787 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cc46957a7be27b2d07ed9dfa2a8288f5.mp3 bff179546d0d46f649e51e58d90163d1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/abefcbee4b4e18dd729a4024b03a14a4.pdf acc79a074858906f63ca675e4dffb6cd PDF Text Text The Religious Question Pentecost X Micah 6:6-8; Luke 10:25-37 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 5, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon The religious question continues to fascinate me and to absorb my time and energy. Some of you, perhaps, have not had the misfortune I have had, and that is to have to go through a total revolution of one's understanding of what the religious question is all about. For me, religion had been packaged very neatly in a confessional statement, in a creedal form, in a community whose identity was created by a very definite set of beliefs and mores and ethical insights. The whole nature of religion in my growing up and maturing and even in my early ministry was so far from that which I understand it now to be. Some years ago someone said, “You know, as old as he is, you'd think he would have gotten some answers by now." But, for me, the pilgrimage was not from questions to answers, but rather, from answers to questions. And so, I want to think with you this morning and throughout this month of August a little bit about religion, the nature of it, the function of it, and the origin of it – and this morning, the religious question, the whole matter of this phenomenon in which we are fellow passengers and journey mates, the religious adventure, the religious life, the religious community. A lawyer came to Jesus one day and said, "Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" In the paragraph from the prophet Micah, we have the question raised, "With what shall I come before the Lord then, with what shall I bow down before the most high?" That sounds like a serious question. The lawyer's question may well have been an intellectual game, an attempt to trip up Jesus and expose him as something less than a significant rabbi. But, there was a night in Philippi when the earth shook and the jail was opened, and the prisoners set free, when the jailer cried out to Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" And there was a rich young man recorded in Mark's gospel – in fact, the text perhaps I should better have chosen than the one from Luke – in which the same question as the lawyer's is raised, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus suggested the Commandments, to which the young man said, "I have kept these from my youth up." And then Jesus said, "Sell all you have and give to the poor," and he went away grieved because he had great possessions. That, obviously, was a serious question. © Grand Valley State University �The Religious Question Richard A. Rhem Page 2 There are those questions, and religion, as a matter of fact, is a human response to those kinds of questions. For me, earlier on, it was a question of how one might live and die and find union with God in another time and place, in another sphere or dimension of reality. But, more and more for me, religion becomes the question of how to live here and now and what is the meaning of life. What is the meaning of human existence? We are the only animals, as far as we know, that have the gift of self-consciousness and awareness that causes us to wrestle with questions like that, for we become bonded to another and then we lose the other and there is grief and pain and separation and we wonder - what is life and what is death? And as we look about us, the record of human history is a record of very great suffering and tragedy, and we experience that in our own individual lives and the lives of those we love. There is pain and there is loss. There is confusion. There is so much ambiguity in our human situation. It is difficult to sort it all out. Finally, life is a question. Or, life presents us with a question. Maybe the ultimate philosophical question would be, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" It was very easy for me at one time to answer those questions because there was a revelation that came directly from God, a revelation that found expression through the prophets, culminated in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ recorded in the scriptures, which were inspired by God and therefore inerrant and infallible and, consequently, religion was a matter of having the answers in a book to the mysteries of life. But, life has a way of overturning those certainties and of putting the lie to much that seems so taken for granted. Human experience is very messy. It cannot be crammed into a system with all of the loose ends tied up. And the longer one lives, the more one lives with openness and reflection and thoughtfulness and attention and awareness, the more one recognizes that ultimately there are questions before which we live, and more and more I come to see religion as that attempt on the part of humankind to deal with those ultimate questions. For, as a matter of fact, what is your life, as James wrote. What must you do to inherit eternal life? What must you do to be saved? What does it even mean to be saved? What's it all about, this human existence we live day by day? That is the religious quest. I suppose the first thing that strikes me, as I think about it, is how I see the religious quest as so very normal and so very natural. I didn't always think so. At one time, I thought that the religious ones were a slim minority and that the foundations of even that which remained were eroding. And now, I realize that the only things that change are the forms of that religious expression, the institutional forms. I remember when I was in Europe in the 60s, the tumultuous 60s, there was a phrase, “Will the Church be alive in '85?” Well, the year is 2001 and the Church is still alive. And yet, if you look at the big picture, what is happening to the institutional forms of religion? I have come to see one really doesn't have to © Grand Valley State University �The Religious Question Richard A. Rhem Page 3 worry about that. I used to worry about it. I wondered if there would be a church in which I could continue to feed my habit. And now I know, whatever form it may be, to be human is to be engaged in that religious quest. Oh, I know one like me is a warped individual because I live it and eat it and sleep it. It is my profession. It is what I do, thinking about these things. And I know the rest of you have to make a living, and you really don't have the luxury I do of thinking and thinking and thinking some more. But as a matter of fact that is a luxury, because it does stop one in one's tracks, for one becomes aware of how life can just pass through our hands like sands through our fingertips, and how much we can live without stopping consciously to evaluate what we are doing and where we are going and why we are caught up in the frantic pace which marks so much of our days. I see it symbolically, for example, in television. Let me just point to the Today Show. Nancy always wants to see what the weather is going to be. But, you know, the poor weather forecaster hardly has time to give you the weather forecast. It is shoved in between all of the life-changing messages that come from all of the corporate sponsors. And so, finally, one is exposed to about ten minutes of commercials in order to get about 90 seconds of what the weather will be, and then it's wrong. But, the point is this - more and more of life is in your face, and less and less are we called apart simply to be and to contemplate and reflect on the meaning of it all. Such reflection and contemplation is really what religion is all about, and it is a normal and a natural and an inevitable human activity. However it may find expression, however it may work itself out in our lives, there is that religious dimension. I think we're made that way. I think we're created with a hole in our soul that longs to be filled with the sacred, the holy, with a sense of meaning and purpose, with understanding. So, religion isn't going to go out of business. We are going to be religious to the extent that we are human and the only question is what form or shape will that religious quest take. I learned that that quest takes place in all of the great major faith traditions. For me, that was also revolutionary. It is not revolutionary for me to say that here in this place, because we have dealt with it often enough. So, it becomes almost commonplace for us. But, if you were raised and trained like I was, you know that it is not commonplace at all. And if you were in most places of worship this morning, you would know that it wouldn't be commonplace at all. But to come to understand religion for what it is, that deep quest of the human spirit for meaning and for understanding, moves one to a place where one can move from exclusivism – as though we have the last and final word and the absolute truth – to a place of pluralism where we recognize that all those major faith traditions are doing exactly the same thing that we are doing. In all of those particular forms of religious expression, in all of those great traditions, there are these same questions that are moving it, motivating it, energizing the quest. © Grand Valley State University �The Religious Question Richard A. Rhem Page 4 The practice of religion, in all of its variety and forms, is finally an attempt to understand who we are, what does it mean, what do I do to inherit eternal life, what must I do to be saved, or to be human or whole, or at least on the way toward wholeness. We have come to understand here that all of those particular religions are human, creative, imaginative constructs. We build our religions. We create our religions. As someone has written, all of our present religions are the ossified remains of past ecstatic or prophetic visions: Moses at the burning bush, or Mohammed, or Jesus, or the Buddha and the experience of enlightenment. And from those momentary epiphanies or moments of revelation, that luminosity that opens up heaven and suddenly gives some sense and expression, there is a resonance which creates a community which then is bound together around that particular vision. Religion is a human endeavor. It is a creative, imaginative, human construct. So, all of this foolishness about my religion is better than yours, or my God is better than yours, or my religion is true and all of the rest are false is simply quite ridiculous. Every once in a while in my Tuesday noon luncheons at Duba's, my good friend, Duncan Littlefair, will look across the table at me and say, “How could you have stayed there so long?” And I say, “I wonder the same thing.” When once one sees the nature of the religious quest, and sees the respective religions as so many human attempts to engage in that quest, then it must be arrogance to say that I have it and you don't. I remember moments, don't you, moments in the past when it did flit through my head that that was hardly a reasonable assumption. And yet, how we in our respective religions are trained to look inward, are encouraged to build those walls and to affirm and assert the absoluteness of our positions. You know, when a pastor does what I do to you, you are going to go out there and get slaughtered out in main street because every other church in town is telling their people this is it. This is true. You have it, everything else is wrong. Stand for it. Fight for it. Witness to it. And you're going to go out there and say, "Well, on the one hand, and on the other, and in the meantime..." You don't have a chance. A nice, civil, humane discussion like this disallows you to get out there and win the battle of the religious wars. But once we see that our religion, as well as all the others, is a human response to the Divine, we realize that, even if a revelation has come from beyond, it can only find expression in human language, human thought forms. It can only take shape in human community. There is no other way. And once you see that you're drained of your absolutism. You must be done with your exclusivism, and arrogance is simply impossible. So, religion is a very normal, natural part of being human and the respective religions of the world are so many creative and imaginative constructs that seek to respond to that religious question. Someone suggested the image of a landscape that has many wells dug and some wells are just very simple and some © Grand Valley State University �The Religious Question Richard A. Rhem Page 5 are very elaborate, but all of the wells tap in to that great underground river of life. And so it is with the religions. Now, you may say, "Well, if all religions are the same..." (I didn't say that. I said all religions are attempting to do the same thing.)"... are true, then they are probably all false, and so why would anyone commit oneself to that which is not absolute and final?" Because it is only in that total commitment of oneself to the practice and the observance of one's own faith story that one will come to that spiritual peace, insight, and healing which is salvation. You can't run on many roads at once. You can't ride all horses at the same time. And we've all been given a story anyway. Our story is a beautiful, magnificent story. We stand as recipients of a grand tradition. Our Judeo-Christian heritage reflected in the scriptures, having shaped Western civilization - what a grand tradition that is. And it is our story. It is an unusual person who can move over into another story and there experience the holy and the sacred. Some rare individuals have been able to do that, but not many of us. Most of us have been given a story and it is our story and it denigrates not in the least to say that it is our story, our authentic story, although it's not the only story. It is not the only well in the landscape. But, for us, it is the source of the water of life and that, not simply as an intellectual articulation of what is true, but rather, the experience in community of that which is reflective of the vision of our faith story. With what shall I bow down before the most high? Shall I bring ten thousand offerings? Shall I bring the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? What shall I do? And the prophet, speaking the word of God, says, "I told you what you should do. Do justice. Love mercy. And walk humbly with your God." God is experienced, not in some mystical flight, some esoteric vision in splendid isolation, but God is experienced in our story in the doing of justice and in the loving of mercy and in the humility before the Mystery that is God. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said, "What is the summary of the law, but to love God and to love one’s neighbor as oneself?" Love. When the lawyer wanted to push Jesus a little further, he said, "Who is my neighbor?" bringing it down to earth, so to speak. And then, very interestingly, what did Jesus say? "Your neighbor is the one you encounter in need. Your neighbor is not the one who lives in proximity to you or the one who shares community with you. Your neighbor is the one who crosses your path who is in need." And so, he tells the familiar, beautiful story of the Samaritan who reached © Grand Valley State University �The Religious Question Richard A. Rhem Page 6 out to one who was of another kind, in his need, showing mercy and love and care. What must I do to be saved? I used to know a whole bunch of scripture verses which I could tell you about what you have to believe, what words you should use, how to be saved. I found a little tract the other day again. Someone placed a tract in a very convenient place in the Men's Room, kind of like having a captive audience. Once again, it was very simple, just one, two, three, and bingo, salvation. Nonsense. Salvation is in human encounter marked by justice, mercy and love. And the irony is that when Jesus would talk about gaining eternal life, or we could say encounter with God or experiencing the holy, Jesus didn't talk about anything this way at all. That’s the marvel of it. That’s the irony of it. God is experienced in the acts of justice and mercy and kindness and love to a concrete individual, human being. God is experienced in the horizontal relationships of life. God is experienced in human community. Compassion is the final test of every theology and of every religious expression. If religion is making us kind and true and loving and compassionate, it's good and it's true. If it leads to separation, hostility, judgment and damnation, it is false, according to Jesus. Now, that's our story. So, what must you do to be saved, to inherit eternal life, to fulfill your human being? What do you make of it all? And how are you doing? It is not really such a mystery. Good religion warms the heart, opens the mind, and enables us to embrace our neighbor. The religious question is quite a bit simpler and more difficult than I ever dreamed. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost X Scripture Text Micah 6:6-8, Luke 10:25-37 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-0-20010805 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-08-05 Title A name given to the resource The Religious Question 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 5, 2001 entitled "The Religious Question", on the occasion of Pentecost X, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Micah 6:6-8, Luke 10:25-37. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Nature of Religionm Spiritual Quest Pluralism https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c24690df83d4f9b5c82cfdb37b555f53.mp3 b83824cd6f03f562c0fde5715aaed3e8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ed4e7b3731eb7d8b6476db8fe6655557.pdf 2d3307c16813d8b2dcd0105d121b1794 PDF Text Text Signs of Community Pentecost XI Deuteronomy 6:4-12, 20-25; March 14:22-25 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 12, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon Reflect with me for just a few moments what we have experienced together in this community of faith where we have celebrated the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. If you were raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, you would expect that there would be seven sacraments, but it doesn't really matter how we name these particular rites and ceremonies and rituals. In our Protestant tradition, it has been Baptism and the Lord's Supper that have been designated as the sacraments of the Church, sacraments which we have understood to be visible signs of invisible grace. Or, we have spoken of them as means of grace, conveyors of grace, the grace of God, through the participation in the sacraments. Someone has called the sacrament the visible Word and, if we were true to our tradition, we would have pulpit and table at every service, for the Word explicates the action, and the action embodies and symbolizes the Word. We do it backwards here; we really should have the reflection first, so that when you came to participate, you would know what you were doing. But, now you are going to have to hear what you just did and then go home and think about it, you see. That is liturgically incorrect, but we do it this way so that the children can be a part of it, as well. It is important for us, on occasion, to think about the sacraments of the Church, which I like to call the signs of community. I intentionally named Baptism in the liturgy the Rite of Initiation, because that is what it is. It is the marking, the signing of a child as belonging to the community. We only baptize once. You can only come into the community once, and once you are in that community, signed and sealed by the Spirit of God, you are marked forever. This rite of the Table is a rite of commemoration, and we do it again and again in order that we may go back and be reminded of our founding story, of that font from which our tradition has arisen. We go back to the table and we remember Jesus, we think about his life and his death and his resurrection, and we remember what has constituted us as a people. We remember and we find hope, and in the experience, we do sense that presence, that grace. © Grand Valley State University �Signs of Community Richard A. Rhem Page 2 I find in this congregation, and it may be true generally, that Baptism is so very strong. Someone suggested one time that when we do baptisms here, there really ought to be Kleenex in the hymnal rack. We have before us a beautiful child, and there are parents full of awe and wonder, feeling the gift and also the responsibility. There is the extended family, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, as well as the extended community, and we all take responsibility for these little ones. I find that the celebration of Baptism here is deeply appreciated and is strongly observed. I find the Eucharist that we have just celebrated is less so. If you were raised in the Catholic tradition or the Anglican tradition, you would be hungry for the sacrament. In the 16th century, at the time of the Reformation, in order to rescue the sacrament of the Lord's Supper from some abuses, the Reformers decided to celebrate it only four times a year, and then to celebrate it with great solemnity and to have a service of preparation beforehand. Actually, what happened was, rather than elevating and lifting the sacrament in its importance and centrality, what really happened to those of us who grew up on quarterly communion was that we lost the appetite for it. At the 8:30 service, two-thirds of the people leave every week instead of participating at the rail. They are not hungry or thirsty and that is not any criticism, it’s just a fact. The sacrament, for them, is not such that mediates a grace that makes them want to come every week to the rail. So, we are all conditioned and determined much by our experience and our practice and our observance. But, nonetheless, one way or another, we celebrate Baptism in great joy, and some of us are very hungry for the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and others less-so; it's still enough to do it maybe a half a dozen times a year. These are signs of community, the marks of belonging, the coming-in, initiation. And then the remembrance, the repetition, the re-presentation, so that we remember that past act, that hopefully becomes for us a present moment of experience, instilling hope in our hearts. We are not a sacramentarian church. A sacramentarian communion, such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican Church or high Lutheran, invests the sacrament with far more power or mystery than we do. For example, the panic about getting a baby baptized in a sacramentarian tradition is that, if a child is not baptized, the original sin is not removed, and so there is that immediacy about it, and there is a fear lest the sacrament should fail to be celebrated, because in a sacramentarian tradition, the grace is attached to the act. No act, no grace. In the Lord's Supper, the priest has an indelible gift through ordination by which the transformation of bread and cup into body and blood, that miracle of the mass, can be transacted. Now, I don't have any such power. But, in the sacramentarian tradition, that bread and cup become body and blood, and Christ is received in the sacrament. If you weren't raised in those traditions, I doubt that you can ever fully appreciate what someone who was nurtured in that tradition © Grand Valley State University �Signs of Community Richard A. Rhem Page 3 experiences at the communion rail. That is the central act of worship for a good Roman Catholic in their worship observance. It is to receive bread and cup, thus receiving Christ, literally. Our understanding of it is more difficult to explain. We don't want to say they are just empty signs, and yet, how do you find that in-between that says one communes spiritually on these physical elements? That is what we try to say. But, in any case, we are not sacramentarian in seeing the grace attached to the action. We pray over the action for the Spirit to make that which is symbolized in the act spiritually present to us. I think sometimes it works, and certainly sometimes it doesn't. But, for us, these are signs of community. There is no magic here; there is no superstition connected with it. Last week I suggested that religion was that search for meaning, a very natural and normal, human activity, universal human activity before the Mystery of Life. What does it mean? Who am I? From whence have I come and whither am I going - these are the religious questions that we wrestle with. Our respective religions are the human imaginative constructs that we have put together. Someone had a vision, someone had a story, a founding story that found resonance in the lives of a community of people who formed a tradition so that here we are, two thousand years after the table experience, the death and resurrection of Jesus, still telling that story. We are a community that has a sign reminding us of our founding. And we continue to observe this, even though we don't believe that it fell out of heaven. The early community came finally to this practice and then the institutional Church, as it took shape and form, formalized those practices. We are not a sacramentarian church that believes somehow or other that the act and the grace are synonymous. We recognize that, in the birth and maturing of the Church, these ritual actions became significant as the identity of the community is that which helps us to understand who we are, as signs that keep us going, keep us being reminded, keep us encouraged and inspired and giving us hope. These are signs of community. They could be other than they are, and certainly they are going to have to be understood differently than when they were first initiated, because the whole religious, cultural, historical situation of this community is so far different from that original community. The whole life experience is so strikingly different. And yet, what was really needed there, that mystery, that experience of the holy and the sacred, it is for that same experience that we long. That is why we come; that is why we have gathered. And so, we could change these sacraments, but it would take a long, long time for another action to be invested with all of the emotional binding of our present stories and our present sacraments. We don't baptize out of some panicky feeling that if the child were not baptized, the child would be lost We baptize because we believe the child is born into a covenant of faith and a family of faith. It is a community sign. © Grand Valley State University �Signs of Community Richard A. Rhem Page 4 So, we have taken the bread, the cup and we have remembered, but we have not had some kind of mystical experience with the literal body and blood, but these signs are that which bind us together as a community and give us that sense of identity that makes us one family gathered around Jesus, around the story of Jesus' life, around his death. When body and blood are separated, there is violence, there is death. We remember that Jesus died the way he died because he lived the way he lived, and in his death he set us free from that bondage to the darkness. And so, we have been reminded of our story, that which is the center of our life together. Signs of community are those mediators of grace, vehicles by which the presence of the holy and the sacred become tangible, bringing into our experience that dimension of the sacred or of God. Certainly that is why we continue in a community of faith to celebrate rites of passage, surrounding them with holy moments. How can you celebrate a birth without standing in awe before the fountain of life? How can you speak vows to each other for life without the sense of the presence of the Other? How can you possibly bury one whom you have dearly loved without that sense that God is there? And so, as a community of faith, we have signs of community that bind us together, that help us to understand who we are and to bring to us those moments which are simply holy. This past week I performed perhaps the most unusual ceremony of my life on a beautiful sailboat out in the middle of Lake Michigan. The groom, one whom I have known for a long time, the bride Russian. As we went out on the sail, the bride's daughter, seventeen years old, multi-lingual, able to go from Russian to English, dialed her grandparents, the parents of the bride, in Russia, and somewhere in the middle of Russia, the parents of the bride tuned in to the ceremony which was translated by their granddaughter so that they could enter into the celebration with us. So, when I spoke about the two rosebuds that represented those Russian parents, they were told. And when I mentioned the ring which was gold melted from a bracelet that the father had given the mother on the day that the bride was born, they could remember. And when the vows were spoken, I gave the English translation to the daughter who read the vows in Russian so that the bride could respond in Russian, and her parents listening all the while. And when I spoke the meditation from I Corinthians 13, because we were literally bridging two worlds, I spoke of love that transcends all differences and all distance, and the granddaughter preached my little sermon. And when I concluded the declaration – knowing that they were Eastern Orthodox for whom the Trinity is important – in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I doubt that there were not tears in Russia for what was being transacted in the middle of Lake Michigan. Why do we do such things? Why do we go through all that fuss? They are no more married than if they had gone to the Justice of the Peace. They are no more married, than if they had gone to City Hall in Red Square, Moscow. We do it because we know that we are meaning-seeking animals, aware of what we are © Grand Valley State University �Signs of Community Richard A. Rhem Page 5 doing, conscious of our actions and our decisions, and knowing that there is a Mystery before which or before Whom we live which we cannot fathom, which will never be dissected rationally or set forth in intellectual discourse, but which can be felt now and again, when grace brushes us and the dimension of the sacred encompasses us, and all we can say is, "My God! © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XI Scripture Text Deuteronomy 6:4-12, 12:20-25, Mark 14:22-25 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-0-20010812 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-08-12 Title A name given to the resource Signs of Community 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 12, 2001 entitled "Signs of Community", on the occasion of Pentecost XI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Deuteronomy 6:4-12, 12:20-25, Mark 14:22-25. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Baptism Community of Faith Experience of Sacred Lord's Supper Sacraments https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/290e39ec51549b128fa2657094e73be4.mp3 01b99e647818523b524929332afd5483 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 Scripture Text Ezekiel 1:26, 2:1, Revelation 4:1-11 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-20010819 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-08-19 Title A name given to the resource God Naturally 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 19, 2001 entitled "God Naturally", on the occasion of Pentecost XII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ezekiel 1:26, 2:1, Revelation 4:1-11. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dc35bd2dad1d50bcd97d74fce79cd9b3.mp3 b894fd7f6586dd05b576240465ef03f1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/58576bf55689509de0f96a8d4bc3ca33.pdf f5b4e87aaaec8924aad3d60eda211d74 PDF Text Text The Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention Pentecost XIII I Kings 19:1-14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 26, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon Gary Eberle, in The Geography of Nowhere, commenting on the passing of the age of faith, uses a marvelous poem by Philip Larkin, an English poet. Eberle comments, In "Church Going," Larkin imagines that someday Christian churches will fall into disuse and ruin as had Stonehenge and the Acropolis. Perhaps scholars will come with their notepads, or the superstitious will come at night to perform half-remembered magic. He sees the old church becoming: A shape less recognisable each week, A purpose more obscure. I wonder who Will be the last, the very last, to seek This place for what it was... And yet, he notes one thing about this place will not pass away - the inner spiritual need and hunger of the beings who built it in the first place. A serious house on serious earth it is, In whose blest air all our compulsions meet, Are recognised, and robed as destinies. And that much never can be obsolete. Since someone will forever be surprising A hunger in himself to be more serious. And gravitating with it to this ground, Which, he once heard, was proper to grow wise in. If only that so many dead lie round. Sometimes it happens as it happened to Elijah. It's no accident that chapter 19 follows chapter 18 and the story of Israel's history recorded in I Kings. Chapter 18 is that story of the duel between Elijah, the prophet of Yahweh, and the prophets © Grand Valley State University �Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention Richard A. Rhem Page 2 of Baal, introduced by Queen Jezebel, the foreign royalty who had brought another worship and cult into the very heart of Israel. Do you remember that story of the prophets of Baal in a contest with Elijah? They pray for their gods to consume the sacrifice and the heavens are brass and there is no response. Then, Elijah, as the sacrifice is drowned in water, calls upon the name of the God of Israel, and fire consumes the sacrifice. What a mountaintop experience, literally. As is often the case after such spiritual exhilaration, there set in upon Elijah a deep depression, for he was struggling in a very difficult time in the life of Israel. It was not an easy time to be a prophet of God, and he fled to Mount Horeb or Sinai, the mountain of Moses and the encounter of God with Israel in the Exodus experience. God is not altogether sympathetic with this prophet. He says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And Elijah pours out his self-pity as though he and he alone is left faithful to God. And then, God says, "Stand in the mouth of the cave," after which Elijah experiences dramatic effects in nature, an earthquake, wind and fire. But, God is not in any of these dramatic displays, but rather, in the sound of sheer silence. Richard Elliott Friedman, commenting on that passage, notes that that is the point of transition in Israel's experience of God. That experience is the last time it is recorded, "And God said ..." Early on in the scripture story of Israel, God is speaking all the time and acting all the time, but now the sound of sheer silence is a signal that theophany is over and, along with that, is increasing responsibility on the part of humanity to carry on the story. There was a shift, and the writers who put the story together were obviously signaling that shift and that juxtaposition of Carmel and Sinai and silence. The scriptures signal those cultural shifts in the understanding of God and of reality and of all things that pertain to our human experience, and we know those cultural shifts, as well. In our own Christian tradition, there was a move in those early centuries from classical Greek and Roman culture to a culture that, over a few centuries, became totally shaped by the Christian vision, finding its apex in that high Medieval period, only to be shifted in the Renaissance to a focus from heaven to earth. And after the detour of the 16th century Reformation, there was the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment and the whole Modern period, and that Modern period, of which we are the heirs, saw the rise of secularism and, to large extent, the questioning of God and the undercutting of that faith tradition which had built cathedrals. Gary Eberle, speaking about our own present Post-Modem situation, points to the cathedral as the symbol of the Modern period, and, as a matter of fact, how the cathedrals of Europe particularly have become more tourist stations than places of worship. Those of you who have gone on tour with me know that they are always ABC tours, "another bloody cathedral." So, I have been guilty of turning them into tourist places, but not simply tourist places, for we have often stopped and © Grand Valley State University �Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention Richard A. Rhem Page 3 worshiped in those holy places. Nancy will never forgive me for one Sunday when the two of us were alone in Rome and we spent five hours in St. Peter's, if you can believe it. It is not as though that holy space does not continue to speak, but there is no question that the cathedral is a monument to the faith of an earlier age and, in modernity, the faith that built the cathedrals has been seriously challenged and in many ways undercut. For the thing that marks the modern age is the rise of critical thinking and the rejection of all forms of authoritarianism, whether it be the authoritarian claim of the Church as institution, or of the tradition as in Eastern Orthodoxy, or of the Bible, as in Protestantism. The thing that marked modernity was that rise of critical thinking, the scientific method, the empirical method of investigation, no longer taking some word from prelate or scriptures or tradition as authoritative, but rather going out and looking at the world, experimenting, probing, investigating, accepting nothing on some authoritative word, but with critical rationality evaluating the evidence. That is what has marked modernity. In large measure, the Modern movement has been a movement very, very seriously weakening the Christian Church. I sat a couple of weeks ago with the New Testament professor that I studied under in Leiden back in the 60s. He was in the area and called, and I picked him up and we shared a breakfast together, and we talked about the European situation today. For example, in England just 6% of the people go to worship in that land that has these magnificent cathedrals and this grand Anglican tradition. We talked about the Netherlands where he still lives and where I had so many wonderful experiences. I looked across the table and I said to him, "How long can it last?" He said, "Jesus came, in my understanding, not to build the church, but to proclaim the kingdom." I like that, because what he was saying is what the poet Larkin is saying, that institutions, forms and structures may flourish and flounder. They may rise and pass away. But, somehow or other, there is that within the depths of the human being that will seek out a place like this, a serious place, on serious ground, because no matter how secular, no matter how lacking in any kind of observance, there will now and again, here and there, rise up that which will surprise that hunger and that yearning for the presence of God, for that which is sacred and holy, for that dimension that always accompanies our ordinary human experience, suggesting something more, not a supernatural being "out there" that runs the universe. I came across the other day a sermon of a year ago when, out in front of our house, a child was drowned in the waves of Lake Michigan, and I remember preaching that Sunday on the pitiless universe. God does not interrupt the rip tide or the raging surf, and God plays no favorites. That understanding of God, if we would be honest, has been undercut by everything that we know, thanks to the natural sciences and the investigation of all of those respective disciplines of © Grand Valley State University �Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention Richard A. Rhem Page 4 human learning. But, does that mean, because that image of God that has marked our tradition in the past, does that mean, then, that God is dead? Richard Elliott Friedman, who comments on the Isaiah experience in his book, The Hidden Face of God, uses Nietzsche as the prophetic voice of the modern, Nietzsche who said, "God is dead." Nietzsche said it with not any sense of triumphalism. Nietzsche said it in anguish because he said, "God is dead and we have killed God." The modern with all of the wonder and all of the amazement, and all of the fruitfulness that has come to us, to the exercise of critical rationality and the empirical method - all of the wonders of mathematical formulas that have tied our earth into a network of communication creating the possibility of a global community - all of that, all of that without the sense of the presence of God becomes empty and hollow and now and again, here and there, we will be surprised by a hunger because we have been created with a God-shaped hole in our soul. And so, we have entered into a period of time which is called the Post-Modem period. The Post-Modem period into which we have entered and the periodization of cultural shifts is very untidy, but basically this 20th century has come to see the limitations of human rationality. And so, when medievalism broke apart and authoritarianism was undercut, we entered into the Modern period, and there was a sharp break. When modernity comes to understand its limits, we have called it Post-Modernity, which means it is after the modern. It is not a rejection of the modern, for we had better never reject all of the fruitfulness that has come from critical thinking, from critical rationality, from the use of intelligence, from the mind that probes and investigates. We cannot go back to some authoritarian claim that hears voices from heaven. The exercise of critical intelligence is a continuing and ongoing dimension of the Post-Modem period. But, Post-Modernism has come to be a time in which it is more and more being recognized that intelligence, thinking which we value so highly here, is not enough. Intelligence and attention, or I could call it awareness. Or, I could call it simply an openness to that which is beyond the limits of our minds to grapple and grasp, an openness to that which is sacred and holy and which permeates the whole of reality so that I would speak of God not as some supernatural being "out there," beyond creation, intervening and tinkering and arranging here and there, arbitrarily and capriciously, but rather the God of whom I would speak naturally as the Soul of the universe, as the creative Spirit that now and again rises into our conscious attention or awareness, taking the time consciously and intentionally to open our lives to that dimension that cannot finally be captured in a syllogism or a mathematical formula or a test-tube, to that dimension that demands a poem or a painting, a sunset or a starry heaven, a gathering with friends in a common search for the touch of God of which Peter spoke earlier, brushed with angels' wings, washed by grace. How? © Grand Valley State University �Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention Richard A. Rhem Page 5 Who can tell? When? Who could predict? But awareness that, as I live my ordinary days, what I can see and touch and handle is permeated with something that is always beyond my grasp, that alwayspresent to the soul that seeks and searches and is open, the presence of God. Not in spite of my mind, my intelligence, my probing, my serious thinking, but, when all of that is done, an attention to a reality that once was so beautifully expressed in the stone of a cathedral, but continues here and now to be expressed in a variety of ways. Mies van derRohe, one of the great architects of the 20th century, who with Frank Lloyd Wright and a couple of others, were the pioneers of the clean lines and objectivity and efficiency of architectural form, was asked shortly before he died, "If you could build what you have never been able to build, what would you build?" (I should note here that post-modernism came to expression first in architecture.) This leading modem architect of form and structure that has marked the city and the skyscraper, this one said shortly before he died, "If I could build what I have never been able to build, I would build a cathedral." Indeed. References: Richard Elliott Friedman. The Hidden Face of God. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. “Church Going,” by Philip Larkin, in The Geography of Nowhere: Finding Oneself in the Postmodern World. Sheed and Ward, 1995. © 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 Scripture Text I Kings 19:1-14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Richard Elliott Friedman. The Hidden Face of God. HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. "Church Going," by Philip Larkin, in The Geography of Nowhere: Finding Oneself in the Postmodern World. Sheed and Ward, 1995. 