the marvelous surprise: God does not deal with us as we might expect to be dealt with. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requites us according to our iniquities. How often we get things out of focus. We grumble and complain. We are prone to look on the dark side, feeling we have gotten a bum deal. We luxuriate in self-pity and whimper while we nurse our wounds and rationalize our poor showing. But the reality is far different! God does not deal with us as we deserve. C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce, tells of a busload of folk from the grey, misty flats of purgatory who take a bus excursion to the borders of heaven to see if they might desire permanent residence there. One of the "tourists" meets a man known to him on earth who was tried and executed for committing a murder. The man is now a citizen of heaven. The visitor is amazed to find the murderer there. He cries out, "What I'd like to understand is what you're here for, as pleased as © Grand Valley State University �God is Easy to Live With Richard A. Rhem Page 3   Punch, you a murderer, while I've been walking the streets down there and living in a place like a pigsty all these years." The citizen of heaven tries to explain that he had been forgiven the crime and that both he, the murderer, and the man he murdered had been reconciled at the judgment seat of God. But the "spirit" from purgatory would have none of it. It was unjust, unfair! He keeps protesting that it is not right, and all he demands is his rights. "I've got to have my rights, same as you, see!" "Oh, no," the citizen of heaven assures him, "It's not as bad as that. I haven't got my rights, or I should not be here. You will not get yours, either. You will get something far better." Thank God we do not get our rights. Thank God justice is not done. Thank God His grace is greater than all our sin. Will Campbell learned the heart of the Gospel the hard way one day. It was during the days of great tension and ugliness of the Civil Rights Movement in the South. A young seminarian and a black man were gunned down in cold blood by a Southern sheriff. Will and his brother were with a friend who would have nothing to do with the Gospel, when they heard the news. The friend put Will, himself a minister of the Gospel, on the spot. In effect, he said, "What will your God do about such an outrage? Can that sheriff be forgiven?" Will, his own heart broken and full of anguish, knew this was the acid test. Did he believe the Gospel? He answered, "Yes." So, the murdered and the murderer are alike loved by God? Yes. Then, what is this Gospel of yours? We are all bastards and God loves us anyway? "Yes," Will replied. That is the scandalous Gospel we believe. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities. This is the testimony of the whole of Scripture. He blots out our sins as a thick cloud. He casts them behind His back. He buries our sins in the depths of the sea. He remembers them against us no more. We remember our sins. We remember the sins of our neighbors. We nurse them, fume and fuss about them, burden ourselves with them, wallow in them. © Grand Valley State University �God is Easy to Live With Richard A. Rhem Page 4   But, God puts them away - forever. No wonder the Psalmist said, Bless the Lord, O my soul! How does He deal with us? With compassion! Like a parent deals with a child. But no earthly parent begins to realize the magnitude of God's compassion. The best of human parenting is only a faint reflection of the parental love of God. It gives us an image we can grasp and begin to understand. But God's Fatherly compassion surpasses our best insight and understanding. The Psalmist calls us to bless the Lord because of the way He loves us – human as we are. He knows how we were made. He knows full well that we are dust. Here is not only a beautiful statement about God, but here, too, is the charter of our humanness. In the Scriptures we find surprisingly that it is all right to be human. Does not this statement reflect the Psalmist's understanding that God loves us and accepts us in our very humanness? The Bible celebrates that humanness. In the eighth Psalm we read of both our smallness when compared with the cosmos and our greatness in that we were created a little less than God. In this Psalm we sense that the Psalmist believed that God fully understands us in our humanness. We are not God. We are not angels. We are human. To be human is to be finite, limited. To be human is to have to choose, to decide, to act on limited knowledge and insight. To be human is to struggle to find the balance between freedom and responsibility. To be human is to be part of the created order of the earth and to feel the tug of that which connects us to the earth and to be created in the image of God, made for and called to fellowship with God. To be human is to be a person in process, a pilgrim, a struggler. We have not allowed ourselves to be very comfortable in the Church being human. We do get down on ourselves. We condemn ourselves and we are harder on ourselves than anyone else and we are harder on ourselves than God is. Somehow we've gotten the message that it is not all right to be human. We just do not measure up. In the Church - in religion in general - there is a large measure of moralism. There is a strong stress on the "ought." There is the threat and warning about our shortcomings, the constant call to do more, to do better. There is that constant © Grand Valley State University �God is Easy to Live With Richard A. Rhem Page 5   pressure to perform and there is the equally constant sense of falling short. The "message" seems to be that it is not "OK" to be human. Dr. J. Harold Ellens gave a paper to a Christian Psychological Association some years ago in which he addressed the relationship of worship and emotional health. The whole paper is full of insight and greatly impressed me when first I read it. On our present focus, Ellens writes: Worship is the celebration of a feat accomplished and being realized. That fact is the historical datum certifying that God was uniquely in Jesus of Nazareth "reconciling the world unto Himself." The celebration of worship is the act and experience of taking profound and grateful account of God's demonstrated nature and behaviour: He is for us, not against us. Humans natively envision God as a threat. …It may well be that man's native view of God as a threat derives from the natural state of anxiety which seems to be coincident with self-consciousness. …Worship as the celebration of God's grace addresses itself essentially to human anxiety regarding God, self, and one's world of relationships. This follows directly from the fact that the Christian "good news" is the announcement of man's freedom from those threats - freedom to be and become oneself. The purpose of worship, then, is the achievement of emotional health and spiritual wholeness in the form of relief from destructive anxiety by means of the celebration of God's grace. Ellens stresses the fact that worship either incites and embodies experiences of forgiveness, acceptance and a desirable destiny, or enforces guilt, shame and bondage. Worship either frees or sickens. Speaking directly to the point I am making in this message, Ellens writes: The process of worship must provide a comfortable and safe arena for humans to deal with their real inadequacy to the responsibilities of life and the challenges of godliness, as well as their sense of inadequacy as humans. The two are usually quite different and the difference is often the dimension of man's dishonesty, self-deception and pathology including psychic conflict. Worship must provide opportunity and necessity for humans to face their real humanness without employing the typical pathological techniques of self-deception, deception of the community, or mechanisms of escape. Typical worship encourages rather than prevents such pathologies. However, when worship fails to lead people out of them, it cannot be healing. Where deception of self or the community is necessary or possible, freedom in God's grace is impossible. That is the setting for emotional illness, not health. Ellens continues: © Grand Valley State University �God is Easy to Live With Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Worship must provide such humans with the strength and safety to face the crushing reality of our personal and communal potential for envisioning sainthood, on the one hand, and our inability to produce sainthood on the other. It is not a new insight that man is at war with his self. It would be a new experience if worship consistently resolved that conflict in the peace of grace. ... To achieve a healing emotional response, liturgy must provide for honest, relief-affording resolution of the anxiety and ego-insult inevitable to our internal conflicts. This requires aiding persons, through worship, to realize and act out the fact that it is acceptable to be human and sinful. Worship must aid persons and the community to realize on the emotional level that that acceptability is precisely what divine grace and Christian graciousness means. There is much more that could be said on this point, but this is enough to indicate how in worship we should experience the Psalmist's insight that God knows how we are made, knows we are "dust" or "clay" – people in conflict, full of anxiety, loaded with guilt and a sense of inadequacy, needing the good news of an unconditional love and total acceptance of the God Who knows it all better than we do and has already handled our dilemma in the gift of Jesus and the grace which there came to expression. He meets our guilt with forgiving grace, our inadequacy with the total adequacy of Jesus, our weakness with the strength He provides, and calls us simply to trust Him that it is so and to rest in the abyss of His love. To catch a glimpse of such a God and such a redemption is simply to praise, spontaneously, irrepressibly. The Psalmist calls his soul to reflect on this good and gracious God and then he knows praise will flow. Praise cannot be coerced. C.S. Lewis was at first put off by all the calls, "Praise God," when first he became a Christian, until he came to realize that praise was simply the overflow of the enjoyment of the object of praise – in this case, the enjoyment of God. When we read a great novel or experience a great concert or see a beautiful sunset, we want to tell somebody about it. The fun of a good joke is sharing it. So is the praise of God. Lewis says praise is "inner health made audible." I'm sure he is right. Show me a person full of praise and I will show you a person healthy and happy. Some of us are praisers. Some of us are simply "chronic grumps." Again, praise cannot be coerced; either it is "felt" and thus will be expressed, or we remain numb and dumb. But we need not be fatalists, simply resigning ourselves to being "grumps," going through life groveling in the mire when we could soar with eagles. We can talk to ourselves; we can take ourselves in hand as did the Psalmist. We can become conscious of © Grand Valley State University �God is Easy to Live With Richard A. Rhem Page 7   the chronic posture of our souls and we can become self-conscious, reflecting on patterns that may be deeply ingrained. Rather than viewing a magnificent sunset and grumbling, "Well, another day shot," we can bask in a few moments of beauty. We can sense the cool, crispness of the autumn morning and remember this is our Father's world. We can feel the smooth softness of a newborn's cheek and revel in the wonder of a child. We can call upon ourselves to become conscious of the very gift of life and the resources for facing even the most difficult circumstances. We cannot contemplate the God Who "pardons, heals, redeems, crowns and satisfies" and not sense within the upsurge of emotion that finds expression in praise. Then with all creation and all the angels of heaven we can bless the Lord and experience the wellbeing of His grace and goodness, the God Who is easy to live with. 