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-0-20010826 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-08-26 Title A name given to the resource The Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention 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 26, 2001 entitled "The Presence of God: Intelligence and Attention", on the occasion of Pentecost XIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: I Kings 19:1-14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Critical Thinking Open Mind PostModern Sacred Dimension of reality https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4fd1af0029a540177eab5147df4fdfdc.mp3 0ef7fb8819cb54b7acf7df98094910f3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1ce834ef0a96085368bd7d4f3c563bfb.pdf c63925665e3f00b70f05ff28ce113808 PDF Text Text Don’t Do It For God’s Sake A Response to 9-11 Jeremiah 29:4-13; Ephesians 3:14-21 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan September 16, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon Defenseless under the night Our world in stupor lies; Yet, dotted everywhere, Ironic points of light Flash out wherever the just Exchange their messages: May I, composed like them Of Eros and of dust, Beleaguered by the same Negation and despair, Show an affirming flame. W. H. Auden I am aware that this week, while I was away, good things were happening in this community. I always tell Peter Theune that when I am not here, it's up to him, and he with the team, has had created for this community and the broader community a significant week. Part of the celebration were the four candles behind me that were symbols of those sites of devastation, and this morning we lighted, as well, the paschal candle as a sign of our remembrance of those who moved from life through death into eternal life. I want to express my appreciation to the team for the fine way that all of you in significant numbers have been here. The lines of W. H. Auden's poem that so powerfully catch the mood and spirit of our day were written September 1, 1939. Auden attended the theater and I believe the Yorktown section of New York City that was heavily populated with German people. He attended the theater and, in the midst of the showing, as was the custom at that time, there was a newsreel that showed the Nazi invasion of Poland, and when that news came on, the theater erupted in shouts of triumph and applause. W. H. Auden left the theater thoroughly shaken at what he had just experienced, that eruption of emotion and elation at the forthcoming devastation that was wreaked by Hitler and his troops on the European © Grand Valley State University   �Don’t Do It For God’s Sake Richard A. Rhem Page 2   continent. It so shook him concerning human nature, that he began a spiritual pilgrimage that led him eventually to Christian faith. Indeed. We, too, are in a time when suddenly we become aware of that potential for evil that is part and parcel of our human condition. The sermon subject this morning is titled, "Don't Do It For God's Sake." It was intended to be a word spoken particularly to parents and to this community about being serious about the nurture and the traditioning of our children, for this is opening Sunday and I am well aware of the fact that parents today face tremendous tensions and pressures. There is such a competition for the time and the energy of our children and our youth. So many good things to do, so many difficult choices to make, and the sermon was going to be,"Don't do it for God's sake," for God doesn't need our children to be nurtured, but do it for our sake. Do it for the sake of our children and our youth, and for the sake of their future. I was going to put in a good word, not in the typical fashion of church where it is for God's honor and God's glory and God's demand and God's requirement -I was simply going to say to you, "Don't do it for God's sake. Do it for your sake. And for the sake of your children." And then, of course, everything changed and I was in touch with the office throughout the week and we made obviously some liturgical alterations, but I thought that title can stand, with a bit of a different twist. I would still speak to you this morning for just a few moments under the title, "Don't Do It For God's Sake." Don't do what for God's sake? Don't build human community for God's sake. Do it for our sake and for the sake of the future of humanity. Don't be serious about religious faith and vision that moves toward love and peace for God's sake, but for our own sake, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the possibility of a human and humane future. Were you shocked at the darkness that erupted this week? Really, on reflection, you ought not to have been. For if we are traditioned in the biblical story which arises out of Israel's faith and finds expression in the faith through Jesus Christ our Lord, then you would know that what has happened is that which is always possible and always potentially on the horizon of the human situation. Whether you take the story in Genesis 3 of the Fall, or whether, as I have suggested, we write some new story that is more consistent with our knowledge of the human situation, it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter the story we tell. It is the fact, the message, the reality to which the biblical story points, and our human experience has confirmed. The great church father and theologian, St. Augustine, created the doctrine of Original Sin, and Original Sin was simply an attempt to express that which is commonly true, that all of us are tainted with that inward corruption that makes us always potentially on the threshold of some fresh expression of the darkness. This is not a problem of a particular ethnic group or racial group or religious tradition. This is the human condition. We are © Grand Valley State University �Don’t Do It For God’s Sake Richard A. Rhem Page 3   born in sin, says the Psalmist, the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, says the prophet. And in those early stories of Genesis, God repents that he's ever created this human creature, given the darkness that emerges from his behavior. No, we need not be shocked at what we have experienced, nor can we separate ourselves from it, for it is the universal human condition. You may say, "Ah, but this was something special. This was something different," and I would say, "Dear friends, just look at our own history." I have not time this morning to document it all for you, but let me simply remind you of Crusades in which Christian forces put the Muslim to the sword until the blood ran thick in the streets of Jerusalem. I have only to mention the word Inquisition to remind you of that demand to deny one's native faith in order to confess Jesus or to be burned at the stake. I have only to remind you that in the experience of some of us who are older here, in our own lifetime, this world has seen the annihilation of six million Jews perpetrated by a darkness that emerged amidst a people most cultured, most educated and most Christianized in Western civilization. It is not a matter of Islam. It is not a matter of Christianity or Judaism. It is a human manifestation of darkness that is ever hovering in the wings the moment there are those who become so obsessed with hate, anger, that they are willing to perpetrate the holocaust of devastation. We might ask the question, "What drives people to that kind of hatred?" I think we have to distinguish here between the leadership of those who follow and are recruited into this cruel business, leaders with calculating brilliance and full resource, implementing this attack with devastating efficiency. Those who realize a potential within all of us to become evil incarnate, and then they, in their wake, gathering others who have nothing to lose, who need a cause, who need some call to nobility with some promise of eternal reward, and wherever there is a world where there are masses of such people, there is a potential for demonic leadership to manipulate them and to move them to the kind of darkness that we have experienced in this week past. It ought not to shock us, but it ought to cause us to raise the question - What is there in our world that would create the context for that kind of hatred, anger, and violence? I could play for you the tape of the sermon of July 1 of this past summer, "Beyond Nation, Ethnicity and Creed," in which I suggested at that time that it was not really wise for us to be seeking to build a missile defense system against some nuclear bomb of a rogue nation, but that we might better sit down with those rogue nations and ask them, "What are your fears? What are your hopes and your dreams? How can we, the world's one super power, with seemingly limitless resource and giftedness, what can we do in order to bring you into a global community in which we can dwell together in peace and harmony? © Grand Valley State University �Don’t Do It For God’s Sake Richard A. Rhem Page 4   It is incumbent upon us at a time like this to search our own souls and not miss the symbolic value of the targets that were struck. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the symbols of our wealth and of our military might by which in self-serving interest, we perpetuate a world in which we can continue to enjoy the ascendency. Those are the questions that we need to ask ourselves. And how are we to respond? With great care. We are not different than any other people. We stand in solidarity with the world's darkness; we carry within us in our own hearts the seeds of potential violence, but we have been nurtured in a tradition that has taught us that the only hope of the world is the breaking of the cycle of violence. Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. And if we haven't learned the lesson by now, then certainly it is time for us to think again. We have heard calls for retaliation and revenge. We all, being human, feel the anger. We experience the emotion of needing to respond. Not so long ago, I saw the film, Pearl Harbor, and reliving that day of infamy, I remembered as I saw the Japanese pilots climbing into their Zero planes on the aircraft carrier, I remembered as a child at school how with our doodling we would make pictures, war pictures, tanks and planes, how the P-38s and our Mustangs would shoot down those Japanese Zeroes, and as I saw in the film and relived again the emotion I felt as a child, I hated the Japs! The enemy was demonized. And even now, we can so easily fall into that trap, the consequence of which would simply escalate the cycle of violence one more time. And in this world, with the technology and the weaponry that is available in this world, if we don't break the cycle of violence, we will destroy ourselves. The rhetoric has to cease. Tell me how a Christian television evangelist named Jerry Falwell, speaking on the TV evangelist program of Pat Robertson, can point the finger at liberal civil rights groups and abortionists and gay and lesbian people and say that all such are partially responsible for this devastation? Don't they know that it was the anti-Semitic, hateful, anti-Jewish rhetoric of a Martin Luther, no less, that flowered into the Holocaust? Don't we realize, at least in the Christian Church that, unless we are touched by the gospel and the grace of God so that we do not react naturally, we will become the instruments and the agents of that movement that will cut out the possibility of a human and humane future? Don't we know, don't we really know that it is finally, only in the acknowledgment of our own involvement in the human situation and the responsible response to that situation by which the world can be changed? A friend called me last evening, and I said to him, "If you were preaching tomorrow, what would you preach?" He said, "I'd preach on anger." And then he said to me, "I am just amazed at how little the gospel has really sunk into us." And he spoke of a friend with whom he enjoys a conversation, cultured, educated, Christian, intelligent, who said, "We should round all the Islamic people up and © Grand Valley State University �Don’t Do It For God’s Sake Richard A. Rhem Page 5   ship them out," reminding me of what we did during the wake of Pearl Harbor when we incarcerated Japanese Americans, doing a terrible injustice. Dear friends, we do not have the luxury of responding according to our own animal nature. The cycle of violence must stop here. Not that we do not take responsible action to root out that which threatens not only this nation, but the whole of civilization. But, it is the function of good religion to enable us to transcend those native responses and that is why we need a community like this. That really is what our struggle has been all about. That is why we need to do it, not for God's sake, but for our own sake. We cannot bring shalom to the earth, we cannot bring in the kingdom of God universal, but this we can do - we can love one another. We can act with compassion. We can seek justice. We can love mercy, and we can walk humbly with God, arm in arm together. That is why we need each other. That is why we need a faith community that will lift us, enable us, who are part and parcel of the human scene, who in solidarity with all of those across the globe would enable us to transcend our anger, and to be spared the violence that will simply keep the trauma moving toward the darkness and final doom. One of the great things about the biblical tradition is the prophetic voice that called upon the people of Israel to be self-critical. The prophets called Israel to awareness of sin and corruption in their society. They were relentless in their critique of the self-satisfied religious and political institutions. Jeremiah's famous temple sermon in the seventh chapter condemned the presumption of a hollow religious practice that failed to do justice and love mercy. At the Temple, he cried out, Do not trust in these deceptive words, "This is the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord." Jeremiah excoriated the people of Judah for their lack of compassion and mercy and justice, and the judgment that he promised came sure as his word, and Babylon moved in and Jerusalem was devastated and the exiles were moved off into Babylon and there there were voices of unrest. There were other voices there counseling the exiles not to settle down, for surely they would soon be delivered. But, Jeremiah wrote a letter saying, do not listen to these voices. You will be there for a long time. Settle in. Build houses, plant gardens, and pray for Babylon's welfare. And then, beautifully, this prophet whose stern warning had been unheeded but whose word had become reality gave this wonderful word of hope and comfort: I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans of good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah's God was the Lord of history who moved the nations in direct, determining fashion. I no longer can conceive of God as the one who controls the movement of history in such direct fashion, but I do believe that the grain of the © Grand Valley State University �Don’t Do It For God’s Sake Richard A. Rhem Page 6   universe moved by the Creator Spirit beckons to life and a hopeful future realized in loving community. It is to that beckoning Spirit that I point you, to respond to the lure of love believing God's intention is to give us a future and a hope. Television coverage this past week has been full of stories of heroism, of kindness and gentleness, of the compassion of so many who have given of themselves and some giving their lives in their effort to save others. Such dark times reveal not only the worst, but the best of the human spirit. And in those stories we see the hope and possibility of a future of human well-being. We cannot effect the kingdom of God nor the condition of universal shalom by ourselves. But, we can ensure that its small beginning is tasted here concretely ,in this loving community as we embrace one another, care one for another, and together create here a free and gracious place for all who would abide in love and peace. We do it not for God's sake, but for our own sake, and the sake of a human and humane future - surely the Divine intention. © 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 After 9-11, Pentecost XV Scripture Text Jeremiah 29:4-13, Ephesians 3:14-21 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-0-20010916 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-09-16 Title A name given to the resource Don't Do It For God's Sake Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 16, 2001 entitled "Don't Do It For God's Sake", on the occasion of After 9-11, Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 29:4-13, Ephesians 3:14-21. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Divine Intention Human community Non-violence https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e5639d4dc0828d98ba8d256e7261c0b.mp3 1599aac6f3e77fe5cf41cf530ce136fc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c5726a1267dde26127011397078ac73e.pdf 368617780d8ff32c1711d5452b16e063 PDF Text Text Religion: Its Use and Abuse Pentecost XVII Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 25:31-46 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan September 23, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon An area in my own life where there has been a great transformation of understanding has been in the area of religion. I began by worrying that religion might not be around long enough for me to fulfill my career. But then I realized that was just a narrow little idea of religion that I had within severe parochial limits. More and more, I came to see that religion was something that was endemic in the human person, that it is a universal human phenomenon, that it is simply that response that we make with our consciousness to the mystery of our existence, to the fragility of our existence, our vulnerability, the response that we make to the mystery that is our source and our ground. Religion deals with meaning and ultimate questions, and I became aware of the fact that it was a universal phenomena and that it would always be here as long as humans are humans. As I came to realize that, I came to see that the respective religions were really human, imaginative constructs, a founding vision, a ritual and a cult that formed a community, and that the respective religions were really all fingers pointing beyond themselves to that ultimate mystery that is ineffable, incomprehensible, beyond our capacity to analyze or to define. It was a liberating moment for me when I could say my own religion is an authentic response to God or to the sacred or to the holy. For me, the window is Jesus and the way of Jesus is the way of life. But, a little over a year ago, that gracious and gentle scholarly presence of Huston Smith embodied in our midst that kind of breadth of understanding and experience that witnessed to the fact that all of the great religious traditions really were speaking of a presence of that which is holy and of that which is sacred, leading to a particular response of life. In your insert, there is a citation from Huston Smith's book, Beyond the PostModem Mind, in which he speaks of sitting with the Dali Lama and Thomas Merton and a Native American and two or three others of other traditions, all of which he has entered, having experienced exactly the same thing, and then his comment, "How could God possibly (as once I thought, and I suppose as once he thought), how could God possibly have waited for thousands of years to reveal © Grand Valley State University �Religion: Its Use and Abuse Richard A. Rhem Page 2 God's self, leaving generation after generation in hopelessness and darkness, and finally to a little rivulet of humanity reveal the truth? Would that not," he says, "be contrary to the very nature of God, that nature of goodness and mercy that we believe constitutes God's nature?" This is old hat for you, I know, but I am simply reminding you of the way that we have come. We come here to respect the respective religious traditions, and to realize that we also point beyond our particular structures and our particular confessional statements to that one who transcends all of our particular religions, which are simply the structures and the forms by which we give expression to that deep yearning within to be in touch with God, with the holy one, with that which is sacred. As I have come to see the nature of religion more and more in its universality, I also have come to see its power, tremendous power. Religion is one of the most powerful forces on earth, and I began to realize that it was a power for good or for ill, that religion could be used or it could be abused. That is what I want to have you think with me for a few moments about this morning - the use and the abuse of that which is common to us here in a community of faith, our religion and religion in general. Let me begin with the abuse of religion. I am doing this, of course, in light of the present circumstances and that which we have gone through so recently, where religion has played a part and has drawn forth all kinds of commentary from religious leaders. I want to say the first abuse of religion is the use of God as an agent of manipulation and control of people, an idea of God as a God in control who sits in the circle of the heavens and now and again intervenes, zapping this one or that one. I mentioned last week my dismay at the insensitivity and inappropriateness of Jerry Falwell's comments about those who were partially responsible for our tragedy - Civil Libertarians, the feminists, gay and lesbian people, those who are pro-abortion, that God has judged America and that this attack is part of the judgment of God because of our moral decay. Oh, to be sure, in this past week he has apologized, recognizing the inappropriateness of it, but he did say that the secular press and media failed to understand his "theologically nuanced" statement. Well, it is his theologically nuanced statement which I would protest. It is that conception of a God that has died, if we think critically about it at all, that kind of a God is a God that is used by religious leaders and religious institutions to manipulate people, to threaten people, and to control people, because that is a God of control and those religious leaders who have been speaking out recently amaze me at the confidence with which they purport to know the mind of God and what God is doing. If Falwell backed off, James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" did