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 XV 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-0-19860831 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-08-31 Title A name given to the resource God is Easy to Live With 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 31, 1986 entitled "God is Easy to Live With", on the occasion of Pentecost XV, 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 Covenant Forgiveness God of Grace Human Nature Nature of God Praise Psalms Unconditional Grace Worship https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d748be6bd3d8d553bdb6201c9ee190b5.mp3 5565852a1d09806a3438beb0feaa3215 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 Christian Education Sunday Pentecost XVI Scripture Text Joshua 4:6-7, 24:15, Psalm 78:6-7 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-0-19860907 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-09-07 Title A name given to the resource What Do These Stones Mean? 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 7, 1986 entitled "What Do These Stones Mean?", on the occasion of Christian Education Sunday, Pentecost XVI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Joshua 4:6-7, 24:15, Psalm 78:6-7. 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/f93f2f960d0fdcfc580733ccbe987ed8.mp3 649b2ce15d6dce048f7a363cb211bb9d 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 Scripture Text Psalms 139, 51, 40, 116 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-0-19860914 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-09-14 Title A name given to the resource Our Life in His Light 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 14, 1986 entitled "Our Life in His Light", on the occasion of Pentecost XVII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalms 139, 51, 40, 116. 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/a12d0f0983e647ce859872b95db5ac4e.mp3 9ff17354f9ae5fb33d7c5081c58c5f93 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 XVIII Scripture Text Psalm 88:13-14 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-0-19860921 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-09-21 Title A name given to the resource Praying to an Absent 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 21, 1986 entitled "Praying to an Absent God", on the occasion of Pentecost XVIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 88:13-14. 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/be92ddecca1338aac5c36515f5f8451c.mp3 890a7c5e7468855c96dd3f700725cee1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/665725d9767c3a24c17dc00713db8d87.pdf 8c86ed73390ce18bb51597bdbdddeb14 PDF Text Text Abraham – Shaky Faith in a Faithful God From the sermon series: No Stained Glass Saints Text: Romans 4:17 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 5, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon …this promise, then, was valid before God, the God in whom he put his faith, the God Who makes the dead live… Romans 4:17 I inaugurate a series of messages entitled, "No Stained Glass Saints," beginning in this message with Abraham. The purpose of this series is to march before us biblical characters through whom God has effected His purposes of salvation and the establishment of His Kingdom in order that we might understand that God's Kingdom is a witness to what God can do with people who respond in faith to Him – and not what human individuals can accomplish through their piety, righteousness or goodness. My purpose in this series in not the debunking of biblical heroes. There is enough debunking of leaders and celebrities in our society. It has become a common occurrence for everyone who has known anyone who was anybody to rush into print with all the petty and lurid details of the lives of public figures, reducing them to the level of the common, the mediocre. It is a disappointment and a disillusionment, often, when the mighty are shown to have clay feet, when the great ones are revealed to share our common human weaknesses and flaws. We know all persons share a common humanity. We should not be surprised at the revelation of the secrets of the hearts and lives of public persons or giants on the scene of history. Still, we are disappointed, let down. We want heroes, heroines. We need models, persons who inspire us and elicit from us our best, I am not setting out to rob you of biblical heroes. I am not going on an iconoclastic binge to destroy your idols. I am, however, hoping to demonstrate © Grand Valley State University   �Abraham – Shaky Faith in a Faithful God Richard A. Rhem Page 2   that the history of God's saving moving in our history points to what God can accomplish with ordinary human beings who trust Him and heed His word rather than what great persons can accomplish on behalf of God. The Bible teaches theology, not morality. But we have turned the Book of Theology - the Book about God - into a book of morality, a book about human behaviour. The Bible is about God, about God's eternal purpose, about God's grace, about God's faithfulness9 about God's steadfast love. Only secondarily and derivatively is it about the human person, the human family, human response, human behaviour. It is theology - a word about God, not morality (from mor-, mos: custom; plural mores: manners, morals, character): a code of human behavior, of or pertaining to character, disposition, of or pertaining to distinction between right and wrong, good and evil. My purpose, then, is to exalt the Lord, to point to His Sovereign grace and draw our minds and hearts to Him, to trust His steadfast love and rest in His faithfulness to His saving purpose. I begin with Abraham. Abraham was the Father of the Faithful, and I begin with him because that is where the whole covenant history began. Those eleven chapters of Genesis that tell us about the Creation and then the Fall of the human family and all of the disastrous results that issued in the judgment of the Flood and God beginning again, and then even after the new beginning, the human race rebelliously building the Tower of Babel – these symbolic stories point to the incorrigibility of the human person, which is the prelude to God's movement of Grace whereby He calls one person, Abraham, and through him, builds a nation that issues in Jesus, that issues in the Church, that will issue in the final consummation of His Kingdom. The story of the Bible is the one story of a God Who moves through human persons and human history, finally to effect His purposes. And its prelude, those first eleven chapters, tell us why His grace is necessary, because time and time again it is demonstrated in those early chapters that we cannot do it on our own. You may remember back in Easter that I chose Genesis 11:30 as a part of my text for Resurrection morning. It is a most remarkable little statement about Abraham's wife, Sarah. It says, "Now, Sarah was barren." And perhaps you'll remember that I remarked about how remarkable it was that, when God was at the point at which He would build a family and a nation in order, finally, through that nation to win all nations, that He would start out with a couple who was barren. Now, that's not an accident. That little phrase in the 30th verse of Chapter 11 of Genesis is not an accident. "Sarah was barren." © Grand Valley State University �Abraham – Shaky Faith in a Faithful God Richard A. Rhem Page 3   It was a theological pronouncement of the impossibility of the human construction of the Kingdom of God. It was the insight of the Old Testament writer that if the Kingdom would be effected, it would be effected by the steady faithfulness and powerful love of God, and not through human manipulation, human ingenuity, human industriousness, human faithfulness, or anything human. Sarah was barren. And the 12th Chapter opens when God called Abraham, and said, "I will bless you and in you all nations of the earth will be blessed." And on this Worldwide Communion Sunday, we, the people of God, celebrate the one God and the one Faith, the one Baptism; we celebrate the face that we are here together on behalf of the whole world, for we are the heirs of Abraham and it is through the Church that all nations of the earth are to be blessed. Abraham was a great man of faith, and he is a model of faith. Paul sets him forth as a model of faith. Paul says how remarkable it was that old Abraham didn't doubt and didn't waver in his faith, but rather believed God, Who can call into existence the things that are not as though they were! Ah, but Paul, wait a minute. Let's argue with the good Apostle for a moment. Is that all there is? Is it just the story of Abraham's unwavering faith? If it is really the story of Abraham's unwavering faith, then I don't belong to Abraham's club. If the Kingdom came in those days through Abraham because Abraham didn't waver in his faith, then, sorry, Father, I don't qualify. Put me on the second team, or maybe just let me sit this one out. Paul, are you sure he didn't waver? Well, what does the story tell us? If we had time this morning we would go on in that 12th Chapter. Do you know what happened immediately after Abraham's call? It says Abraham went. Good for you, Abraham. God said, "Go," and Abraham went. Good for you, Abraham. And then you know what happened? He got to Canaan and there was famine there. Oh, so this is the Promised Land? Famine? He says to Sarah, "We'd better pack up and go down to Egypt." And they got near Egypt, and he said, "Hey, Sarah, make like you're my sister because you're a beautiful lady and Old Pharaoh might look at you and want you and if he wants you, he'll do away with me! I'm not really so concerned about him having you, but I don't really want him to do away with me!" And if you would go to the 20th Chapter of Genesis, you would find a similar story. This time it's not Pharaoh in Egypt, but Abimelech. Now, it's in the Bible. Abraham lied to Pharaoh in order to protect his skin. This is the guy who hears the call from God Who says, "I'll make of you a great nation and in you all nations of the earth will be blessed." But Abraham said, "Hey, Sarah, we'd better take this matter into our own hands." Nice going, Abraham. I'm feeling more akin to you all the time. And then the years go by and the barren Sarah is barren still. And Sarah says, "You know, God is good, but maybe He needs help. Let's help Him out. Let's get a little human management and a little human ingenuity at work here. Abraham, © Grand Valley State University �Abraham – Shaky Faith in a Faithful God Richard A. Rhem Page 4   why don't you take Hagar as a second wife? I'm barren. Perhaps she's fruitful." And Abraham says, "Well, I'm not above that." And the issue of that is Ishmael. And then there is a marvelous encounter again between Abraham and God and the promises of the Covenant are reiterated in the 17th Chapter of Genesis, and God says, "I'll be a God to you and to your seed after you, and I will bless you and your seed will be as the stars of the heaven and the sand of the sea." Abraham stands awestruck before God, and then he says, "Oh, by the way, Lord, would it be all right - could Ishmael stand before you? Can't we give up this ridiculous idea that old Sarah at 99 years old is going to conceive in her womb that is withered as a prune? Could Ishmael stand before you? Come on, God, I'd like to get you off the hook. I'd like to make it a little easier for you." God says, "No way! Because, if Ishmael would stand before me and if Ishmael would be the line of the Kingdom, then you could always look back and say, ‘Well, God promised this, but I had to