not. He said very clearly without retort, This is God's punishment on this nation for its moral decay, for taking God out of the schools, for forcing children to learn of © Grand Valley State University �Religion: Its Use and Abuse Richard A. Rhem Page 3 homosexuality, for sexual immorality in government," and so forth, on television. The punishment of this nation because of its moral decay. I want you to think for just a moment about what kind of a God that is. That is a God who sits up and contemplates the world and who looks at the United States of America and says, "You know, things have gone just about far enough. I think it's time to zap them." And so, the punishment of the nation because of moral decay. But, if you think about it a little further, couldn't God have targeted the victims a little better? I mean, if God is God, then why do the innocent suffer? If God is God, and allpowerful and manipulative and in control, then couldn't God aim the thunderbolts? Tell that story to the widows and the orphans and the parents who have lost children. Tell that story to those firemen who have lost their comrades. What kind of a God would that be? A capricious monster, if you think about it long enough and critically enough. That God in control, that God has got to go. That God has died, as a matter of fact. In the National Cathedral service last week, there was dear Billy Graham. His presence there would have been enough, just to have been there. I don't know of anyone in the religious field who has achieved such fame and who has earned it with a greater dignity and humility than Billy Graham. I think the world of him. But, in his attempt to speak to this situation, didn't you feel for him? The stumbling and the confusion about how God in control can allow things like this to happen and yet, wanting to say, God is merciful and God is kind and God is good. You see, it just doesn't make sense. You just can't fit it together. Or, those who say there is evil in the world but that is because God created human freedom, but God will bring good out of evil. Well, if God can bring good out of evil, in other words, if God can call the final shot, then wouldn't it be merciful if God could call the shot a bit earlier? Then should we have to go through these tens of hundreds of thousands of years of human suffering and tragedy and darkness in order that eventually some good could come out of evil? Now, it is time we simply call a spade a spade and recognize that that conception of God makes no reasonable sense, and you can claim mystery all you want to, but it is mystery fraught with tragedy and human horror, and really, it won't work, particularly if you are at the end of the suffering as its victim. God in control? You can't have it both ways, friends. Either God has turned human history over to us and put it in our hands so that we possibly might be able to bring good out of evil, but not God "up there" contemplating what to do next. That mean, capricious, and small deity has no place in the Christian Church or community. It is an abuse of religion. Falwell, Robertson, James Dobson - they are not alone. In an article yesterday in the Grand Rapids Press, the President of the Southern Baptist Church was reported to have said that this is Satan's handiwork and that this certainly shows once again that the only hope is to bring people to God through Jesus Christ alone. What has that got to do with it, I wonder? And if, somehow, finally we are © Grand Valley State University �Religion: Its Use and Abuse Richard A. Rhem Page 4 all encouraged to bring our neighbors to the knowledge of the son of God, what has that got to do with it, really? Don't we know that that conception of God creates such horrible problems that we ought, rather, to be ashamed of speaking about that kind of God in control. That is a petty and capricious deity that will no longer work for us who have some knowledge of our world, some understanding of the development of human history, some sense of the nature of the human being in human society. We don't have to call in a savior nor God. This is a human problem; it is our problem, and to use God that way is an abuse of religion. As a corollary to that, to use God to fuel, to use religion to fuel human passion leading to violence, is an abuse of religion. I made the mistake of walking into the bedroom last night while Nancy was watching A & E Biography, bin Laden's story. Perhaps you saw it. A fascinating tale of one who in the varied life experiences finally came to a deep religious commitment which has now spawned all kinds of violence, wanting to drive out the West from those holy lands of Islam, and being the agent to recruit and to propel so many who have nothing to lose into this kind of violent action whose reward is heaven. But, it is not a problem of Islam, for if we go to Orthodox Judaism, there are Rabbis in Jerusalem that were teaching such that a young man one day took a gun to Prime Minister Rabin and there was a Jewish settler who entered the mosque in Hebron and opened fire on Muslims at prayer. And don't we really know, don't Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson know that, while they would separate themselves from violence and they would abhor violence, don't they know that when a religious leader uses a certain rhetoric and a certain tone with a certain passion, that those who receive it uncritically will be fueled into violence? Don't we know that, within our own Protestant Christian Right, there have been those who have been propelled into killing abortion clinic doctors and bombing Planned Parenthood units, and terrible hate crimes? Matthew Shepherd's name comes to mind. Don't we realize, dear friends, that religion is thereby abused when a manipulative and mean God who controls is used to fuel the passions of those who in turn are driven to violence that create the hell on earth that we have experienced so recently? It is an abuse of religion and it is time the word is spoken and that the issue is joined. If that is its abuse, then what is its use? Let me say maybe radically, maybe to your surprise, maybe to your objection, let me say that religion is not to make us right. It is to make us good. Religion is not to make us right. It is to make us good. Read Karen Armstrong's comments in your insert this afternoon where she speaks about mythos and logos, for in her study of fundamentalism, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, she comes back again and again to the fact that what the © Grand Valley State University �Religion: Its Use and Abuse Richard A. Rhem Page 5 fundamentalists do is to make religion a matter of logos rather than mythos. To make it a matter of logos is to make it literally true, historically true in every detail, and in its confessional statements and its dogmas to be literally true, to use human reason and intelligence, to structure an image of God, a conception of God, a conception of religious faith, and to demand that that is true and there is no other truth, that is logos. Logos is our human reason, it is our intelligence. It is what we use if we want to know about the possibility of stem cells. It is what we use if we want to know about the treatment of disease or a heart transplant. It is what we use if we want to know how best to grow our crops on the agricultural scene. Our human logos is how we fly airplanes and study the stars. The logos is how we live. It is the empirical method of investigation. Logos is wonderful; it is a great human gift, but logos is not the source or the determinant of religion. Religions are not in that sense true or false. They are mythos. They have to do with stories that convey meaning, that speak about the values and the meaning of life. Religion is not true or false. Is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony true? Are Van Gogh's Sunflowers true? Is Michelangelo's David true? Of course not But, as human beings with consciousness and intuitive sense and esthetic appreciation, we stand there and know we are in the presence of greatness; it is not a matter of whether it is true or false. That is the wrong question. It is whether or not there is value communicated. And so, our religious experience is not that which is a consequence of rational investigation and the building of dogmas and doctrines and structures. It is the experience, the intuitive sense of that sacredness and that holiness that now and again, here and there, overwhelms us. When we love one another, when there is a creative interchange between human beings, there God is. John says God is love and the one who dwells in love dwells in God and God dwells in that one. Where there is eye-to-eye contact and understanding, where soul meets soul, or when one stands in wonder before the starry heavens or the magnificence of a sunset, where one sees a child, where one hugs a lover, there God is. Religion is not to make us right. I could really get excited and a bit upset about all of the division and all of the exclusion, all of those truth claims and those condemnations of other visions and understandings: what a silly thing it is and what a costly thing it is, and how wrong it is. It has nothing to do with good religion which is to speak to us of meaning, of beauty, of wonder and of love, and that’s why we need this community. That is why we need each other. That is why we need to keep hugging each other and supporting each other and being kind, one to another. Isaiah said, "All you religious, you're so religious, I can't stand you. But God says that's not the fast I want. Be kind. Be compassionate. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless." And Jesus who said it's as simple as doing good to the one who crosses your path. That is the use of religion. That is the © Grand Valley State University �Religion: Its Use and Abuse Richard A. Rhem Page 6 purpose of the faith community, to motivate us, inspire us, and move us to be good, to be good for God's sake, and to find comfort that there is, at the core of things, that which is meaningful and good. Henry Nelson Wieman, a great theologian of a former generation, speaking about the idea of God, told the story of his little daughter. When she was little and she would fall down and skin her knee, he would pick her up in his arms. She'd be crying away, and he'd say, "Well, well, well." And he did it time after time, comforting her, soothing her. One day she fell down and skinned her knee and she was crying and he picked her up, but he didn't say anything. She stopped crying immediately and said, "Say, 'Well, well, well.'" Did you feel it? Isn't that what it is? Isn't it that kind of emotional undergirding, isn't it that deep, deep assurance when the bottom falls out and the roof caves in, that there still is that sacred and the holy that comes through to us as to a little child, comforting, "Well, well, well." That is why we say, “ All will be well, all will be well, all manner of things will be well.” Not in the denial of the darkness, but in the face of the sacred that is love experienced as we love one another. References: Karen Armstrong. A History of God. The Random House Publishing Group, 1993. © 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 XVI Scripture Text Isaiah 58:1-12, Matthew 25:31-46 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Karen Armstrong. A History of God. Random House Publishing Group, 1993. 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-0-20010923 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-09-23 Title A name given to the resource Religion: Its Use and Abuse Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 23, 2001 entitled "Religion: Its Use and Abuse", on the occasion of Pentecost XVI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 58:1-12, Matthew 25:31-46. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Compassion Nature of Religion PostModern https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d51e4f2b4b153f47a488060c8f8329ee.mp3 684b504445396bca339aeb3faa2b8b4d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/394081598d41757cb00f28d74032dacf.pdf 81d3858856c86603e4df8f927dc28a52 PDF Text Text This is the Time and This is the Place Pentecost XIX Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16; 43-48 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 7, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon From a textbook that we are using on Wednesday evenings in our class, Samuel P. Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of the World Order, I read this paragraph, Every civilization sees itself as the center of the world and writes its history as the central drama of human history. This has been perhaps even more true of the West than of other cultures. Such mono-civilizational viewpoints, however, have decreasing relevance and usefulness in a multicivilizational world. Scholars of civilizations have long recognized this truism. In 1918, Spangler denounced the myopic view of history prevailing in the West with its neat division into ancient, medieval and modern phases relevant only to the West. It is necessary, he said, to replace this Ptolemaic approach to history with a Copernican one, and to substitute for the empty figment of one linear history the drama of a number of mighty cultures. A few decades later, Toynbee castigated the parochialism and impertinence of the West manifested in the egocentric illusions that the world revolved around it, that there was an unchanging East and that progress was inevitable. The illusions and prejudices of which these scholars warn, however, live on, and in the late twentieth century have blossomed forth into the widespread and parochial conceit that the European civilization of the West is now the universal civilization of the world. And, at the bottom of that page which concludes chapter two, I penned, "And then September 11,2001." I wonder, as I am sure you do as well, whether or not the tragedy of September 11 will significantly alter our human consciousness, whether the revelation of our vulnerability will affect the way we live, think, worship, believe. I wonder if there is a dawning consciousness that will enable us to recognize the illusions, the © Grand Valley State University �This is the Time and This is the Place Richard A. Rhem Page 2 myths with which we live, about the centrality of our own perspective and point of view, whether or not some progress in the human story may be possible because finally the dullness of our spirits has been penetrated. When I read the paragraph from Samuel P. Huntington that I cited just a moment ago, what leapt off the page at me was his suggestion that the historians need to experience a Copernican revolution, shorthand for a total restructuring of thought and understanding. Copernicus, you will remember, was a bishop of the Church who, in the 16th, maybe 15* century, through some primitive calculations determined that the earth was not the center of the universe, but rather circled around the sun. That was revolutionary thinking, and somehow or other Copernicus kept it under cover. But his disciple, Galileo, did further calculations and with a primitive instrument established beyond a shadow of a doubt that, indeed, Copernicus was right, the earth was not the center of the universe. The earth orbited the sun, as did several other planets, and we were a middlin' star in this universe that was visible, accessible at that time. Well, of course, the moment that was proclaimed, it not only demoted the earth from its central place and humanity from its center place before the face of God, but it also was contrary to the scriptures that spoke in poetic fashion, to be sure, but of the earth as the center. And so, you know the story. Galileo was put on trial, his life was threatened, except if he recant, which he did mumbling, we're told, under his breath, “but it's still true,” put under house arrest. But, in the good time and the good grace of the Church, of course, as is always true of the Church, the Church comes around. It took only from the 16th century until 1991, December 28, when the Vatican said Galileo was right. But, what struck me was Huntington's use of that Copernican revolution as an analogy for what has to happen in our understanding of history, and he quotes Spangler in his great work, The Decline of the West (1918), Spangler saying that is what we need in our thinking about history. We need a Copernican revolution. He cites Toynbee, the great scholar of civilization, talking about our parochialism. And then Samuel Huntington concludes the chapter by saying, "These scholars have been talking this way for a long time, but still our illusions and our myths live on. Well, Huntington published in 1996, and I read the book at the end of 1999. I even preached on The Clash of Civilizations and the healing of the nations under the theme, "A Millennial Vision," January 23, 2000. I thought it was important, and I thought it was important enough to bring to your attention. But I have to admit, after September 11, it's like the whole thing comes alive in a new dimension, and suddenly I read Spangler's statement about the need of a Copernican revolution and I read Huntington's saying the illusions and the myths just seem to go on in spite of the fact that there are intelligent voices saying otherwise, and then I switch from the dullness of the historian to the even greater dullness of the religionist. © Grand Valley State University �This is the Time and This is the Place Richard A. Rhem Page 3 This morning I am not interested in dealing with that with which Huntington deals, that is, the new historical perspective after the Cold War of the civilizational groupings that make up our reality. I simply begin there to see how interesting it is to take an analogy from the fields of the sciences and apply it to history, and I want to apply it to religion, because I want to say to you this morning that, in the light of September 11, it is absolutely imperative that those who are observant religious people around the world come to a deeper and new appreciation of the nature of religion, and the fact that, just as we write history from our own point of view, so we write our religion from our own point of view, as do the respective religions of the world, all seeing themselves in the center as the holder of the truth. Within the Eastern faiths it is not so serious, because they're happy to invite another point of view because they are not exclusive. But, particularly within Christianity and to a certain extent Islam, it is written into the very charter of what our story tells us, that our Christian faith, for example, is true, absolutely true, exclusively true, and the missionary mandate of the Christian Church is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, and the whole structure and biblical scheme is that, when Christ has been brought to the whole world, the end will come. That is part and parcel of the very heart of our understanding as Christian people. Now in this congregation we have moved off from that exclusivism. We have moved from exclusivism to a posture of pluralism. We have come to recognize that the great religious traditions are traditions that, along with our tradition, are recipients of the truth of God, the revelation of God, and the experiences of the grace of God. We have made that move, which is no small move, and which came with no little wrenching and at considerable cost. But we at Christ Community Church affirm that, while Jesus is our window to God, others have other windows which are also valid for the experience of communion with God and the experience of the grace of God. I find that it is rather easy to sit back and relax and pat ourselves on the back and say, "You know, what a sophisticated and enlightened people we are. Now we can just get on with our lives." I want to say after September 11, we have to recognize how imperative it is that that posture that we have been invited into be witnessed to and offered and, if need be, defended. I want us to realize this morning, in the light of September 11, that, if it was necessary at one point for those who studied astronomy to go through a mind-wrenching revolution, if it is necessary for those who study history to get released from their parochialism and their myopic vision, then, dear friends, how much more it is for the religious people of the world to open their minds to the threat and the danger of exclusivism and absolutism, and to recognize that our religious experience is the source of that spiritual insight and comfort for us, but it is our story, a valid story, but not the only story. © Grand Valley State University �This is the Time and This is the Place Richard A. Rhem Page 4 You might think that September 11 would change the picture, but I have a letter here from Pat Robertson. "Dear Richard Rhem." (They're good. If I get on his list, everybody's on his list. The only mistake he made is Christ Community Reformed Church. That figures.) But, it's a letter that talks about the crisis at present and you know how Falwell and Robertson backed off from their insensitive remarks immediately after the crisis. But I'll tell you what - they've not changed their mind one whit. "Throughout our history our true protection has not come from armed forces, our police, our intelligence. Our protection has been the covering hand of a gracious God. Modern day America has repudiated that," and so on and so forth. "Has our conduct caused a loving God to lift his hand of protection from us, and if it has, what can His people do?" Well, of course, there are kits and books and all kinds of things, and a contribution request. Yesterday's Grand Rapids Press, on the same page in which there was a little story about Bishop Spong's visit here, and a little synopsis of his calling us to maturity and to grow up and to recognize that that cozy, parental God does not exist, there is an advertisement for the fall conference of the Seventh Reformed Church, and it is entitled, "The Other Side of the Good News: The Challenge of Universalism," and Friday night you could hear a survey of contemporary universalisms. We might come in for mention. Saturday morning early, a defense of the doctrine of everlasting punishment. Now, how would you like to be in the position of creating the defense for the doctrine of eternal damnation? I mention that only because I want you to know that September 11, in many cases, hasn't changed anything. There is still that very conservative and orthodox and