come in and help a little bit. There had to be a bit of human manipulation, a little bit of human management, a bit of human control.’" God said, "No way! I love Ishmael. I'll bless Ishmael. But it won't be Ishmael. It will be a son of Sarah's barren womb." Abraham said, "I guess I get the point." And eventually there was an angel messenger who came down outside the tent and told old Abraham that Sarah would have a child. Sarah was listening behind the flap of the tent - and she laughed. She tried to hold it in, but it exploded. The angel said, "Why is Sarah laughing?" Sarah said, "I wasn't laughing." The angel said, "Yes, you were laughing. But I'll tell you the joke's on you, because you're going to conceive and you're going to call your boy ‘Laughing.’" (That's what Isaac means - laughing.) "You're going to have a little boy and I'll have the last laugh. Isaac will stand before me." Ah, isn't it wonderful that the whole covenant of God was initiated with this man of such great heroic faith, noble, great Abraham - the Father of the Faithful? Don't you believe it. Old Abraham struggled to hold on to the promises of God just as much as do you. Abraham knew just as much as you do how ridiculous it is to play by God's rules, to live by His Grace, to trust in His promises. Abraham was tempted just as much as you are to take matters into your own hands, to manipulate a little bit, to have a little human management, a little human control, and help God out. Ah, the story of the scripture is not what God was able to do because there were a few great people around to do it for Him. The story of the scripture is about the great God Who can use flawed people like you and me to effect His purposes. Well, I understand Paul. Abraham is a model. He is a model for me – a model of hearing the Word and heeding the Word and following the Word. He's also a model for me in recognizing that my faith wavers and doubts overcome me and © Grand Valley State University �Abraham – Shaky Faith in a Faithful God Richard A. Rhem Page 5   sometimes I say, "I can't believe it." And when I go my own way, getting off God's way, Abraham is also a model for me because I know that, like Abraham, and in spite of Abraham, through me and in spite of me, God will do His thing. Shaky, shaky faith in a faithful God. That's the glory of the biblical story. And so, come to this table. Take bread and take wine and know again that God loves us, and Jesus died. He loved us and gave himself for us. I take the bread and I take the wine and I taste it and it becomes a tangible sign of the love of a God Who will never let me go, even though I let Him go all the time. A God Who will never forsake me, even though I forsake Him all the time. But our liturgy recognized long ago that after announcing that we must come to this table prepared, with hearts prepared and sin confessed, this is not intended, dearly beloved, to distress the contrite hearts of God's people as though no one may come to this table but those who are without sin, for we acknowledge that we are weak and that we have failed, and therefore, that we need the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And we come and take bread and wine and say, "Thank God for Grace - Grace greater than all of my sin, overcoming all of my weakness, all of my frailty. Thank God for a faithful God Who grips those of us of shaky faith." And one day the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. One day the people of God gathering today around the world as a sign of what God is doing with this world will see the sign fulfilled when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God. Thank God. It is God upon Whom it all depends. Thank God for His Grace that will never fail us, and that when we prove faithless, He shows Himself faithful. Thanks be to 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 World Wide Communion Pentecost XX Series No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text Romans 4:17 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-0-19861005 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-10-05 Title A name given to the resource Abraham: Shaky Faith in a Faithful 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 October 5, 1986 entitled "Abraham: Shaky Faith in a Faithful God", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of World Wide Communion, Pentecost XX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Romans 4:17. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Abraham Covenant Faithful God God of Grace Hebrew Scriptures Nature of God https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bbeafed1aeec1f5b67e43cae8647809e.mp3 a7b1f50eab2126bcd08ae8e05894ebc1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/15f7d80541dc3bf9ff2e3c9ae017f1ee.pdf e59d94c1a8e350f873d0cedaf66e4058 PDF Text Text Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer From the sermon series: No Stained Glass Saints Text: Genesis 32: 24, 28 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 12, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him… Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel… Genesis 32: 24, 28 The biblical story is not about what extraordinary people can do to effect the purposes of God, but rather, what God can do through very ordinary people in the establishing of His Kingdom. And in the Church, I am sure, the sin of preachers and Sunday School teachers is to get the focus all wrong, to lift up biblical characters and to make of them heroes and heroines, to put them in stained glass, to remove them far from ordinary folk like us, to make them exemplary models to strive after and to emulate, thereby robbing us of the common humanity that we share with the people that God has used through the centuries in the unveiling of the biblical drama. The Bible is not about saints in stained glass. It's about ordinary people, just like you and me, people with clay feet exposed, people who could be described as mixed bags, people with strengths and weaknesses, with good points and bad points, people who perform nobly on occasion and fail miserably the next moment - unsteady people. The story is not about faithful people who were able to effect the purposes of God, but a faithful God Who is able to use unsteady people for the realization of His Kingdom purposes. So, for a few weeks we're going to look at some of these biblical characters who have been put in stained glass and removed far from us, not really to shatter their image, but simply to be honest with the biblical narratives before preachers cleaned them up. Biblical characters have been set before us for so long as those exemplary persons whom we ought to emulate, and we in our own experience have felt so far removed from the faith of Abraham, the devotion of Peter and Paul, the loving commitment of a David, that we've written ourselves off as ordinary people as though there was a day when spiritual giants walked the earth, © Grand Valley State University   �Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer Richard A. Rhem Page 2   but now is the time for ordinary peasants to make their way as best they can, as though there was a day when God did spectacular things, when He was really here, using great spirits, noble people for the effecting of His purpose. And now it's just business as usual with ordinary folk like you and me to whom God really wouldn't give a second look, or be able to do some great thing. This series of messages is not intended to debunk the saints, but to cause us to see that the biblical story is not really about extraordinary individuals far removed from us through whom God works, but rather about ordinary people through whom an extraordinary God can effect great things, because the Bible is not our story, but His story. And the Bible is a story, not about the great achievements of a few saints, but the marvelous grace of a God Who will never give up, in spite of the material with which He has to work. The likes of Abraham and Jacob and David and Peter and Paul and Mary and, well, John and Scott and Susan and Nancy, and all the rest here this morning – the likes of us – that's what the Bible story is made of, and I want us to get that focus right. For when we get that focus wrong, we make it a human drama. Then we sense our own lack and our own falling short, and we have pressure, that sense of oughtness, a legalism and moralism that distort the biblical drama. The wrong focus breeds pride, because if I am successful, I can congratulate myself for having been so faithful, so steady, so committed, so devoted, having such great faith. And if I fail, I despair of God's mercy, because then I write myself off thinking, if only I had more faith, if only I could pray with greater devotion, if only I could serve with deeper commitment, if only I were a better person, then maybe God would heed my prayer, then maybe He would heal my ill, then maybe He would rein in my child, if only I were better, if only I were like so and so. On the one hand, there's pride: "Look what I have accomplished. Look how God has blessed me." On the other hand there is despair: "Who am I? What good am I? Obviously, God wouldn't do anything with the likes of me. Obviously, my prayers go nowhere. Obviously, I might as well give up on myself, hope to get in by the skin of my teeth, because I'm just an ordinary peasant, full of ambiguity, light and darkness, good and evil." Both the pride and the despair are out of place, because the point is not what we can accomplish in the Kingdom of God for the purposes of God. The biblical story is about what God does through us, around us, in spite of us – all to His glory and according to His purposes of Grace, which He established before the foundations of the world. The Bible is God's Story, and we and Abraham and Jacob and David and Peter and Paul and Mary and Rahab and Ruth are just all the minor characters caught up in this great drama that is God's story. So, let's look at one of these biblical characters who can teach us a lesson or two, to encourage us in our own pilgrimage of faith - Jacob. Jacob is the story of God's conquest of a wheeler-dealer. I might have entitled it, "The Con Artist of the Covenant." Jacob is about as unsavory as the mess of © Grand Valley State University �Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer Richard A. Rhem Page 3   pottage he cooked up was savory. Jacob is the kind of guy you hope never moves next door. He's the kind of guy you hope never comes home dating your daughter. He's the kind of guy who puts you on your guard, turns you off and raises suspicions that he can never be trusted. Jacob is one of the Patriarchs! We pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, who gave his name to that Old Testament people. Jacob – what a person on whom to found a nation that was supposed to be the special instrument in the hand of God for the effecting of His purposes. Think about it for a moment. Think about how ridiculous it is - Jacob. Who would have chosen Jacob? Who would have trusted Jacob with anything? Who would even have wanted to be identified with one like Jacob? If I were God, I could have made a better choice than that. Give me somebody who is trustworthy, somebody who is stable, someone who has unquestioned integrity and tested authenticity. If I'm going to identify my cause with somebody, I want that person to be of sterling character - like Peter! Or John. Certainly not Jacob. I don't really want him on my team. For one thing, he'll be after my job! And for another thing, he'll probably be draining off your capital gains. No, Lord, You could do a lot better than Jacob. What are You doing with Jacob, when there's Esau! Now, who wouldn't like Esau? They are twins, and already in the beginning there is the clue that this is not an ordinary story. Rebecca had