fundamentalist element within the Christian Church that is pushing exclusivism, Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and the condemnation of all those who share another point of view. The Seventh Reformed Church, you may remember, was pastored by my dear friend, John Richard deWitt, whose recent letter to me closed by saying, "I love you very much." Now, that, too, is a mystery. But here we are at opposite ends, opposite poles, and yet at Duba's table we were able, Tuesday after Tuesday, to carry on wonderful civil dialogue, and if you think it was good before, can you imagine what Duba's is about after September 11? Now the group has been reconstituted because Dick is in South Carolina, Duncan is still there, who celebrated with Nancy on Thursday his 89th birthday. Lester DeKoster is still there, in his mid-80s, hale and hearty. But, we've added a little support on my side. I brought Howard VanTill to the table, so we have an enlightened scientist. And my dear friend, Bud Ridder, of many, many years. And Clarence Boomsma, a respected and sensitive and intelligent pastor of the Christian Reformed Church for many years. I run with these guys in their 80s, it makes me feel young. Last Tuesday I think it was Howard who said something about revelation just doesn't fall out of heaven so that you have a book, and my dear friend Lester said, "That's exactly what you have. If you don't have that, you don't have anything." © Grand Valley State University �This is the Time and This is the Place Richard A. Rhem Page 5 Now, Lester has a philosophically trained mind of brilliant capacity with a debater's skills. Of course, he was not only debating, but baiting a bit. So, when asked, "All right, I have the absolute word of God, divinely inspired in every word, and my Muslim brother has the Koran, claiming even a higher level of inspiration for his book, what do we have here? An impasse?" Lester said, "No, it depends on who was the author." "Well, who was the author of this book?" (The Bible) "The eternal God." "Who was the author of this book?" (The Koran) "Satan." Now, Lester with his lovely wife Ruth, will be listening to this sermon. They have Christ Community preaching for breakfast on Tuesday morning, so that he can always make some relative comment on Tuesday noon, and of course, with his incisive thinking and his acuity, he is always right on. He knows exactly where I have deviated from the faith. Lester knew what he was doing. He was setting us up. If you hold that this (the Bible) is the word of God, every word, then every other book has to be a false book. It has to be the witness of a lie. So, Lester proceeded, "If you don't have that, what do you have?" And I was so delighted with my friend, Bud Ridder, who swallowed hard, pushing away every inclination and every instruction and every bit of knowledge he had in his whole life, saying, "My authority is in myself." Of course, that's exactly what Lester was trying to point out. When you give up the authority of the book or, if you were a Roman Catholic, the authority of the Church, or if you were in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the authority of the tradition, then you are out at sea. Then you are your own authority. And you can go across the spectrum of the Protestant or Catholic or Orthodox churches today and you will find, when you press the issue, that there will be fudging all along the line. But, at Duba's table, one never gets away with fudging. And so, my friend, Bud Ridder, had to say, "I am my own authority," and I cheered. Because that's precisely where we are. We have made the move into pluralism, dear friends. But, I want to take you a cut below that. Not only have we become pluralists because well, nice folks like us, after all, should be pluralists. We're nice people. We like to get along with other people. Who wants to say to somebody else, "You're lost," or "You're damned," or "You're on the wrong track?" We're decent people, civil and good neighbors. We're just plain congenial folks. Shouldn't we be pluralists? No. It's not enough. We ought to be pluralists on the basis of our deepest insight and that insight is this - that finally we are the creators of our own vision and our own place to stand. © Grand Valley State University �This is the Time and This is the Place Richard A. Rhem Page 6 Now, don't hear me say that you begin life with a virgin mind and a blank tablet and you start creating this thing from scratch. Of course not. Grace Elizabeth and Allie, who were baptized today, are immersed in a story. They are surrounded with the love of those who tell the story. They are part of the community of faith, a particular tradition whose window on God is that beautiful face of Jesus. They are being shaped and, beyond that, they have a storybook in which they are being nurtured in this community and in their homes. And beyond that, they are growing into a world of experience, a fascinating world of expanding experience and broadening horizons. And so, from a tradition, from a sacred story, from a family and a community, and in the gaining of experience, finally they make up their mind through the use of their mind, through critical rationality, which is the particular gift and fruit of the Western tradition. That is the thing that is being terrorized today. That is the greatest threat to us, to lose our gift and our capacity to think with our minds and make up our minds and sift the evidence and the experience before us with our critical rationality. So, it is not as though everyone is on his or her own, starting out fresh and having to come to some kind of major conclusions, no. We are shaped, we are guided, we are nurtured. Finally, in the end, it is not this book. It is not the authority of Mother Church. It is not 2000 years of tradition. It is not the word of some pastor or counselor. Finally, until you can stand on your own and say, "This I believe, for these reasons, in light of this experience," until you come to that point, you have not crossed the Rubicon. Crossing the Rubicon is a matter of determining the source of authority. Once you cross the Rubicon, you are free to think. You are free to think about religion; you are free to think about theological questions; you are free to think about social, ethical issues. You are able to take the witness of science over against the question of sexual orientation. You are able to carry on a conversation about the question of abortion. You are able to discuss Planned Parenthood. You are able to think about all of those issues that are right at the nub of our present existential situation. You are free; you are free to think. You can gather the data. You can get the best information possible. You could become aware of your own biases and prejudices. You can lay it all on the table, and then you can make up your mind and you can be committed and dedicated to a point of view which you cannot do when you say, "Therefore, I have absolute truth. Therefore, my religious understanding is synonymous with the truth. Therefore, my decision on social, ethical questions is the only possibility for a thinking religious and pious person." What I am saying to you, I am saying as clearly and simply as I can, and I want you to know it is a very radical point of view. Last Sunday evening, after a very busy and significant weekend, Christine Spong called and said, "Dick, Jack and I are tired. We would like simply to come over and sit on the bluff with you and Nancy and watch the sunset and eat leftovers." And we did. Jack Spong had been exposed to you in large assembly and various © Grand Valley State University �This is the Time and This is the Place Richard A. Rhem Page 7 small groups, he met with the Trustees, encountered many of you one-on-one, and immediately sitting down, he said, "Dick, I want you to know that Christ Community is a very special place. I want you to know that in all of my world travels, in all of my involvement with the church, out of all of my experience over the years, what you have there is rare. That community of people is rare. Theologically, spiritually, psychologically, emotionally mature." And he said, "You know, I'm a disincarnate bishop at this point, and I need concrete laboratories. I see Christ Community as a place that has the possibility because of where it has come to move into the next phase of what the religious community must be." He even offered to come back and be with us for a month and help us, suggested that we gather some other similar people, maybe bring in a Muslim imam, a Buddhist monk. Let us begin to live concretely what we say we believe, bringing our gift to the table and learning, as well, from the wisdom and the insight of others. My sermon title is "This is the Time and This is the Place." Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." Light doesn't go out and wage warfare, but light is what it is, and it illumines. He said, "You are the salt of the earth." The whole world doesn't need to be a salt block, but the world needs the light sprinkling of salt in order that it may bring forth all of its richness and flavor. Jesus said, "Love your enemies. Be like God. The sun shines on the good and the evil. The rain falls on the gardens of all people. You be like that." The word in the old, traditional translation is "Be ye perfect, as God is perfect," but that too easily takes on a moralistic tone. The word really in the Greek original means complete, whole, fulfilling its purpose and its end. Be therefore mature, complete, as God is mature and complete. I don't know the implications of what it means to move into the next form of existence of the Church. But, I do know that we have made a significant move. We know why we have made it, and a thoughtful analysis and critical understanding will demonstrate that the only authority, finally, is the conviction of our own faith and our own vision which we share in community and support one another. I don't know the implications of this, but I know this -I have time and I have the energy, if you are willing to find out the next orbit. This is the time, folks, and this is the place. References: Samuel P. Huntington. The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of the World Order. Touchstone, 1997. © 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 XVIII Scripture Text Matthew 5:13-16, 43-48 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Samuel P. Huntington. The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of the World Order. Touchstone, 1997. 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-0-20011007 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-07 Title A name given to the resource This Is the Time and This Is the Place 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 7, 2001 entitled "This Is the Time and This Is the Place", on the occasion of Pentecost XVIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 5:13-16, 43-48. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Exclusivism Nature of Religion Pentecost Pluralism https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5eb9b0fa7c6ba8002a49326269a86b41.mp3 fb4bbb3ec677e23fa0e3aea37482623d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f8d685736345e2b2db97ceb7e421de8d.pdf 97e1274374ec94db2d53740ee7be3dae PDF Text Text Who Needs a Good-For-Nothing Church? Pentecost XX Mark 2:13-17 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 14, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon In an article in The New York Times Magazine of last week, Andrew Sullivan, an excellent writer, makes a point of the fact that it is fine that we have been cautioned against targeting Islam as a religion responsible for what has happened in the world, and that is laudable, he says. But he writes, “The only problem with this otherwise laudable effort is that it doesn't hold up under inspection. The religious dimension of the conflict is central to its meaning. The words of Osama bin Laden are saturated with religious argument and theological language. Whatever the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is, it is fanatically religious." He goes on to say, "In that sense, this surely is a religious war, but not of Islam versus Christianity and Judaism. Rather, it is a war of fundamentalism against faiths of all kinds that are at peace with freedom and modernity. This war even has far gentler versions in America's own religious conflicts between newer, more virulent strands of Christian fundamentalism and mainstream Protestantism and Catholicism. These conflicts have ancient roots, but they seem to be gaining new force as modernity spreads and deepens. They are our new wars of religion and their victims are, in all likelihood, going to mount with each passing year." And one more sentence from Sullivan: "It seems almost as if there is something inherent in religious monotheism that lends itself to this kind of terrorist temptation, and our bland attempts to ignore this, to speak of this violence as if it did not have religious roots, is some kind of denial. We don't want to denigrate religions as such, and so we deny that religion is at the heart of this. But we would understand this conflict better, perhaps, if we first acknowledge that religion is responsible in some way, and then figure how and why." This is a religious war, and religion is at the heart of it, and until we understand that, our world will continue reeling from one disaster to another, for religion gives people a sense of identity and it creates community, and we learn from such scholars as Karen Armstrong and others who have analyzed the present situation that in a world that is disoriented, full of confusion for so many people who have © Grand Valley State University   �Who Needs a Good-for-Nothing Church? Richard A. Rhem Page 2   their old ways disrupted and who have moved off their lands, there is a tremendous appeal by a fundamentalist-type faith that has an absolute faith structure. It has a sacred text that is infallible, and it has a way of life to which absolute obedience is demanded. This has a certain allure, and it has worked in our world and in our day to an amazing extent so that what we have is not the problem of Islam, per se, but we have the problem of fundamentalists religion that purports to have absolute truth and demands absolute obedience. It denies the function of reason, the mind, and the intellect, and it denies human freedom and the possibility of a maturing of the human being. That is the struggle today, and that was the struggle in the time of Jesus. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus never intended to start a new religion. Everything that Jesus was and taught was in the compass of his Judaism, and yet, what he counseled and how he acted and what he embodied contradicted some of the things that were intrinsic in his Jewish faith. The insights that he had, the way of life that he lived, eventuated in another world religion because the old containers couldn't hold it, and so while it was not his intention to move from his own native Judaism and be the founder of a Christian church, what he saw was so dynamic, was so electric, was so powerful that it shattered the forms and structures of that old covenant faith. And that is where we are today. That is precisely where we are today. There is a continuum from Osama bin Laden and Islamic fundamentalist terrorists to Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, and at the other softer end, mainline Protestantism and Catholicism. There is no radical division between the most bland and placid Protestantism in this country and the extreme of Falwell and the terrorism of bin Laden. Any point along that continuum that you stop is an arbitrary stopping place. The problem is religion. The problem is absolutistic religion that denies critical thinking and hinders the maturing of the human personality into one that can make critical judgments and find the way to celebrate life in this world in all of the light of the knowledge that we have of the emerging, evolving drama of the cosmos of which we are a part. As Andrew Sullivan says, we don't want to denigrate religion, and we don't want to target a particular religion, and so we dance around the issue. But, I want to tell you, and we have acknowledged that here for some time past, religion is powerful. Religion is dangerous. Religion is volatile. It becomes an instrument in the hand of the unscrupulous or the unaware for the creation of hell on earth. Who needs a good for nothing church? That is, a church that has no axe to grind, a church that has no institutional ulterior motives, a church that is committed not to the binding down of the soul and the hindering of the maturing of the individual, but a church, a congregation, a community of faith that would seek to lead its people into human maturity, that refuses to promise a comfort it cannot deliver, and refuses to claim that it has the absolute word of God which it does not, apart from some human understanding and interpretation. Who needs that kind of church? © Grand Valley State University �Who Needs a Good-for-Nothing Church? Richard A. Rhem Page 3   By God, the world needs that kind of church. And until the world finds that kind of church, religion will continue to be a dangerous and disruptive and hellcreating power on earth. It is time we call a spade a spade and recognize the volatility of religion and its demonic potential, and recognize that until we get honest and acknowledge our humanity, the limitedness and the tentativeness and the provisionalness of being human, of the fact that to be human is to be in history, to be in history is to be denied absolutes, to be in history is a call to compassion, to walk together and to find our way together into a better future marked by peace. Jesus shattered the structures of Judaism, not because he took off against his covenant faith, but because what he saw, what he experienced, what he could not and would not deny was so electric and so full of dynamite that he transformed the face of the earth. And we're there again. Who needs a good for nothing church? The world does, by 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 Harvest Festival, Pentecost XIX Scripture Text Mark 2:13-17 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-0-20011014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-14 Title A name given to the resource Who Needs a Good-For-Nothing Church? 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 14, 2001 entitled "Who Needs a Good-For-Nothing Church?", on the occasion of Harvest Festival, Pentecost XIX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Mark 2:13-17. 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/ab42243744de7aa4f102bba6fe6b338b.mp3 13ef245f26e5f15100586c57c285823c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e8b3c3ff971664ecf669c672f4e3c0c0.pdf 19daf1656f938ab3ecd7e3fe8ed54474 PDF Text Text The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages Pentecost XXI Scripture: Luke 19:45-20:8 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 21, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon A Reading From the Present: The God of a Diverse People, Alan Wolfe: The war now going on between Americans and forces of Osama bin Laden is not between belief and non-belief. It is, instead, about two different ways of believing, only one of which allows for individual conscience and freedom. The refusal of the other to make that allowance is what makes terrorism against non-believers possible. We live in interesting times, to say the least, and the situation facing our world, human society, is complex, indeed. You can analyze it from a variety of angles. There are so many factors that play into the situation through which we are now living as a human family, and I certainly am not competent to analyze all of those or pull them apart and disentangle them. Economic factors, Middle East oil, the Gulf War, support for Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli-Arab conflict in the larger context, Cold War carryovers, political ideology, and of course, the religious factor. You can turn on your television any hour of the day and find talking heads trying to decipher what is going on from one angle or another, and you didn't come here this morning to hear my less than competent discussion about all of that, but there is one thing that I think as a faith community we must be clear about - it is that religious factor, because I do believe there is a religious war going on. Martin Luther said that you can be engaged with a whole lot of things across the whole spectrum of the Christian faith that you profess, but if you're not dealing with that issue where the battle rages, you are not being faithful to Christ. It seems to me in this present situation, the one thing that should be clarified is the nature of religion, its function, and how it holds the potential for the demonic, and that also, in the present situation with the vulnerability to which we are all exposed at this point, it is religion that can bring healing and meaning and some comfort. © Grand Valley State University �The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages Richard A. Rhem Page 2 There are two kinds of religion and there is a religious war going on. That is what I want to seek to clarify or to address this morning - that religious war, two kinds of belief, two kinds of religious commitment. The one is the traditional, the traditional kind of religious experience that is the consequence of a sacred text and a sacred tradition and an institution, a community of people gathered around a certain set of beliefs, a certain set of practices, a certain set of requirements. This has been religion traditionally: some founding vision, some story taking shape, gathering a community, building a tradition. And religion is a very powerful force. The reason that it is a part of the situation of our world today is not that the issue is whether the world is going to become Islamic or Christian or Jewish. It is not a battle of the religions. But, it is a religious war about two kinds of religion. The respective religions are all vulnerable to either kind of religious faith and experience. The traditional is most common; it is what we take for granted. It is an institution, a community, it is a set of beliefs, and that which marks the one kind of religion is an authoritarianism that claims absolute truth and demands absolute obedience to its moral dictates and defines a way of life. That authoritarian aspect of