a very difficult pregnancy. That's how rotten Jacob is. He began kicking before he was born. They called him Jacob, which meant "heel," which is maybe because, so the story goes, he reached out and got Esau's heel, as Esau was being born ahead of him. But it's also possible in that translation that he was named heel because he was a kicker and a screamer. And the word has to do with heel; maybe we associate heel with deceiver, supplanter, because this guy was a con-artist, a conniver, a manipulator, a liar and a cheat. Rebecca said, "I don't know if I'm going to make nine months or not. I'm going to die!" And there was an announcement, a prophecy. Two nations in your womb, two peoples, going their own ways from birth! One shall be stronger than the other; the older shall be servant to the younger. Where did it come from? Who heard it? There was something strange about those two children already in the womb, and what is the biblical story pointing to? Isn't it pointing to the fact that when it comes to the purposes of God, things are not left to chance or to accident, but that in and through the things that happen in the natural course of events there is already a word spoken by God that reflects an eternal purpose of God that God is about something in this world and history. I don't know why Jacob was chosen. Frankly, I'd rather have Esau in my tent. But just as in the case of Isaac, the child of promise who came to Abraham and to Sarah who was barren, by the promise of God so here it is repeated. Rebecca was barren. Why? Because, just in case the point was missed in the previous generation, God will establish it again in the third generation that there is to be © Grand Valley State University �Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer Richard A. Rhem Page 4   an heir, the chosen one who will carry on this purpose of God spoken to Abraham. It will not be through fleshly desire or Isaac and Rebecca, but because God said, "I will open the womb. I will give a child of promise." That is pretty heavy, but that is what this story is telling us. Let's follow Jacob through for a moment. Next scene, Momma's boy close to the tent, is cooking up a bowl of soup. Esau comes in from the field, hungry. The firstborn, the rightful heir to the rights of the firstborn, says, "Give me a bowl of soup." Jacob says, "You like the soup? Smells good, eh? You want a bowl of soul, Esau? Give me your birthright." Birthright. Spiritual blessing. Intangible goods. Something for the future. Esau says, "Man, if I don't get that bowl of soup, I won't have a future. Give me a bowl of soup and you can have the birthright." Well, not too commendatory, Esau, but I can identify with that. How many of us haven't preferred a present, tangible gift rather than a future spiritual blessing? And then, having moved into position at that point, having taken advantage of a brother in his vulnerability, we get that most dastardly of all scenes where he tricks his old, blind father and robs Esau of the blessing. Now, if this is a good, moralistic sermon – I mean a good, moralistic story like most sermons and most Sunday School lessons – then we would say, "Jacob did this and now Esau's angry and Rebecca's worried for Jacob's life, and so she is going to send him away and now he's going to get his. Be sure your sins will find you out. The way of the transgressor is hard." Right? Wrong! Jacob goes off into the wilderness, fleeing for his life. He lies down in the wilderness alone, guilty, afraid, and has a nightmare. Right? Wrong! He falls asleep like a baby and sees a ladder with angels going up and down and Almighty God saying, "You're my boy. I love you, and I'm going to be with you and I'm going to protect you and I'm going to bring you home." Just exactly what we said, isn't it? Be sure your sins will find you out. The way of the transgressor is hard. This liar, cheat and deceiver goes off in the wilderness with a whole burden of guilt, enough to spread over the whole world, and what happens? He gets a marvelous revelation of a gracious God. Well, the Bible story could make it easier for us, couldn't it? I could say at this point, "Go thou and do likewise," but that wouldn't exactly be the point, would it? But, listen to this point. It's not a story about human behavior and human conduct. The Bible's not a story about, "Be good and you will be blessed, and be bad and you will suffer." The story of the Bible is not about the little moralisms and legalisms that either make us proud of our righteousness or scared of our unrighteousness. The story is about God Who does something in the world through us, around us, in spite of us, according to His own purpose and His own good pleasure and His own sovereign Grace. © Grand Valley State University �Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Jacob is no stained glass saint. He's a miserable and abominable cheat and deceiver, the last person on earth who ought to see a revelation like that, which doesn't point to the fickleness of God, but to the grace of God Who says, "I chose you and I've got ahold of you and I'm going to stick with you and I'll protect you and I will effect everything I have said that I will effect through you because I am God." I like that kind of God, really. He blows my mind. He shatters all of our little pedestrian categories. He's a God Who is about something in this world that is greater than any one of us and transcends all of our strengths and all of our weaknesses, Who uses us in spite of ourselves, in our highs and in our lows, Who never gives us reason to be proud. "Let him that boasteth, boast in the Lord," said Paul. After he had said that God had called the things that are despised, the things that are not, in order to effect His purposes, he concluded, "Let him that boasts, boast of the Lord." No room for human pride, and no room for human despair, for there is no one, no one so wicked and raunchy, no one so meanspirited but what he can be the instrument of the Eternal God for the effecting of His purposes for the glory of His name. Now, that reduces us to where we ought to be reduced - to a position of humility before the Sovereign God Who was doing something in this world. Blessed be His name, and He'll do it with the likes of us - you and me, mixed bags that we are, filled with ambiguity, bubbling with enthusiasm, motivated by high ideals, falling flat on our faces, fickle and feeble, dedicated one moment, dry as a bone the next, unsteady, unfaithful, flawed and fallible. Blessed be His name, Who takes clay like this and does His thing! Well, Jacob went to Laban, got into real conflict there with his father-in-law. He met his match. They really drained all their mutual energy trying to outfox one another. And Laban was pretty good at it, but God was with Jacob, and when they finally parted, Jacob took Laban's daughters, his grandchildren, and his flocks and fled, Laban coming after him. God said to Laban, "Don't you touch him." And when they finally did part, after Laban had caught up with him, they parted with what I once thought was a nice benediction. Did any of you ever go to Junior Christian Endeavor? That was a youth organization a hundred years ago when I was young. We closed the meetings every week with a Mizpah Benediction. "The Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another." I thought that was so marvelous. Isn't that marvelous? We could all say it, couldn't we? Every Sunday. "The Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent, one from another." I always had a warm, cozy feeling about that benediction, but you know what it really meant? That was what Laban proposed to Jacob. He said, "The Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from the other because you've ripped me off time and time again, and I don't want you to come near me again!" That's Jacob. © Grand Valley State University �Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Finally, he comes to the great crisis in his life. He struggles all night alone the day before he's going to meet Esau and something good happened there. If you go home and read that story, you will find a real prayer of a man who was afraid and vulnerable. I think God was eventually getting through to Jacob. I think he was finally at a point where he knew that he couldn't always connive his way through all of his life, and he offered a beautiful prayer and made all the preparations he could, and then, before he met Esau, he was encountered by a man who wrestled with him all the night. It's a very mysterious story. We must assume that it was a wrestling with God, not that God is a man or that God is a physical being, but however that story is to be conceived, it is obviously the point at which Jacob came to terms with the Sovereign God Who wrestled with him and allowed him to hold on to Him all night long, but when push came to shove, with a touch, crippled him. And old Jacob went off into the rising sun that morning limping, and I think that God finally conquered that wheeler-dealer. Although, even after he meets Esau and Esau beautifully forgives him, embraces him, kisses him, invites him to come along, I'm still not sure Jacob was playing it straight. He said, "Ah, no, Esau, look, I've got a lot of animals that can only move along slowly, and I've got these little children and you go ahead, Esau. Thanks a lot, but go ahead." ("Get out of here, Esau. Leave me alone!") So, I'm not sure, even at the end... But you see, wouldn't it be nice if I could say, "Ah, now finally God had His way with Jacob and here's Jacob, the saint. Put him back into stained glass." And then I've got to say to you, "It's not that nice." God conquered him. God did His thing with him. Jacob trusted Him. Jacob loved Him. And Jacob never did amount to much to his dying day. He's no hero, friends, just a person God used. I wonder why God sometimes - seems like all the time - chooses the weak and despised things of this world, the things that are not, to confound the things that are. Maybe it is so that finally we will learn the lesson that all is of Grace, all is of God, all is gift. And all we can do is, in the ambiguity of our own muddy way, cast ourselves on His mercy and wait on the Lord. Let us pray. Father, we might ordinarily, in ordinary days and in ordinary church services, and in ordinary messages, conclude by saying, "What a man was Jacob! Help us to be like him." But today we've seen another face of Jacob who saw Your face, and so we can only say, "Lord, we are like him. We're schemers and connivers and manipulators and we're cheats. We fudge the truth; we hedge the facts. We take things into our own hands, we try to manage and control, and we try to put the best face on everything that we do and the persons that we are, and underneath, we're Jacob all the way." And so, we don't pray, "Make us like him." We acknowledge that we are. We pray, "Reveal Yourself to us as You did to him. Say to us, 'I will be with you. I will protect you. I will bring you home.'" And then, © Grand Valley State University �Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer Richard A. Rhem Page 7   Father, from lisping lips and divided lives, we will praise you with all we have. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, 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 XXI Series No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text Genesis 32:24, 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-0-19861012 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-10-12 Title A name given to the resource Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer 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 12, 1986 entitled "Jacob: The Conquest of a Wheeler-Dealer", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of Pentecost XXI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 32:24, 28. 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 Jacob https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5932ae5c197df290aad0cffccc688fdb.mp3 e6729f24315a2a26d51b4d8a089d565e 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 No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text Exodus 4:13, Hebrews 11:27 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-0-19861019 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-10-19 Title A name given to the resource Moses: Short-Fused Freedom Fighter With a Song 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 19, 1986 entitled "Moses: Short-Fused Freedom Fighter With a Song", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of Pentecost XXII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Exodus 4:13, Hebrews 11:27. 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/73c66624f286ebe43c242d3e2fa8a855.mp3 43d03774ef532539e8edd86184937844 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 No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text I Chronicles 29:14, Acts 13:22 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-0-19861102 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-02 Title A name given to the resource David: This Was a Man After God's Own Heart 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 2, 1986 entitled "David: This Was a Man After God's Own Heart", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of Pentecost XXIV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: I Chronicles 29:14, Acts 13:22. 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/2d7b46c98e68bebc0f77c3be39557dee.mp3 1b5cde47d8e45400b0905f0a12e11ab0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8678c5a8a4615266210d30329cb7455f.pdf ba908721ca5f40a5860ea3ecc5e780b8 PDF Text Text Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled From the sermon series: No Stained Glass Saints Text: Luke 8: 2; John 20: 16 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan November 9, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon The lilting melody and the words of the song of Mary Magdalene in the rock opera, Jesus Christ, Superstar, are, for me, one of the most moving songs that have come along in a long time. I don't know how to love him, What to do, how to move him. I've, been changed, yes, really changed. In these past few days when I’ve seen myself I seem like someone else. (Mary Magdalene, in Jesus Christ Superstar, A Rock Opera) The song expresses the struggle within the heart of Mary Magdalene, whose life had been transformed by Jesus Christ, trying to come to terms with that experience and with the One Who was the catalyst for that human transformation. Don’t you think it’s rather funny I should be in this position? She is no lover’s fool, the one who has always been so cool, ... running every show. And yet, in the presence of Jesus, Mary is a woman transformed, transfixed, really not knowing how to love him. He scares me so… I want him so…I love him so. I find that Mary Magdalene has been the subject of a great deal of the great art of the world – painting, literature, drama. She has played an important role in the tradition of the Church. She is the example of a person whose life was changed by Jesus Christ. I know that she has been sculpted in statuary, she has been painted © Grand Valley State University   �Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled Richard A. Rhem Page 2   on canvas, and I can't help but believe she has been placed in stained glass, as well. Mary Magdalene is a woman about whom we know very little prior to her encounter with Jesus Christ. Luke's brief statement tells us that Mary was one of a company of women who accompanied the band of disciples and Jesus, who ministered to them out of their resources. He identifies Mary as one from whom seven demons had gone out. I don't know if he meant seven, or if he meant simply seven as that number of completion, but that isn't really important. The important thing is that he points to a woman who ministered to Jesus Christ during the days of his ministry. If we had read the complete Gospel record, we would find her to have been with Mary, his mother, lingering at the Cross when the disciples had forsaken him. We would find her in the company of other women early in the morning, coming to the tomb on the day of Resurrection. We find her, as we read a moment ago, as that one to whom Jesus gave that special and personal revelation of himself. It would seem, perhaps, that Mary Magdalene represented that human person in Jesus' life with whom he must have had the deepest, most intimate relationship. Her life had been changed and with total devotion she followed him, she worshiped him. He was the source of her continuing new existence. And it's a remarkable story full of good hope for all of us, because I don't imagine there is anyone here this morning that could qualify as a better cripple than Mary Magdalene. There is no one who has entered this sanctuary this morning who would have to take a back seat in the presence of Mary Magdalene before she met Jesus. We don't know much about her, but the imagination of the Church has been full and rich. Throughout the Church tradition she has often been lumped with the other Marys. There are, indeed, seven Marys mentioned in the New Testament. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, for one. And then, just prior to this account in Luke 8 mentioning Mary Magdalene, there is the story of a woman of the street, the streetwalker, the harlot, who comes into the Pharisees’ party where Jesus is, breaks down, weeps over his feet, wipes them with the hairs of her head. In the tradition of the Church, Mary Magdalene has often been identified with this woman, although without any real biblical warrant. She has been identified, also, both in Jesus Christ Superstar, and another, earlier 20th century drama, Mary Magdalene, by a man named Maeterlinck, as the woman in John 8, the woman taken in the act of adultery who was dragged before Jesus with the question, "What shall we do with her? What does the Law require?" Jesus said, as he stooped and wrote in the sand, "Those of you who are without sin, cast the first stone, fulfilling the Law," and with all of them slinking away, he finally confronted the woman, saying to her, "Does no man accuse you?" She said, "No man, Lord." He said, "Neither do I. Go your way and sin no more." There is no biblical basis for identifying Mary Magdalene with the woman in Luke 7 who burst into the dinner party, nor is there any basis for identifying Mary Magdalene with the woman in John 8 taken in adultery. However, it is a possibility. We don't know. Whatever was the trouble with Mary Magdalene, as a matter of fact, she was a wounded, crippled human being. She was a person that © Grand Valley State University �Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled Richard A. Rhem Page 3   was in bondage. She was a person who was not free, not healthy, not whole. She was a person who lacked a sense of identity and self-esteem and spiritual health and wholeness. She was a person who was crippled, injured, wounded. She was a person who was dominated by some power outside of herself, which was not the Power of God, but the Power of Darkness. This one, who has been a great, magnificent woman in the mind of the Church down through the centuries, was, indeed, a broken, crippled human being. Then she met Jesus. And that's the hopeful message this morning – that there is no human condition that cannot be transformed by Jesus Christ. The simple message this morning is that there is no wounding of the human spirit, no crippling of the human person that cannot be reversed by the mighty power of God that appeared in Jesus Christ. I have read books this week because I knew I would be facing Mary this morning, as I faced you, and I knew the Bible says that out of her had gone seven demons, and I'm not one who easily believes in demons. I'm not one who easily believes in angels. I'm not one that easily believes in anything I can't get my hands around. And it's tough to be a preacher of the Gospel when you are also a person who is generally on a head-trip, intellectually oriented, and totally conditioned by the modern scientific method. I say, it's tough to be a preacher of the Gospel when your head keeps getting in the way. And so, I knew I had to start early, but I didn't start early, I simply went late. Reading, reading, reading. Hoping that now, finally, after all of these years of ministry, all these years of preaching the Gospel, all of these years of dealing with Gospels that have the Son of God and human cripples and the demonic and evil in them – that I might get some insight as to how darkness can come to indwell the human spirit and wound and cripple the human person, and how Jesus Christ can transform, setting the person free. Well, I could have just concentrated on the magnificence of the Magdalene in her devotion to Jesus, once she had been healed, and let it go at that. But I couldn't really do that, either, and so I have struggled and I have wrestled and, believe it or not, even prayed. Here is a story of a human being, a human being crippled. I know human beings crippled. I know human beings in this congregation this morning who are crippled, who are wounded, who are scarred, who are in the power of something from which they cannot break free. We come to church - what for? Religious obligation? That doesn't work here for very many anymore. We come here - for what? To hear some interesting word, some scintillating lecture, some good music? Not all bad. But, is that all? Who are you this morning who has entered the sanctuary and come into the presence of God and presented yourself? Is there not one here this morning who is wounded and crippled and broken, struggling with darkness, knowing the anguish of the desperation within for which there seems to be no liberating word? Let me tell you that Mary Magdalene must have been that kind of a person. She is portrayed movingly in some of the drama written about her. She has sparked the imagination of playwrights; she has caused the creativity of artists to flow. © Grand Valley State University �Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Because there she is, bound with seven demons, in the grip of darkness, meeting Jesus, life turned upside down! Changed. I've been changed. Yes, really changed. I don't know how to love him. He scares me so. I want him so. I love, him so. I've been changed. Yes, really changed. Have you come to church this morning to be changed? Have you come to church this morning conscious of bindings, bondage, unfreedom, darkness and desperation? I announce to you the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which says that he has the power to deliver you from whatever shackle binds your spirit. And he can transform you, wherever you are and whatever your condition, into a person that is whole and healthy, full of worship and praise, love and devotion. Jesus can make you new. I believe that. I don't understand it. I often wrestle with it. Jesus taught us to pray, saying, "... deliver us from the Evil One." I don't know anything about the Devil, Satan. I even get queasy when people talk about the Devil. Most of the time, when people say the Devil did this or that, I get to thinking, "Ah, don't blame it on the Devil. We are responsible and we are to be mature and we have a certain freedom to make our own decisions. Don't blame it on the snake." It's not easy for me to picture a universe in which there are, in reality, spiritual powers that impact our lives. But I believe it. In spite of myself, I believe it. And I believe the story of Mary Magdalene is in scripture as a sign of hope for every human being that would be set free. I read a document to which I referred some months ago, Healing The Family Tree, in dazed amazement as it tells about the reversing of incurable, irreversible human situations simply by believing prayer in Jesus' name for deliverance and for healing. Mary Magdalene marches before us this morning as a sign of hope. I confess before you that too many of you have come to me and I, with you, have too readily, too easily acquiesced to the givenness of the human situation. I have not had faith. I confess to you - I do it not as a rhetorical ploy. I confess to you that it is hard for me to believe! Do you hear me? So, I am preaching beyond my experience and I am preaching beyond my faith. I am preaching what the Bible says this morning, calling you to the possibility that your life could be set free if you believe in Jesus and asked him to set you free from whatever shackle or chain is weighing down the human spirit. Don't believe as I believe. Trust the word of God, and Jesus can heal you and change your life, whatever your human situation. © Grand Valley State University �Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled Richard A. Rhem Page 5   And so, this morning, as we close, I'll pray simply. To the extent that it is your prayer, you pray it after me. To the extent that you are serious and it reflects where you are, trust Jesus to do what you need him to do for you. He could change your life here and now. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, Living Christ, present here, present now, powerful here and powerful now, as on the occasion when you met Mary Magdalene. We, too, have demons aplenty raging within our hearts and minds. Assured of your love, assured of the sacrifice you offered once for all, assured that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ, assured that the decree against us has been nailed to the Cross, assured that the guilt has been removed as far as the East is from the West, assured that every power of darkness has been conquered once for all on Easter morning, assured that you want for us life and wholeness, Lord Jesus, set us free. Set us free from whatever is binding us. Set us free from whatever has got us in its clutch. Set us free from all the powers of darkness. Lord Jesus, I believe. Set me free. Set me free. 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 XXV Series No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text Luke 8:2, John 20:16 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-0-19861109 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-09 Title A name given to the resource Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled 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 9, 1986 entitled "Mary Magdalene: Bedeviled", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of Pentecost XXV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 8:2, John 20:16. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Followers of Jesus Freedom Hope Mary Magdalene Transforming Love https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b39004c23efa1ab63999a07309a027a5.mp3 229a873e44188bf9fbea76d02a18574d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4aa5fe1cae2dc6d1f68967de1953087e.pdf 3f5f16e2bd3711c690ed0448fc8bfb05 PDF Text Text Peter: Rocky From the sermon series: No Stained Glass Saints Text: Matthew 16: 18, 23 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan November 16, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon ... you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. Matthew 16:18 ... He... said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." Matthew 16:23 Peter is either an Apostle made for this series, or this series is made for Peter, I'm not sure which. But, if the series hadn't come along, it would have had to be invented in order to do justice to Peter, in order to get Peter before us as a saint who was not exactly made of stained glass. Peter, the Disciple about whom the most is spoken in the Gospels, the one who is not only most spoken of, but the one who speaks the most, the one who speaks over and over again, sometimes magnificently and sometimes miserably – Peter who had many faults and failings, but one of which was not that he was "Mr. Cool." Peter was the person who was pretty open. He had a difficult time disguising what was going on in the inside of his mind and heart. Peter was a man who spoke before he thought, but never maliciously, always sincerely, always in exuberance, with enthusiasm. He had many faults, but one of them was not that he lacked passion. He was in many ways blundering, but he was in all ways lovable. And his sins, which were many, were covered, because he loved much. And in the end, the faith that Jesus placed in him was more than vindicated by this unstable man who became solid as a rock: Peter, the Apostle. I was amused this week thinking about Peter. The Christian Church has done a marvelous job about being contentious about things that don't really matter, and I was reflecting on the old Protestant and Catholic debate about the role of Peter. I have stood in St. Peter's in Rome and I have seen etched in marble in large letters the name of Peter. And then the succeeding names, all of those who have occupied the chair of Peter in Rome. I know, as good Roman Catholic historians know today, that there are some gaps in those early centuries. I also know, as the © Grand Valley State University   �Peter: Rocky Richard A. Rhem Page 2   best of the Roman historians and theologians know, that to project back from the twentieth century or the sixteenth century or the thirteenth century the conception of the papacy, to project it back into the first century and to invest Peter with it is a fruitless and futile exercise which has little value. And yet, I've shared with you before that I was impressed and I was moved standing before that list and seeing the name of Peter and knowing that, even if every name in those early generations could not be verified as having held the recognized primacy in the Roman Church, nonetheless, the very fact that I was standing there in the twentieth century in the greatest basilica in the world was an indication of the continuity of the Christian tradition that had indeed come down to us from Jesus Christ, who said to Peter, "Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." I was amused and laughed to myself about how ridiculous we have been over the centuries in the Church with all of the battles we have fought. As a matter of fact, it probably would have been to the Protestants' advantage to admit that Peter was the first Pope because it would have been the best argument in the world against infallibility, which was not an early Church doctrine, but one that came on only subsequently in later centuries as a means of buttressing the authority of the Church. Peter was the first Pope. At least Peter had the preeminence in the apostolic band. There's no doubt about that. In every listing of the Disciples, in the Gospels, they are in different order, with two exceptions. Peter is always named first; Judas is always named last. Peter did have a kind of investiture by Jesus. I suppose that it was somewhat because of his natural endowments. He was a leader but, beyond that, it was because Jesus had tapped him and called him and claimed him and commissioned him to be at the head of that apostolic band. He had a kind of preeminence among his peers and his equals in the early band of disciples. So, Jesus chose a reed in order to make him into a rock. Peter. Rocky. His way was rocky. He often rocked the boat, and he stumbled a good many times along the way. His way was rocky, but he became solid as a rock, I suppose, through the insight of Jesus who named him Rock before he was solid, who named him in order to enable him to live into his name. The Quaker Elton Trueblood is responsible for this understanding of Rock, or Peter, as a nickname. I've shared it with you before, but it's too good not to keep sharing over the years, and maybe some of you haven't heard it. So, let me tell you what really happened when Jesus called Peter, Peter. You have to understand, first of all, that there's no record anywhere of anyone being called Peter before the time of Jesus. It was not a name. The Rock. Jesus called him Rock. Now, his name was Simon, and when Jesus really meant business with him, he addressed him as Simon Bar Jonah. “Bar” meant "son of." Jonah would be our word for John. Peter's father's name was John, and John named Peter Simon. © Grand Valley State University �Peter: Rocky Richard A. Rhem Page 3   So, Jesus was really giving to Simon a new name. Not seriously in the sense of rechristening him, but he was giving him a nickname, a nickname which often picks out a characteristic of a person, and when a nickname is really expressive of something that is so intrinsic to that person that you can't think of that person ever again without the name, then you've done a good job of naming. Jesus called Simon, who was the son of John, Rock or, as we would say, Rocky. Now, he was the son of John, but the son of John has come down to us as a last name - Johnson. Johnson is not really a last name, a label of some sort that derives from any other place than from the fact that the person so named was a son of John and with the inversion it became Johnson, and so what Jesus was saying to Simon was, " From now on you'll be Rocky Johnson." And that's true. Rocky Johnson. Simon Bar Jonah, Simon Son of John, Rocky Johnson. The Church is built on Rocky Johnson! And I agree with the Church in Rome. I think he was the first Pope. The first pope was Rocky Johnson! What a great joke! What a sense of humor has the Almighty! What a needle to discourage all of the pomp and seriousness and self-importance of the Church over the centuries when you think of the fact that Jesus gave preeminence to a person upon whom he said he would found the Church, a person no less than Rocky Johnson! Now, when you think of all of the self-importance of all of the church leaders, popes and priests and bishops and preachers and even an elder and a deacon or two, when you think of all of our presumption, all of our pompousness, our pomposity and all of the ceremony – how we take ourselves seriously in this world as though finally God and Truth and existence itself depended upon the likes of us serious-minded individuals. Whenever you get to thinking that – whenever you get to thinking that it all rests on you, whenever you get to thinking that you carry the whole world on your shoulders, then remember that Jesus said, "I'll put the whole business on the shoulders of Rocky Johnson!" And think of Peter and then realize that the first thing that you've got to do is laugh at yourself. And the second thing is to get on with the job with good courage. Because, if God could do something with Peter, my, what he could do with you! Simon Peter. We call him Simon Peter now, but Simon, son of John, Rocky Johnson, was the one who was spokesman for the apostolic band and who gave that great confession to the question of Jesus, "Who do you say that I am?", "You are the Christ, you are the Messiah." The Messiah. We really should translate that Messiah, not use the Greek word Christ, because what Peter was saying is, "You are the one toward whom the whole Old Testament points. You are the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. You are the great David's greater Son. You are the Anointed One, the one anointed with the spirit, the breath, the life, the power of God. You are the Son of the living God." And Jesus blessed Peter for that, and acknowledged that it wasn't something that Peter came to because he had some great intellect or some great ingenuity, some great intuitive sense, but it was because Almighty God had made it known to him. And then he went on to say, "You