religion is what has marked religion for the most part, because in religion we are dealing with ultimate questions. We're dealing with deep existential issues. We're wondering about the meaning of life. We ask questions about God, the immortality of the soul, the possibility of eternal life. We ask the deep philosophical questions - "Why is there something rather than nothing," and all of these questions which are the deepest questions, which are part and parcel of being human in those moments of deep reflection, and those moments when we are confronted with the mystery of life, and those moments when we receive the terminal diagnosis or a loved one is taken from us, or some crisis in the midst of our day disrupts the whole plan of our life. In moments like that, we inevitably ask these questions of the meaning, and there is no answer. There is no verifiable answer. There is no answer that can come at the end of a mathematical formula or no answer that can be mixed together in a chemistry lab. We deal with those ultimate mysteries, and to be human means to be in history and it means to live without absolutes, to live without answers. Now, twenty or twenty-five years ago, if I had heard a preacher say that, I probably would have gotten up and walked out. Just hold your seats. I'll try to be honest with you this morning. The things that you and I deal with together, the whole religious thing, deals with questions for which there are not verifiable answers. We simply don't know. The best we can do is follow our intuitions, probe our insights. But, you see, for the mass of humankind, that is an exercise too difficult, too trying, too heavy, and so what religion has been historically has been a vision that has made sense, that has resonated in the minds and hearts of people. A story has been written, the tradition has been formed, the community forms an institution that finally refines and defines itself with carefully crafted © Grand Valley State University �The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages Richard A. Rhem Page 3 creeds and confessional statements, a clear word about moral and ethical issues, and, to the extent that the institution becomes powerful, the demand for submission to the intellectual statement and obedience to the moral way. Religion has been marked by authoritarianism. It is understandable because we deal with issues for which it is impossible to have clearly defined, verifiable answers. Now, we're in the stream of history. We move in the river of history. And we simply can't get out of the river and get up and survey the whole thing. There are people who have claimed precisely that. While they may not have claimed that they get out of the river, they have claimed that God has illumined them to the extent that what they have seen, what they understand becomes for them the word of God, and that word of God, to the extent that it can find resonance in others, becomes the founding vision, and then you have a religion. You have a story, a text, a tradition, and so forth. But, it is an authoritarian system because it is based on unverifiable claims. You believe it? Good. You don't believe it? Well, I may be able to write you out of the community, but I can't force you to believe it. You see it? Wonderful. You don't see it? You may be dull or obstinate or just a bit slow, but I can't do anything about that. This is the nature of religion and religious community. It has that authoritarian aspect, and it lives by people adhering to this vision, endorsing this vision, buying this vision, supporting this vision, believing its creeds, practicing its way of life. It s not all bad. In fact, it has been pretty good most of the time, for it has given people a sense of orientation. It has given them a vision by which to live, it has given them a map, and all of that. So, there's a positive aspect to that. But, I want you to see that it is based on an authoritarian claim and that goes for about 95% or maybe it is 98 and 44/100% of religion. Some religious groups push it hard, and some are soft around the edges. But finally, even those who are soft around the edges, if you say, "On what basis do you have this community, on what basis do you gather, on what basis will you preach?" They will say, "Well, we have this word from the Lord." And no matter how far the critical rationality has entered into the tradition, nonetheless, whether it be the Catholic Church with its infallible teaching office, or whether it be the Protestant Church with its infallible Bible, even an infallible Bible that has been examined critically, nonetheless, finally, still has an authoritarian claim, pushed either with great energy or rather apologetically. Do you see that? One kind of religion. That's one kind of religion. And it covers a huge spectrum of religion, but it finally makes its claim on having a word from God which is absolute. Now, there's another kind of religion. It's almost non-existent. It probably exists in those who are no longer a part of the church, in what Bishop Spong would call "The Church Alumni Association." It is a religious faith and experience that is grounded in one's own personal vision and personal conviction. © Grand Valley State University �The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages Richard A. Rhem Page 4 It is, as I said a couple of weeks ago, not that one starts out with a blank slate. Of course, one is already, from the womb, shaped and nurtured. Nonetheless, this other kind of religion is not a tribute to a text, to a tradition, to an institution, an ultimate kind of authority. It is an authority that will be received conditionally, critically, on the basis of one's own struggle and wrestling with the issues and the questions in order to come to a place to stand which may very well be within a community, but a community that allows for diversity of opinion, a community that has no party line, a community that encourages conversation and discussion. That is a different kind of religion and it is almost non-existent in our world in terms of any institutional manifestation. Now, you might say to me, "Richard Rhem, you are an arrogant..., for you are calling in question the absolute authority of the Bible which is your storybook, the Christian Church and its tradition which is your people, your community. You are arrogant in that you are saying you will not believe what you cannot inwardly affirm in your own mind and heart, what you cannot be passionately engaged with," and I'll have to plead guilty. And I want to say it just that bluntly so that you don't miss it, because if there's one thing the pulpit is very good at, it is fudging so that everybody goes out thinking they heard what they wanted to hear. Well, you probably won't really want to hear what I am saying today because I am saying to you there is no authoritarian claim on you that should be greater than your own inward conviction, your own intellectual commitment, your own passionate involvement, that which has gone through the filters of your mind and your heart, giving you a place to stay. You may say, "Well, the Church has been around for two thousand years and what you are saying makes institutional existence questionable. Don't you worry about that?" Yes and no. It is true that what I am saying does not make for strong, vibrant institutions. But, what I am suggesting is not without precedent. Have you ever heard of Jesus? Have you ever heard of Jesus who came to Jerusalem and started overturning the furniture of the temple? Think about it now. The temple is the symbolic, geographical, concrete center of the Jewish nation. The temple with its sacrificial system, with its priesthood, with its worship - all of that, the very heart and center of the Jewish nation, and Jesus took it on. Jesus took it on because Jesus was convinced in his context and history, where he saw imperial Rome occupying a land in which the people were being driven off their land, driven into hopelessness, despair and poverty, saw the collaboration of the whole temple system, saw the temple system as putting everybody in its place, saw the temple system as having become so institutionally honed that it had lost its heart and soul and was disconnected from the actual human experience of the people for whom the temple was to exist. And Jesus took it on. Jesus had the audacity, Jesus had the arrogance to say, "This which is the very heart and center of this nation is wrong!" © Grand Valley State University �The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages Richard A. Rhem Page 5 And his action was a prophetic action that spoke about the destruction of the very center of that nation. Thereby he was in good standing with the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "Say not the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord." Or, Isaiah, who said "You've made this temple of mine, this house which is to be a house of prayer for all people, into a den of thieves." But, Jesus, in his prophetic action was actually speaking about the destruction of that which was the center of the religious life of his people. Now, you can say, "Well, of course, he was the son of God. Who are you? The son of Effie.” And if you want to get away with it that way, if you want to say, "Well, Jesus could do that, but you can't do that, Dick Rhem," go ahead. But I want to suggest to you that the watershed of history which was fomented by Jesus was no more serious than the watershed through which we are walking, and what has happened is that traditionally conceived religious establishment has to be exposed for what it is, and its potential for the demonic, because finally, once again, one has to make one's choice. There is a great gulf fixed between those two kinds of religion, those two kinds of faith. Now, if you'd been on the Board of Trustees of the temple, what would you have done? You are a responsible person, you love the tradition, you love your neighbor, you love your people, you love the temple, you love the priesthood, you love the smell of incense, and now this itinerant preacher, this prophet comes to town and throws all the furniture around, what are you going to do? You're going to call a meeting, of course. And you're going to begin to strategize because you are good people, reasonable people, respectable people, you have risen to the top of your community. You're a member of the Sanhedrin, perhaps, or a member of the priesthood, or whatever, and you begin to say, "What are we going to do?" Because what this man has said, what this man has done undercuts the possibility of a future for this institution as it is, and so you begin to figure the inevitable. What they were doing was not wrong. They had scripture for every practice of the temple that Jesus challenged. They had long, historical tradition for all of the practices that were still taking place. They were the authentic embodiment of that whole Hebrew faith and, being responsible people, they had to figure out how to react. So, what is the question? Well, the question is the question we have been talking about this morning. They came to Jesus and said, "By what authority do you do this?" They knew they were in trouble. The people were hanging on his words. You see, the people outside the institution always know first, because it makes sense to them. People out there all over the world outside of the churches know that the institution's claim of authority is only as strong as it is compelling to those who hear its message; there is no possibility to verify what is claimed. And so, they will put Jesus on the spot - by what authority do you call in question the very heart and center of our tradition? © Grand Valley State University �The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages Richard A. Rhem Page 6 Responding with a question of his own, Jesus asks them about John the Baptist, a recent prophet who also ruffled official feathers, "Was John's authority from heaven or from men?" Now the temple authorities were on the spot because if they answered that John's preaching was from God, Jesus would counter, "Then why did you not believe him?" But, if they accorded him only human authority, the people would stone them because in the eyes of the people, John was a prophet from God. They are stuck; they cannot answer without betraying themselves. They simply decline to answer. And Jesus declines to answer, as well. Why do you think he was not going to tell them? Was he playing a little cat and mouse game? Was this just one-upmanship? I don't think so. I think Jesus was simply saying, "Look, this is a matter of authority and you either see it or you don't. You want to know my authority? You either feel it or you don't. Do you think I want to say this has nothing to do with God? You're crazy. Obviously, this is the word of God. This is the word of God filtered through me. My whole life is hinged on this vision, this passionate commitment. But, can I verify that? Can I prove that? Of course, I can't. Either you see it or you don't. Either you understand it or you don't. Either the Spirit of God causes lights to go on and bells to ring, or you can just sit there and stew and get angry, and there's not a thing I can do about it." You see, there are two kinds of religion, and I hope this present moment of history will help us to see that, for all the potential good that religion traditionally conceived has done, it also has that awful potential for the demonic, for someone with charisma to say, "God said," and pound the book, point to the tradition, show the temple in all its glory and cause people en masse to come mindlessly on to execute the wrath of God according to me. That's been the story. It is the story, and the only religion that has the possibility of giving a human future is that weak religion which is the word of God according to me, and you, and you, and us together as we wrestle together, struggle together, think together, open our hearts and minds together, and move together into a humane future. There's a religious war going on, friends and, if you would believe what I said today and join me, you would be in an extreme minority position, but then, just think what a pinch of salt or a bit of yeast can do. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XX Scripture Text Luke 19:45-20:8 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-0-20011021 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-21 Title A name given to the resource The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages 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 21, 2001 entitled "The Religious War: Where the Battle Rages", on the occasion of Pentecost XX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 19:45-20:8. 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/5ca730c5972c726ccc9b54630b205567.mp3 4929dca34906b99ecbfa116e6bbbe52a 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 Scripture Text Habakkuk 1:1-5, 3:17-19, Phil. 4:10-13 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-0-20011028 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-28 Title A name given to the resource Detachment: Living Beyond Fear 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 28, 2001 entitled "Detachment: Living Beyond Fear", on the occasion of Pentecost XXI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Habakkuk 1:1-5, 3:17-19, Phil. 4:10-13. 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/27ae9083dd4133e5d50c20d346fb6d20.mp3 6c1d92aece2b1b40a43e0da85c926a10 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 Scripture Text I Corinthians 13:13 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-0-20011104 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-10-04 Title A name given to the resource Love Now: Peace Then 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 4, 2001 entitled "Love Now: Peace Then", on the occasion of Pentecost XXII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: I Corinthians 13:13. 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/94e4df00ba4878d5c4a72b3ff090593d.mp3 a3f6823c52a3bcc3033b79fe3485710a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/984a2f525e497d79e71875e52bc69cc0.pdf 48f10236a28aa7762104bd06b1e766b0 PDF Text Text God and History: What’s Happening? Pentecost XXIV Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25; I Corinthians 15:20-28 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan November 11, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon There is in your liturgy printed a reading from Carl Sagan, which I am not going to read in its entirety, but in a paragraph at the end, commenting on Planet Earth as it is seen from outer space, that little pale blue dot that we have all seen, Carl Sagan writes, Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity - in all this vastness - there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It’s been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. The piece from Carl Sagan to which I referred is a statement that was sent to me immediately following the events of September 11, and I must admit they resonated with me more than the pronouncements of preachers and television evangelists in the immediate wake of that crisis. No help from outside. It's in our hands, and we are called to kindness and compassion. We see the symbol of that Planet Earth hanging in outer space, the image that has come to us from that picture taken from deep space in which we see the reality of that global community without any divisions or barriers, and we realize that we are on Planet Earth together. What Sagan says, he says as a scientist, as a great communicator of the mysteries of science, and also as one who has been rather outspoken in his denial of the traditional God that we image in the Church traditionally. And yet, what he says is not so different from what we have been saying here for some time, and that is that the God "out there," in control, sovereign of history who directs, governs, moves according to a pre-determined purpose, that that God is dead. That God doesn't really work for us anymore. Well, at least not for me and not for some of us. For all for whom it works, that's wonderful. As a matter of fact, what we know about the cosmic reality of which we are a part and the © Grand Valley State University �God and History: What’s Happening? Richard A. Rhem Page 2 historical development whose unfolding and in whose unfolding we have emerged, that God in control just doesn't seem compelling. Oh, I know. In crisis times we flee to old securities. A couple of old securities to which this nation has fled in these recent weeks are patriotism and piety. Patriotism -I won't ask you to raise your hands, but how many of you have flags on your cars or in your windows or in your shops? A rather natural and normal kind of response and reaction. After all, the flag stands for something precious and the flag is identified with this nation and we love this nation, and this nation has come under attack. And so, the flag is our effort to affirm our love and our devotion to this nation that has been so richly blessed and a source of such blessing to us all. But patriotism also has another side to it, another dimension, and I think some of that enters into our flying of the flag also. Namely, we are the United States of America and you really ought not to mess with us, and if you do, you'll get your due, you'll get yours. The flag is perhaps sometimes, on the part of some, at least, a sign of belligerence and determination not to succumb to those who would dare attack us. And then there is piety, of course. The first week or two the pews of the churches across the nation were filled. Thank God people got over that in a hurry. But, still, a flight to the piety of the past, to the old securities, to the God in control. Dear God, at a time like this, don't we long for, don't we wish for a God in control? A sovereign of the universe, the Lord of history, the one who is guiding it and directing it and who will bring it all to its consummation? Don't you realize that the greatest temptation to a preacher at a time like this is to secure you in that old security? That is a very normal and natural longing, as well. Deep down in the human being there is that desire for all to be well and for someone to be in charge and in control, the good and gracious God in charge, the omnipotent one, almighty God. There are many who are exploiting that old traditional image of God to give a kind of security which, frankly, we can't give. It’s not surprising that we should revert to that or flee to that. After all, our whole biblical tradition conditions us to look for that kind of a God. There is that beautiful vision in Isaiah 65, a passage to which I return again and again, that beautiful picture of shalom, that picture where there is no infant mortality, where everyone lives to an old age, where one builds a house and lives in it and plants a garden and eats its produce, where one is able to benefit from the fruits of one's labor, a world in which lion and lamb lie down together and there is no hurting, no destroying in all God's holy mountain. It's a wonderful dream, reflective of something deep in the human heart, reflective of something that I think we all think should be or could be or maybe will be - that beautiful harmony throughout nature in history, shalom. Is it any wonder that we who have been nurtured in the biblical tradition would flee to a God like that in a time © Grand Valley State University �God and History: What’s Happening? Richard A. Rhem Page 3 of crisis? The God who is judge of all the earth brought Judah into its exile, but now, as the savior of the world will bring Judah back home and will create a new heaven and a new earth, making it all right. I want a God like that. I would love a God like that. Or, Paul, who was nurtured on that same prophet but who had the encounter with Jesus Christ, the risen one, knocking him off his horse, that vision that Paul had that turned him around, that vision of the living Lord whom he believed would come shortly. In this great chapter on the resurrection Paul not only points to the resurrection, but in that paragraph I read he gives you the whole scheme as it is going to unfold very shortly - Jesus Christ risen from the dead, now ascended in heaven, ruling, putting all enemies and all adversaries down under his feet, and when he subdues all hostile powers, then he will take that kingdom and yield it up to the father and God will be God, all in all. Wonderful, wonderful drama. And Paul thought he was living on the very edge of history where it was about to transpire and, of course, 2000 years later, you can't take that same vision and still keep it alive. You just simply have to say Paul didn't understand where he was in the time line. And yet, you can appreciate what Paul was longing for, what turned him around, that which made him go to the ends of the earth proclaiming. It was a consummation, it was the resurrection over the last enemy, death. It was the subduing of all negative darkness. It was the overcoming of all evil. It was bringing to that moment when God would be all in all, maybe in different contours than Isaiah, but the same kind of thing. It’s really a silly thing when, 2000 years later, a series of books called Left Behind takes that thing literally and plays it out as though it is about to happen in the future. Ridiculous. But, I can understand what was in Paul's mind and heart. For me, rather than Left Behind, I'll take Harry Potter. Because Harry Potter deals with magic and mystery, and there is something in us that believes that there is more going on than meets the eye. If you want a couple of concise statements about what is going on in history, Jacques Monad, the Noble-winning biologist, in his classic Chance and Necessity, says if he accepts this negative message in its full significance, "man must at last wake out of his millenniary dreams and discover his total solitude, his fundamental isolation. He must realize that, like a gypsy, he lives in the boundary of an alien world, a world that is deaf to his music and as indifferent to his hopes as it is to his suffering and to his crimes." Wow! And Erich Fromm writes in Man For Himself. "There is only one solution to his problem - to face the truth, to acknowledge his fundamental aloneness in the universe, indifferent to his fate, to recognize that there is no power transcending him which can solve his problem for him." Sort of like Sagan saying no outside help available. At his inaugural at Cambridge University, G. N. Clark wrote, "There is no secret and no plan in history to be discovered. I do not believe that any future © Grand Valley State University �God and History: What’s Happening? Richard A. Rhem Page 4 consummation could make sense of all the irrationalities of preceding ages if it could not explain them, still less could it justify them." Well, just three voices of contemporary scholarship in the light of the tradition of faith of which we are a part which would leave us on our own. And to be left on our own in a time like this is a scary business. There is no wonder that we unfurl the flag. There's no wonder that we pray fervently to almighty God. And yet, there is Harry Potter, and there are the fairy tales that we all love, and what do we love about a fairy tale? Certainly it has its darkness, its demons, its shadow side. But, the fairy tale also always comes out right. Eventually, the good prevails and the light prevails. We love a fairy tale. I think we love a fairy tale because there's something intuitively in us that believes that the fairy tale is true. There is something in us that refuses to believe that there is nothing more, that there is simply this cosmic reality unfolding without mind or purpose or direction. There may not be someone grinding the gears of the universe up there. I think Sagan is right. There is no help out there, but there may be something in here. There may be something enlivening the process, the whole creative unfolding. There may be that which moves toward light and life. But, it may not win. It may not prevail. And yet, it will not finally be destroyed. I think that really is the story of Easter. As you think about this, we would so love an omnipotent God. We would so love that God Almighty. We so much want God to be in control and in charge, and yet the very God that we profess, revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, was revealed in the vulnerability of a child, and we will celebrate it here in a few weeks. The clue we have of the nature of God is a God who is incarnate in a child, who was embodied in a human being, a human being who with grace and love and compassion makes his way, speaking truth to power until finally he is crucified, and, as he is crucified, he says, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The God we want is a God who is in control. The God who is revealed to us if we could believe it is the God who is revealed in the vulnerability of love. The only persuasion is the persuasion of love. There is no coercion. There is no God Almighty. There is no omnipotent one. There is no one out there to pull the strings and move it around. What do we pray? What do we mean? What do we ask for when we say "God bless America?" It is time for us, of course, to be saying "God bless the world," but to know that that prayer is seriously offered as a commitment to be the embodiment of kindness and compassion and care, because there is no help that will come from the outside. There is only that persistent Spirit, that persistent deity that pervades, with which reality is pregnant, that calls us again and again and again to life and to love, and if need be, to sacrifice and to yielding up life. © Grand Valley State University �God and History: What’s Happening? Richard A. Rhem Page 5 We don't really believe the Gospel. We would hardly dare live according to the Gospel. It would be a dangerous thing if Jesus were in charge. I don't know if I would dare vote for him. Because everything would have to be different. I don't know about what we're doing in Afghanistan. I don't know about the military action. I really don't. Very early this morning they were talking about bin Laden on the videotape saying he had nuclear weapons. I'm not wise enough to know what we are to do in this kind of a situation, but I know this and you know it too, military might will not solve this crisis. We cannot bomb enough in order to bring out a good result. It's no use praying to Almighty God, for the God within us who would move us to kindness and compassion, to civility and human decency, and to a transformed earth - that is the only God we have, and the only power that God has is the power of love. It's a pretty risky business, good friends. It is the temptation of a preacher to make you secure in the arms of almighty God, but it is the task of the prophet to tell you that God would move through you to be the arms that would secure the world Something is going on. More than meets the eye. Thank God. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXIII Scripture Text Isaiah 65:17-25, I Corinthians 15:20-28 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-0-20011111 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-11-11 Title A name given to the resource God and History: What's Happening? 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 11, 2001 entitled "God and History: What's Happening?", on the occasion of Pentecost XXIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 65:17-25, I Corinthians 15:20-28. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Immanence Incarnation Pentecost https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/acb4c6dd9b7f45249d09517bf531b1b1.mp3 1f61837e3ce74743b6a6cb564978c994 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 Pentecosst XXIV Scripture Text Genesis 2:4-9, I Timothy 6:11-19 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-0-20011118 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-11-18 Title A name given to the resource The Pursuit of Happiness 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 18, 2001 entitled "The Pursuit of Happiness", on the occasion of Pentecosst XXIV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 2:4-9, I Timothy 6:11-19. 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/65fbe9b4d90cd80dcaca661972c8b57f.mp3 b10e920adc4823d9687fef4f10be05f0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d1741a563936b9bf490c8ee41865e43.pdf 7fc065076b1ff96a907556fb39eeece2 PDF Text Text 911: To An Unknown God – This is an Emergency! Acts 17:16-34 Richard A. Rhem Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan November 25, 2001 Prepared text of the spoken sermon We hear repeatedly that September 11 has become one of those defining moments in the history of the nation. Although there was the immediate shock and the strong emotional reaction, that level of response cannot long be sustained. Nonetheless, the trauma of that tragedy, the demonic dimension of its conception and the brilliance of its execution remain with us. Reality has not changed but our awareness has, awareness of our vulnerability and, one hopes, recognition that there are some fundamental changes that must take place in this world of ours. In crisis times we flee to old securities – to patriotism, for example, the flag. That’s certainly understandable. It is a symbol of what we cherish, of those freedoms that have marked our national life, those values we hold dear. Yet, there is also a show of nationalism which is simply tribalism on a large scale, a very natural response as well – all too natural, for it reflects our animal nature – an instinctual reaction which is exceedingly dangerous in a world like ours where there lie in many quarters the capacity to destroy this spaceship we share. But there is another old verity to which we flee with which I would deal this morning – namely, piety: the flight to God for refuge and protection. The churches were full for a week or two after the attack of September 11 but, of course, people got over that in a hurry. Still, “In God we Trust” and “God bless America” are blazoned across the landscape as we appeal to almighty God, the Lord and sovereign of history, the one who guides and controls the course of human history. Once again, such a response is quite natural, understandable – it too is almost instinctual, at least to the extent that the human creature, having evolved to the point of consciousness, self-awareness, awareness of the other, has lived in the face of Mystery. © Grand Valley State University   �911: To an Unknown God: This is an Emergency! Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Living in the face of Mystery is the context for the origins of religion. So far back as we can trace the human story, there is the presence of the religious response to the mystery of being human, being before the mystery of existence. The great religious traditions of the world are those that began with a vision, an experience, some founding story which found resonance in a community, developed a cult, a form of worship and a way of life, a moral code. That is what constitutes a religion: A teaching, doctrine, dogma; A mode of worship, of observance, a ritual; A way of life, a moral code – all of this creating a mode of adjustment to the mystery of existence. And so we should not be surprised that post-911 there has been a flight to piety. The realization of vulnerability often moves us to seek some shelter, some security. This is as old as the human story. It was true in the ancient world. When Paul came to Athens, he surveyed the city and was distressed at the variety of temples and statues to a pantheon of gods and goddesses. His Jewish tenet, his monotheistic faith, is summed up in the Shema, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is one!” This passionate man was not only a Jew who was convinced that God was one –Creator of all – but also that this God was the God of Israel and, further, that this God had visited the human scene embodied in Jesus of Nazareth. Soon we will celebrate Christmas, the Word made flesh – the heart of Paul’s faith. And Paul was nothing if not bold. He believed he was living on the edge of history – the End was approaching. He was a preacher of the last times and he was imploring all to recognize the true God and the revelation of that God in Jesus Christ. Athens, of course, was the greatest university city in the world, the city whose Golden Age boasted the greatest philosophical traditions the world has ever known. Even 500 years after its Golden Age, Athens was still a place of philosophical conversation and debate. And so Paul was invited to tell his story before the elite court of Athens. He began by complimenting the Athenians on their quest. And then – here’s audacity – he claimed to be proclaiming the Unknown God. Six hundred years earlier, a plague had been experienced. A Cretan poet Epimenides devised a plan. A flock of black and white sheep were let loose from the Areopagus. Wherever they lay down, they were sacrificed to the nearest god. If a sheep lay down where there was no shrine, it was sacrificed to the Unknown God. © Grand Valley State University �911: To an Unknown God: This is an Emergency! Richard A. Rhem Page 3   “To the Unknown God”– there too you see, the plague drew them to piety. Paul takes this occasion to claim he knows this Unknown God who is God alone: God, Creator, history’s Governor, and the one who is bringing it all to its consummation. Some 600 years after Paul, another visionary received “the Truth” dictated from Heaven – the Prophet Mohammed, with every bit the conviction of Paul that he had the latest Word from the same God Paul worshiped, only under a different name. In the wake of 911, Andrew Sullivan in The New York Times Magazine had the courage to raise a question about the religious dimension of the present crisis. He writes: …this surely is a religious war – but not of Islam versus Christianity and Judaism. Rather, it is a war of fundamentalism against faiths of all kinds that are at peace with freedom and modernity… It seems almost as if there is something inherent in religious monotheism that lends itself to this kind of terrorist temptation. And our bland attempts to ignore this – to speak of this violence as if it did not have religious roots – is some kind of denial. We don’t want to denigrate religion as such, and so we deny that religion is at the heart of this. But we would understand this conflict better, perhaps, if we first acknowledged that religion is responsible in some way, and then figured out how and why. Andrew Sullivan, “This is a Religious War,” The New York Times Magazine, October 7, 2001. In The Economist some years ago I was struck by these words: History is bound to be bloody when people, hardly understanding themselves, claim to understand God perfectly and then meet people who think the same only different. But it is not just monotheism that is at fault for certainly that move from polytheism was an advance in human understanding. If there is an ultimate, a final principle, a Life force or Holy Spirit, then oneness is implied. But is it not time to recognize that the Unknown God proclaimed by Paul is no longer capable of holding us in thoughtful conviction? From all we know about nature and historical development, certainly that a supernatural being “up there” or “out there” is controlling the universe is no longer credible. Let me cite three voices that represent three disciplines of human learning that, I think, sum up concisely where we are: © Grand Valley State University �911: To an Unknown God: This is an Emergency! Richard A. Rhem Page 4   In a statement about what is going on in history, Jacques Monad, the Nobelwinning biologist, in his classic Chance and Necessity says, if he accepts this negative message in its full significance, “Man must at last wake out of his milleniary dreams and discover his total solitude, his fundamental isolation. He must realize that, like a gypsy, he lives in the boundary of an alien world, a world that is deaf to his music and as indifferent to his hopes as it is to his suffering and to his crimes.” And Erich Fromm writes in Man For Himself, There is only one solution to his problem – to face the truth, to acknowledge his fundamental aloneness in the universe, indifferent to his fate, to recognize that there is no power transcending him which can solve his problem for him.” At his inaugural at Cambridge University, G. N. Clark wrote, There is no secret and no plan in history to be discovered. I do not believe that any future consummation could make sense of all the irrationalities of preceding ages; if it could not explain them, still less could it justify them.” In a world where religion provides the fuel for fanaticism and atrocities are committed in the name of God, is it not time to recognize the old supernaturalism is dead? There is no God out there shifting the gears, pulling the strings. No supernatural revelation containing absolute truth formulated in dogma and creed or sacred text. That is probably the most difficult article of faith for the religious person – Christian, Jewish or Muslim – to let go of God in control, omnipotent, almighty. We so long for security; we so desire a Divine Parent and Protector. But can we honestly observe our world without being aware of randomness and chance? And what is the great temptation of the preacher? To offer a security he cannot deliver. There are fundamentalist churches, conservative churches and liberal churches – the whole spectrum – but all of them are still holding on to a Supreme Being in control. They may make room for free will, etc., but finally one comes to the Rubicon. One must decide: God outside of nature in control, or some sense of the God present within the unfolding process, enlivening, creative, biased toward life but not in control, only persuading by love. That is quite another understanding. It calls for us to be mature, to grow up, to recognize that the process has brought us to the place of responsibility. Are we left bereft? Hardly so. Let me offer my own experience because it is still relatively fresh although the result of a long process of years of thought and reflection. © Grand Valley State University �911: To an Unknown God: This is an Emergency! Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Think of the wonder of the cosmic reality of which we are a part. Think of life in all its variety, nature in all its fascinating dimensions: sunrise, sunset, the seasons following in orderly fashion. And being human, being here together, thinking together, recognizing our responsibility and experience of community – love, joy, gentleness – the fruit of the Spirit! 911 – after the rush to the God in control, perhaps we will recognize that that conception of God has brought us to an emergency. Perhaps it is time to realize Paul’s God needs an update. Not the God out there but God within, coming to expression through the human in the ongoing cosmic dance, full of wonder. © 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 Response to 9-11Attacks Scripture Text Acts 17:16-34 Location The location of the interview Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids 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-0-20011125 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-11-25 Title A name given to the resource 911: To An Unknown God - This is an Emergency! 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 25, 2001 entitled "911: To An Unknown God - This is an Emergency!", as part of the series "Response to 9-11Attacks", on the occasion of Pentecost XXV, at Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids. Scripture references: Acts 17:16-34. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Nature of God Nature of Religion Supernaturalism https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/89a765b4fa5daa2da2923097d60335f6.mp3 40ad615155dda5505c3292c2259d0cd2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bbab33b4cc660ed59040308921d81511.pdf 6cca075d535e0eaaf2b64bacc0e71737 PDF Text Text A Tale of Three Cities From the Advent Series: God in the Mirror of Christmas Micah 5:2-5a; Revelation 19:1-6; Matthew 2: 1-6, 16-18 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Advent II, December 9, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon Advent 2001 would be similar in some respects to Advent 1941, for we celebrated on Friday sixty years of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which would have been the crisis of the world at the time that Advent was celebrated in ‘41, and once again, our world is in crisis in this 2001 Advent season. It is a season in which we are particularly thoughtful about history, about the calendar of God, about where things are and whether or not there is something going on which is more than meets the eye. I remember a story told me by Bruce Thielman, who is a pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, a great pulpit historically, who had a great preacher of a former generation, Clarence McCartney. Bruce Thielman said he was rummaging around in the attic of old First Presbyterian, Pittsburgh, one day and he came across some sermons, including the sermon that McCartney preached on the 14th of December in 1941 and he said from reading the sermon there would have been not the slightest hint that the world was in crisis, which perhaps is a symbol of the oftentimes irrelevancy of the pulpit. Certainly in Advent we cannot escape contemplating the meaning of the events that have pressed in upon us because it is the theme of this season of the year when we particularly wonder about the course of human history and the engagement of God in that history. The Christian faith inherited that concern about history from the womb of Judaism from which it emerged, for the Hebrew prophets are credited with causing the world to think historically, to think in terms of beginning and process and consummation. The prophets lived by a dream. I don’t know what it was, call it the inspiration of the Spirit of God, call it the intuition of a particularly blessed people who were living as a very small and beleaguered people through most of their existence, but in any case, the Hebrew prophets had a magnificent dream of an alternative world. You remember that dream - of a world of human wellbeing, when the lion © Grand Valley State University   �A Tale of Three Cities Richard A. Rhem Page 2   and the lamb would lie down together and they would not hurt or destroy in all God’s holy mountain, that dream of shalom. The early Jesus Jewish movement, of course, were the children of that dream, that dream which was so powerful in its provision of hope for a people who had suffered so much and so long, and there were those in the early movement, the Jesus movement, who said certainly this one, Jesus, was the designate of God. He must be the anointed one of whom the prophets spoke. The Hebrew word for anointed is messiah, of course, and so they were saying this Jesus is the messiah. That so characterized, so marked Jesus, that he became known as Jesus Christ, but Christ is simply the Greek word for anointed. Jesus, the anointed, Jesus the messiah, Jesus the Christ - what the early Church was saying was that that one the prophets foresaw, that one who would come and bring justice and righteousness and peace to the earth, that one was none other than Jesus. And so, the Christian Church came into its future expectation honestly, out of the womb of its Hebrew mother. Then, of course, there was a surprise, for that anointed one was crucified. Who could have thought it? Who could have dreamed it? And yet, the crucified one they experienced alive in their midst, and they spoke of resurrection. And certainly, then, this time of Jesus’ absence from them would be a brief interim in which the good news could be proclaimed, and then certainly, soon, he would come again. The Book of Revelation from which I read a moment ago ends with, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus,” and he says, “Behold, I come quickly.” So, the early Church lived in that expectation of the imminent return of the one who had come. And the Church’s celebration of Advent historically has been a celebration of that expectation of the one who came, coming again, and Advent has been particularly the season in which we have thought about the movement of history and history’s culmination and history’s end events. And here we have reinterpreted that coming again, that second coming, so to speak, for we have come to acknowledge that an imminent return after 2000 years can hardly be compelling. Certainly that early interpretation of where the world was in the timeline of God erred, although understandably so. David Hartman, the rabbi from Jerusalem, has re-interpreted the prophets’ dream, as well, so that that shalom on earth, David Hartman says, is not necessarily some future time and place, but rather, the critique of every movement of history. Every human arrangement, every historical arrangement, every age, every epic, every moment comes under the judgment of that dream of shalom, and every human arrangement is shown to be inadequate compared to the intention of God according to the dream of the prophet. But, here we are in another Advent season, making our way toward Christmas. What I’d like to do today and for the next couple of weeks is to have us think about Christmas as a mirror that reflects the nature of God. What kind of a God is reflected in the mirror of Christmas? From what we know about the event, what © Grand Valley State University �A Tale of Three Cities Richard A. Rhem Page 3   kind of a God is revealed from the Christmas mystery? Think with me this morning about A Tale of Three Cities as we reflect on world history, its course, and perhaps its culmination. Three Cities: Rome, obviously, the seat of imperial power, a city still today magnificent as evidenced by its ruins. Rome, who ruled the world as the ancient world had never been ruled before, ruled by the most powerful empire that the world had known. The Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor. Imperial Rome, on top of the world, its empire stretched far and wide, and it held peoples and tribes in subjection. It was the occupying power at the time of the birth of Jesus. Luke tells us the story of Jesus in reference to Caesar Augustus, for it was Caesar Augustus who proclaimed an edict that all the world should be taxed, and that was the way by which Luke brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. But, here in this far out province, the lives of people are implicated by the decree of an imperial ruler who lives in Rome. Roman law, Roman order - it was a great civilization. There was much to commend it. It was, perhaps, the finest human arrangement in terms of government and rule and the ordering of society. Rome, famous for its law, famous for the magnificent civilization that arose under its aegis. Rome was an empire not without its own dreams and ideals. After Julius Caesar was assassinated, there ensued a fifteen-year civil war, a civil war which was bloody, indeed, but which culminated finally with Octavian coming to Rome in 29 before Christ as the sole ruler. Before that, the Roman poet, Virgil, had written in his Fourth Eclogue a tribute to Augustus, Caesar Augustus, who was one declared, on his birth, as a savior, as a son of God. In 1890, in Asia Minor in a little village, there was an inscription found, “To Augustus as the Son of God, the Savior of the World.” Virgil had dreamed about the birth of one who would bring the world peace, and the Roman world began its new year, subsequently, on the 23th of September, which was the birth of Octavian who became Caesar Augustus. So, the Roman calendar was gathered around the birth of this one who was purported to be son of God. He was the great nephew of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar had been elevated to deity. This one was understood as son of God, and the word savior was applied to him. And so, in 29 before Christ, there is one on the seat of authority in the Roman empire, one who is understood as son of God, Savior, a bringer of peace and wholeness to the brokenness of the world. As I say, Rome, this gigantic empire, was not without its integrity, it was not without its idealism, it was not without its dream, and yet, it was the super power of the day and it was committed, above all, to the perpetuation of its preeminence and power. And so, when it came down to it, it may have a man of peace on the throne and, incidentally, the first official act of Caesar Augustus was to close the Temple of Janus, the double-faced god of war, and he dedicated a gigantic altar to peace, the Augustan Altar of Peace. So, again, it is not as though this people was without its ideal, its hope and its dream. It is not as though the Roman hierarchy © Grand Valley State University �A Tale of Three Cities Richard A. Rhem Page 4   did not understand that which was good for humankind. But, when push came to shove, it was the Roman legions that ruled, and by military might and the power of the sword, Rome enforced the Roman peace, the Pax Romana. That’s the irony, isn’t it? This powerful, powerful human institution with high ideals enforced by the power of the legion and the sword. I suppose you’re already suspecting that I might suggest that Rome’s situation in that ancient world 2000 years ago was not so different than our situation in our world in 2001. We, too, are the world’s one great super power, and we, too, are a people of a high idealism. There’s a kind of moralistic strain, even in our foreign policy. We are a people who engage in a military action and are more concerned, really, about humanitarian aid. All of the ambiguity of our present situation, eh? A mighty power with high ideals and humane concerns and yet, of course, if we would be honest, we, too, are a people like Rome whose hands are dirty, with alliances and coalitions with regimes who are oppressive of their own people, but good for our own preservation of power and preeminence. Oh, the world is a messy place, and the human story is full of such ambiguity. Here we are, the world’s great power, so reflective of Rome in the days of its glory, struggling, I suppose, with that tension between idealism and real politic, the rough and tumble of national, international affairs. Ah, 2001 - not so different than year one. And there was Jerusalem, of course, a bit of a different situation and yet, also so reflective of the human situation. There a man named Herod who was both Jewish and Edomite, so he had Jacob and Esau in his veins – there Herod got himself into the good graces of Rome and was appointed governor in 47 before Christ and in 40 before Christ became king, King Herod the Great. And he was great. We’re told the story of Herod having melted down his own personal gold in order to buy corn to feed people in time of famine. Another time of crisis, he remitted the taxes of the people. He was a builder; people came from the ancient world to examine the glories of Jerusalem, the building projects of Herod the Great. And Jerusalem was ruled well. There was the other side of Herod, though. He was a paranoid individual, ruthless and brutal. Herod had his wife Alexandra and her mother put to death. When he came to power in 40, when he was crowned king, he had the Sanhedrin slaughtered just to remove the old guard, so to speak. Another time, 300 court officials were slaughtered at one fell swoop. He had his own eldest son murdered, and two others of his sons were murdered. Caesar August said it would be better to be Herod’s pig than his son. And after his long, long rule, knowing that he had not endeared himself to the people, he retired to Jericho, knowing he was about to die, and he had the finest of Jerusalem arrested and imprisoned so that when he died, they could be put to death, because he said, “When Herod dies, no one will cry. But, when Herod dies, tears will flow.” There’s a nice fellow for you. That was Herod the Great. © Grand Valley State University �A Tale of Three Cities Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Jerusalem. And Herod is so representative of those who are in power, who worry about keeping power, for when the magi came, inquiring about the birth of a king because they had seen his star, Matthew tells us that Herod was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem was frightened with him. You see, when you have an established order and when you are on top, you have always to worry about maintaining that order and preserving your position and your pre-eminence. So, Herod, this brutal, paranoid ruler, when he realized that the magi had gone home another way, simply had all the children two years and under slaughtered. We call it the “Slaughter of the Innocents.” A brutal act for the preservation of power and the removal of any possible threat to his authority. And, of course, Jerusalem wasn’t only marked by that kind of civil king, but also entwined in the ruling establishment of Jerusalem was the Sadducean party, the high priestly party, and we know from the story of Jesus that when this prophet made his way and made his point, and proclaimed in the center of Jerusalem that which he believed to be reflective of the will of God for this people of God, it was the collaboration of the Herodian party and the Roman government, Pontius Pilate, that Jesus was killed. So, Jerusalem was that city, too, that knew in all of its dimensions that vying for earthly power, the political games that people play, the vying for position and the preserving of preeminence - that was Jerusalem in the days of the one who was born on Christmas. I read from the Revelation to give a sense of the biblical story, the outcome of that kind of power play, for the 19th chapter of Revelation is that from which comes the Hallelujah Chorus. But, when you read the 19th chapter, you have to be shaken just a bit because there is such vengeance in that chapter, and what is being celebrated? Well, it is the devastation and the ending of Rome, called Babylon, the great harlot, the great whore. Babylon, standing for Rome, represents in the biblical perspective that whole gamut of human arrangement that is set on power, and the enforcement of rule by force and military might, economic domination, all sorts of domination systems, and in the 19th chapter of Revelation, she is overthrown and the smoke rises and there is this hallelujah celebration. And there is this great affirmation, “The Lord God Almighty reigns.” You can understand, perhaps, the vengeance, because this people has suffered. It has suffered terribly at the hands of imperial power, and so they rejoice in the dream of that ultimate overthrow because the revelation of John is again in that biblical tradition that believes finally Almighty God will bring it out right. It is rather amazing to me, when I realize that that picture is in tension with the Christmas miracle, because that picture in Revelation is the kind of expression for that human desire for vengeance, and that human desire for God Almighty to take charge and to damn the darkness and to establish the righteous. And yet that’s not at all what I see in the Christmas miracle, because there is a third city – Bethlehem. © Grand Valley State University �A Tale of Three Cities Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Micah speaks of Bethlehem, “Least of the tribes of Judah.” Little Bethlehem, from you will come a ruler and he will be a shepherd to his people, be a man of peace. Now, you can feel it coming. This is the typical sermon cant. This is the naive preacher’s talk, because Rome will be overthrown and Jerusalem will be devastated, but the one who comes out of the poverty and the obscurity of Bethlehem will be established as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. And yet, that Christmas miracle reveals a God who comes out of the most unexpected place, and in the most unexpected way, a God who is embodied and reflected in a human face and, for God’s sake, as a child. But, do you see what I am trying to put before you? The paradox of the God reflected in the mirror of Christmas? The God reflected in the mirror of Christmas is not the God of Revelation’s almighty triumph. The God reflected in the Christmas mirror is a God of vulnerability, born as a child, become a man, crucified for God’s sake, crucified violently by the power structures, the human power structures of this world. The Christmas mirror reflects a God who is vulnerable, whose supreme revelation is in a human face and in the form of a child, because the revelation of Christmas at its heart is that human, historical arrangements will not finally prevail. They will prevail and prevail and persist and persist, but finally, they all come to nothing. And so, I talk naive preacher talk this morning, because we all know that finally, it is a power game. Finally, you can have humanitarian concerns, but the bottom line is still military might enforcing our will, preserving our position, and yet - Christmas is about a God who can be crucified, God embodied in a child. And you see, I am aware of how naive is this talk. But, remember – Rome fell. Because no matter how strong you are, no matter how many legions, no matter how many swords, there comes a point in the human story when you tire of trying to preserve a position of preeminence. There comes a time in the human story when people worry, weary of protecting themselves and projecting themselves. There comes a time when every great power finally fades, sometimes in devastating fashion. And in the meantime, people have been consumed with the power game, with the preservation of preeminence and the perpetuation of position. And so, dear friends, 2001. We have fought the totalitarianism of Fascism under Hitler’s regime and prevailed, we have outlasted the Communist experiment under the USSR and we have prevailed, and we are engaged now in a war which will not be won by military might. We know that, don’t we? And we are a people who are at the top of our game and we know no people has ever stayed there. And from that third city, Bethlehem, came one who was like a shepherd, who was a man of peace, and that really is what Christmas reveals about the nature of God. God is love. Love can be crucified. Love is vulnerable. Love is patient and kind. And love never fails. Every other strategy finally will fail. Christmas reveals the God who will prevail – because love never fails – but who is the opposite of all of our human domination systems. © Grand Valley State University �A Tale of Three Cities Richard A. Rhem Page 7   I’d like to have sent you out with a cozy little Christmas message this morning. Forgive me for that. But, there is enough for you to think about here to disrupt your whole Advent season. © 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 Advent II Series God in the Mirror of Christmas Scripture Text Micah 5:2,3, Matthew 2:3, Revelation 19:2 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-0-20011209 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-12-09 Title A name given to the resource A Tale of Three Cities 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 December 9, 2001 entitled "A Tale of Three Cities", as part of the series "God in the Mirror of Christmas", on the occasion of Advent II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Micah 5:2,3, Matthew 2:3, Revelation 19:2. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Advent Followers of Jesus Hebrew Prophets Love Nature of God Shalom https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7fda7a0e5216eb03418aba5cbb81eb94.mp3 dea6d0833a8d98fb4cf3ea91754689af Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent III Series God in the Mirror of Christmas Scripture Text Isaiah 11:1-9, II Cor. 4:1-6, John 1:1-18 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-0-20011216 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-12-16 Title A name given to the resource A Human Face Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 16, 2001 entitled "A Human Face", as part of the series "God in the Mirror of Christmas", on the occasion of Advent III, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 11:1-9, II Cor. 4:1-6, John 1:1-18. 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/b9ee2be296e00a60c94406d20db6f026.mp3 6950e5504f8b048a9f86e92ac6104a61 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/068f2a4e68a0c4b7e99542cd87a8d588.pdf 58318d32e9a0c4e7acfd047dbfbe557e PDF Text Text God in the Mirror of Christmas: A Child Advent IV Scripture: Hebrews 11-4; Luke 2:1-7 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan December 23, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon The thing that I want to say to you this morning is really quite simple. I broached the subject last week; it is the realization on my part of that tension within the New Testament between the Christmas story and what it mirrors about God, and the post-Easter biblical material that speaks of the triumph and the reign and the coming again of Jesus with power to reign and to judge. As I indicated last week, I have lived with that tension for years and years and I never recognized the tension. It never struck me that to speak about the one who came in poverty and humility and then to speak about that one who came as coming again with the splendor of royal power was giving me two pictures of God, two mirrors. It was reflecting God in two contrasting ways: the mirror of Christmas, that is the mirror of the God with the human face– the God who is in the manger as a child in all of the vulnerability and all of the beauty of that moment which we will celebrate again tomorrow evening – and the God of the rest of the New Testament is the same old God, the same almighty, omnipotent God who is in control, the God who at the right moment will send the Son and the Son will come in glory and splendor with power to reign and to judge, and there will be the vindication of the righteous and there will be vengeance on the wicked. That whole judgment scene of the God in control, the sovereign Lord of history, that picture of the New Testament is strung throughout the whole New Testament, and if you want to read it in all of its bare horror, read the book of Revelation. That picture is in contrast to what the Christmas story mirrors about the nature of God. Last week we read in John's Gospel, "In the beginning was the divine intention, and the divine intention became flesh and dwelt among us. No one has ever seen God but the son has revealed God." Or Paul's statement "We have seen the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Or the statement from the Epistle to the Hebrews that I read a moment ago, where how could it be more explicit? Jesus is spoken of as the Son who is the exact image of God, the reflection of the exact nature of God. That's the Christmas story, and what God is mirrored as being in the Christmas story is a God of vulnerability and ultimately, © Grand Valley State University �God in the Mirror of Christmas: A Child Richard A. Rhem Page 2 finally, a God of love. Christmas is about heaven touching earth with love. Christmas mirrors a God who moves by love to persuade, but never coerce, for the child that is the central focus of this Christmas season is a child with all of the wonder of a child, dependent, vulnerable, beautiful, innocent, harmless - there is a picture of God. But that stands in such sharp contrast to the revelation of God in the rest of the story, almost as if Christmas happened and the life of Jesus happened, Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount, counseling compassion over against the good and the evil, the righteous and the unrighteous as reflective of God's attitude and spirit. Jesus of the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus of the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus - all those stories of the God who draws near, the God who is full of grace, the God who is accessible, the God who is approachable. Jesus of Passion Week who goes right into Jerusalem and speaks his truth to power and is crucified for it, not resisting. Resisting only violent response, praying finally for his enemies, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”– that Jesus gets jettisoned on Easter, and from there on the Christian story and the Christian Church has become one triumphalistic procession down through the centuries, waiting for that one who came in humility and vulnerability, to come in smashing glory. How could I preach for years and years and years and not feel that contradiction? And which God do we choose? Well, of course, we choose the God who raised Jesus from the dead. Of course we choose the God who will bring history to its culmination point. Of course we will choose the God who has time in his hand, who will call the shots, who will send the Son in clouds of glory to judge the quick and the dead, finally to reign. Of course, that's the God we will choose, the God we can worship. That’s the God we can be secure with, that's the God who can set things right. And what happens to the God of the child? What happens to the God mirrored at Christmas? What happens to the God with a human face? We talked about that last week, but I want to say this week one further insight on this whole week, and that is that, in spite of the fact that we have moved too quickly from Christmas, in spite of the fact that we pray, "Come