are Rocky, and on you I will build my Church." © Grand Valley State University �Peter: Rocky Richard A. Rhem Page 4   And we went on and read another paragraph and we found that, as Jesus began to prepare his disciples for the inevitability of that which lay before him, speaking about his entry into Jerusalem and his death, Peter said, "Not so, Lord." Peter, once again, as exuberant in his protest this time as he was enthusiastic about his confession just a little bit before, said, "It won't happen to you. Lord. It just couldn't possibly happen to you. Not while I'm here!" The enthusiasm, the lack of cool, the confidence and overconfidence in his own power and stability – all of that coming out of Peter, protesting against that which Jesus was saying, refusing really to hear that difficult word. He says, "It won't happen as long as I'm around, to which Jesus had to say the most severe word he said to anyone – "Get behind me, Satan. You're not on God's side, you're on man's side." And so it was that the first Pope not only was given a great declaration of blessing by Jesus, but also was given hell by Jesus. That's the kind of saints that make up the Church of Jesus Christ. Up one minute and down the next. Filled with inspiration and speaking out of revelation one minute, and the next minute so filled with their own self-preoccupation and their own designs and destiny that they can't hear the Lord speak, and therefore go contrary to Him and can actually be spoken of as being on the side of the Evil One. Peter, in all of his boasting, was doing it really out of the beautiful quality of his love. There were other disciples who didn't say anything to what Jesus was saying. And that's not to their credit. Peter at least responded, but he responded out of his own limited insight, his own twisted vision of things, this first Pope of the Christian Church. Jesus had to say to him on another occasion when Peter said," If it takes going all the way to death, it won't happen to you," Jesus warned him that before the cock would crow twice, he would deny the Lord three times. And you know the story: Peter following Jesus after his arrest, after an aborted attempt to protect Jesus by the drawing of his sword, warming himself by the fire in the courtyard of the High Priest, denying to chambermaids that he had any knowledge at all of Jesus. One wonders how all of those things can coexist in the heart of one man. How one can be so firm and clear in one's declaration of faith one moment and so miserable in one's denial to the extent that he cursed, saying, "I don't know the man"? Was he like Falstaff, only running to protect himself to return and fight another day? I think that's probably being too kind to Peter. I think that Peter was that kind of person that is made up of light and shadow, of light and darkness. He had a light side and a shadow side. He was a mixed bag; he was filled with equivocation and ambiguity; he had a great love; he had a great devotion; he had a great loyalty. He was fearful, he was afraid, he was chicken! He was as inconsistent and unstable and unreliable and unpredictable as I am! And all four of the Gospels record that miserable denial. One of them, only Luke, tells us that when Peter denied the third time and the cocks marked the rising of the sun, Jesus looked at Peter. They all tell us that Peter went out and wept bitterly. © Grand Valley State University �Peter: Rocky Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Have you ever had to look into the eyes of Jesus and turn and weep bitterly? It's not a fun experience, because in that moment one knows that one has not only denied one's Lord, one has denied the truth, one has denied oneself, one has defeated the best that is in one, and one's hopes and ideals and dreams and aspirations come crashing down in a moment, and all one can do at such a moment is to weep bitterly. It is interesting that in Mark's account of the Resurrection, Jesus encounters the women and says, "Go and tell my brethren, and Peter." Isn't that just like Jesus? Go and tell my brethren, and Peter. Be sure you tell Peter. Tell the rest, but just in case you might think that Peter is now an exception, set aside to be isolated, to be judged and condemned, let me tell you, you be sure and tell Peter. And then, of course, there's the scene after Easter when the disciples are out fishing. Peter was still eating his heart out. In the 21st chapter of John where it begins, Peter says, "I'm going to go fishing." When you're really hurting, when you're really distraught and confused, the best thing to do is to do the thing you do best, to go back to the old, familiar routine. Peter said, "I'm going to go fishing." And Jesus came and made a charcoal fire on the beach and prepared breakfast. And in that encounter post-Easter, he caught Peter's eye and he said, "Do you love me?" Peter said, "Yes, I love you." And he said, "Feed my sheep." And he said a second time, "Peter, do you love me," and Peter said, "Yes, I love you." He said, "Feed my lambs." And he said to him a third time, "Peter, do you love me," and Peter was distressed because he said to him a third time and he said, "Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you." He said, "Feed my sheep." (I just want you to know that we're even now. Three times you denied me, three times I make you tell me what I know is true. You love me.) Unpredictable, unstable, unreliable, irresponsible, compulsive, wonderful, enthusiastic, passionate, blundering idiot, Peter, first Pope, Rocky Johnson. Judas denied his Lord and he went out and he hanged himself. Have you ever thought of hanging yourself? If you have ever gone out and wept bitterly, then you have had the thought in your mind and in your heart that it would be easier to end it all? A judge did that in Detroit this week. Many years of respect, reputation, no doubt quality service, then exposed and he shot himself. So did Judas. Suicide is probably the ultimate action of wounded pride. When I finally come full turn and see who I really am, that's difficult enough to take. But, when everybody else knows it too, it's almost easier just to be done with it all. Judas hanged himself after betraying his Lord. Peter wept. He had all of the same inclinations and all of the same feeling and all of the same self-accusation and all of the same pain, but he caught Jesus' eye, and instead of killing himself, instead of giving up on himself, instead of selling short the grace of God, he came back once more. Rocky Johnson. Alexander White, the great Scottish preacher with fruitful imagination, has us imagine Peter climbing into the pulpit to preach the funeral sermon of Judas. © Grand Valley State University �Peter: Rocky Richard A. Rhem Page 6   What do you think might have been his text? What do you think might have been his plea, his cry to those who gathered in the wake of Judas? Might he not have said to that gathered audience, "Judas quit too soon. He gave up on God and so he gave up on himself. But don't ever give up on God, for His grace is greater than all our sins. No matter how deep you have fallen, how badly you have failed, how dark the night, how deep the pain – grace greater than all our sins can transform us and make us new again." Rocky Johnson. Let him be a sign to us that the Church is founded on the possibility of a second chance, of a new lease on life, of beginning all over again! And then, with Rocky Johnson, maybe we, too, will come to the point where someone will say, "Speak no more in his name," and we'll be able to say with calm confidence and deep assurance, "You'll have to judge for yourself whether it is right to obey God or man. But, as for me, I cannot but speak the things that I have seen and heard. Jesus Christ whom you crucified, God raised up. And he's made me new. Blessed be His holy name." 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 Pentecost XXVI Series No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text Matthew 16:18, 23 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-0-19861116 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-16 Title A name given to the resource Peter: Rocky 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 16, 1986 entitled "Peter: Rocky", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of Pentecost XXVI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 16:18, 23. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Apostle Peter Church Followers of Jesus Transforming Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/39e533cd45398b78f216a0178bfb2527.mp3 6346c76b6e7c50d968d6fce73f44bd53 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4209f38b3a6152f6023717a1cfe3bae5.pdf 200a1bc876d22ac465af5ddad7570e9d PDF Text Text Paul: Mellowing of a Fanatic From the sermon series: No Stained Glass Saints Text: I Corinthians 9: 22-23 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan November 23, 1986 Transcription of the spoken sermon Brilliant, educated, passionate, Paul is certainly one of the towering figures of all time. With him, perhaps we have come too far in this series; maybe he deserves to be set apart, far removed from the likes of us ordinary mortals. Perhaps here we have met the classic "Hero of the Faith." But before I yield the point too quickly, let us review this Apostle and let him speak for himself. This series ends with Paul. With him as with all the others, the purpose has not been to deflate, to puncture, to destroy the image commonly held. It has been rather to see that the Bible is not a history of extraordinary individuals, of persons of religious genius or special holiness of life which made them fit instruments for the effecting of God's purposes. Rather, the biblical story is God's story, the record of what He has done and is doing in our history through ordinary people, people like you and me. To set up biblical characters as almost super human in their faith and devotion, as models of faith and virtue and then to say, "Go thou and do likewise," is to turn the Bible into a moralizing textbook on human conduct rather than the story of God's gracious purpose worked out through common, rag-tag humanity. Frederick Buechner credits his Old Testament professor, James Murlenburg, with giving him this insight: What I began to see was that the Bible is not essentially, as I had always more or less supposed, a book of ethical principles, of moral exhortations, of cautionary tales about exemplary people, of uplifting thoughts - in fact, not really a religious book at all in the sense that most of the books you would be apt to find in a minister's study or reviewed in a special religion issue of The New York Times book section are religious. I saw it instead as a great, tattered compendium of writings, the underlying and unifying purpose of all of which is to show how God works through the Jacobs and © Grand Valley State University   �Paul: Mellowing of a Fanatic Richard A. Rhem Page 2   the Jabboks of history to make himself known to the world and to draw the world back to himself. (Now and Then, p. 20) A biblical scholar, James Sanders, makes the same point convincingly. He writes, The Bible ... provides very few models of morality. An honest reading of the Bible indicates how many biblical characters were just as limited and full of shortcomings as we today. It would seem that about seventy-five percent of the Bible celebrates the theologian ... God's providence works in and through human error and sin. The Bible offers no great or infallible models, no saints in the meaning that word has taken on since biblical times - nearly perfect people. None! It offers indeed very few models to follow at all except the work of God in Creation and in Israel in the Old Testament and the work of God in Christ in the New ...We need to read the Bible honestly, recognizing much of it celebrates God's willingness to take our humanity, our frailty, and our limitations and weave them into his purposes. God's grace is not stumped by our limitation... (God Has a Story Too, p. 22F) Now, to Paul: does he confirm the thesis of this series? I suggest that he does. He is the Apostle of Grace par excellence. To say that is to focus on his never dying amazement at the grace of God that embraced him, forgave him and transformed him. I have set the focus on Paul with the title "The Mellowing of a Fanatic." A fanatic is a person affected by excessive and mistaken enthusiasm. It speaks of one possessed by a deity or a demon, making one unreasoning. Paul was richly endowed in mind and spirit; of that there can be little doubt. He had the advantage of Roman citizenship, of the best of rabbinical education. But for all that, he was a person possessed by a narrow, rigid and mean fanaticism. As he humbly confirmed, I persecuted the church of God. We know his story well but I think most of our reflection on it has been on the dramatic conversion he experienced on the road to Damascus - that is a thrilling story and the response he made to the grace he received is even more thrilling. But the story is so dramatic because of what Paul was prior to that encounter with Christ. Paul was religious in the worst sense of the word. Religion made him moral, but it did not make him good; rather, it made him mean, narrow, bigoted. Paul was a Pharisee, a scrupulous observer of religious rules and rituals. He was a legalist with no sympathy for those of lesser zeal and devotion to the law. He was a driven person knowing no deep assurance and inward peace, and his own enslavement to the "performance principle" made him © Grand Valley State University �Paul: Mellowing of a Fanatic Richard A. Rhem Page 3   coercive in his dealing with others. The self-doubt and anxiety he knew were kept under and masked over by his belligerence to those who differed with him. He testifies against himself that, when followers of Jesus, followers of the Way, were hailed into court, he voted for their death. Telling his story before King Agrippa, he confesses, It was I who imprisoned many of God’s people by authority obtained from the chief priests; and when they were condemned to death, my vote was cast against them. In all the synagogues I tried by repeated punishment to make them renounce their faith; indeed my fury rose to such a pitch that I extended my persecution to foreign cities. Acts 26:10-11 Not a very nice person. Not a person one would choose to deal with. Religion did its worst work on Paul. It made him mean and bigoted and, when such a spirit is combined with giftedness and passion, we get a very dangerous kind of person. That is why I hope we never get a president from the ranks of the religious right. Sincerity is not enough. Paul was sincere. Being a worshiper of God is not enough. Paul was a devout Jew. I do not question the sincerity or Christian faith of the vocal fundamentalist crowd in our day, but I fear their spirit even if it is lacquered with smiles and cited with smooth speech. A person who is certain he has hold of the Truth and is convinced he is God's warrior is terribly dangerous. More crimes have been committed, wars waged and havoc wrought by such persons than by any other sort. Paul was a fanatic and fanatics are dangerous. Paul never got over the damage he had done. Perhaps that is why he never wavered from the grace principle. He knew it was by grace and grace alone that he was saved. He knew there was no way he could repair the damage and rewrite the past. It was done. Only grace could set him free from the horror of what he had done. Listen to his own testimony and hear the deep humility that clothed him from the moment he met Jesus. Writing in an early correspondence to Corinth, he tells of the appearance of the Risen Lord to him: Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am… I Corinthians 15:8-9 In a later letter to the Ephesians, he wrote, Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me by the working of his power. To me though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given… Ephesians 3:7-8 © Grand Valley State University �Paul: Mellowing of a Fanatic Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Finally, in the First Letter to Timothy, he writes, The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience…I Timothy 1: 15-16 One can sense a descending scale of self-valuation from least of the Apostles to least of the saints to chief of sinners. And as one reads those passages, one senses that this is no over-pious, false humility. This Paul was not through conversion reduced to a pious pansy of a person. There is a ring of Truth, an authentic note that strikes one. Paul is not out to impress those to whom he writes. This is how he really felt. He never lost sight of that from which he had been delivered, that which had been forgiven him, that grace that embraced him and set him free from the guilt of his past and the bondage of that narrow religious legalism that had enslaved him. The good news of our reflection on Paul is the radical transformation of this person from legalist to champion of grace, from persecutor to Apostle, from rigid, narrow fanaticism to graciousness and love and freedom. I could take you many places in Paul's writings to demonstrate the transformation of his character, but since we have begun by detailing the fanaticism that led to coercion and persecution of the Church, let me point you to the new Paul who became the model of flexibility and freedom. Indeed, I have become everything in turn to men of every sort, so that in one way or another I may save some. I Corinthians 9:22 The context is a discussion about Christian freedom, about whether it is right or wrong to do this or that. The specific question was about eating meat that had been offered to heathen gods. Without trying to explain that issue, let me simply give Paul's answer - It really doesn't matter. You have permission. But if it bothers your brother, don't do it. Always act in a sensitive, loving manner over against your weaker brother. Paul then demonstrates his principles in his own life and ministry. He asserts the basic fact - "I am a free man and own no master." But because of Jesus Christ and the call to ministry, Paul declares, "I have made myself every man's servant, to win over as many as possible." He then goes on to explain that the context of his ministry on any given occasion determined his manner of life. © Grand Valley State University �Paul: Mellowing of a Fanatic Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Evangelizing Jews, he became like a Jew. Evangelizing Gentiles, he became like a Gentile. To the weak, he became weak. He did whatever was necessary in order to share the gospel and bring persons to faith in Jesus Christ. We can find this documented in the Book of Acts. In the 16th chapter, Paul meets the young Timothy and wanted him to accompany him on his mission. His mother was a Jewess, his father a Gentile. Paul had him circumcised "out of consideration for the Jews who lived in those parts." This is the Apostle who argued strenuously that circumcision or uncircumcision count for nothing. This was not a matter of legal necessity, of salvation. Paul did what he did so as not to offend in a matter that did not really matter. Again, in Acts 18:18, Paul himself takes a vow, shaving his head, not of necessity but because he desired to undergo a spiritual discipline for his own good. On one of his visits to Jerusalem, he came to see James, the Lord's brother and head of the Jerusalem Church. James pointed out that there were thousands of Jews who had received Jesus as Messiah, but continued in their Temple worship and religious ritual. They had heard rumors that Paul taught the Jews in the Gentile world to turn their back on Moses. Therefore, to put the rumor to rest, James suggested Paul undergo ritual purification in the Temple along with four men undergoing that ritual at the time - even paying their fee (or making their offering). Paul did. From these instances, we can see how consistent the words of our text are with the actual conduct of the Apostle. All things to all people in order to win some. Such flexibility is remarkable and it is rare, especially in religion. We all get ideologized bias, whether in religion, politics, economics, or whatever field of discourse we engage in. Paul's flexibility was founded on his freedom and his freedom flowed out of his experience of grace. Paul was set free by grace. Christ died and rose again. Paul died with Christ. Paul rose with Christ. Paul was free of every human structure, ritual, law, custom and institution – he was a slave to Jesus Christ and that enslaving was perfect freedom. The freedom of grace relativized every other duty or claim upon him. Paul never wavered from the Gospel as it had been revealed to him and in his Galatian letter he insists it was given him by revelation. On the principle of grace, Paul would not compromise. He took on Peter and admonished Barnabas when they withdrew from Gentiles at table when Jewish Christian leaders from Jerusalem arrived in Galatia. He stood on the grace principle. But standing there, he was able to move with freedom, to deal with flexibility. His overriding passion was not his own ease or power or success but the setting of all persons free, free from religious superstition and constitutional oppression, from the manipulations of religious or political leaders, free to become fully human, fully alive in the grace of Jesus Christ. © Grand Valley State University �Paul: Mellowing of a Fanatic Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Thus he remained a person of passion and deep commitment, but now to the one thing needful – the gospel of grace – that turned him from a hardnosed fanatic to a gracious apostle of Jesus Christ. 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 XXVII Series No Stained Glass Saints Scripture Text I Corinthians 9:22-23 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-0-19861123 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-23 Title A name given to the resource Paul: The Mellowing of a Fanatic 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 23, 1986 entitled "Paul: The Mellowing of a Fanatic", as part of the series "No Stained Glass Saints", on the occasion of Pentecost XXVII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: I Corinthians 9:22-23. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Apostle Paul Freedom Gospel of Grace Grace of God Ritual https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/158e652a23c89d86678ecac8b18f738a.mp3 145306282dd88be32b6acf1df72eadd1 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 II Corinthians 9:11-12 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-0-19861127 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-27 Title A name given to the resource Living a Wow! 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 27, 1986 entitled "Living a Wow!", on the occasion of Thanksgiving Day, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: II Corinthians 9:11-12. 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/6b66c3dc050bc6326e0fe22f407b34d5.mp3 f4df687e321ceb0453c240d99b745a5f 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 Matthew 11:3, Luke 4:21 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-0-19861130 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-30 Title A name given to the resource The Healing Presence of the Coming One 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 30, 1986 entitled "The Healing Presence of the Coming One", on the occasion of Advent I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 11:3, Luke 4:21. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives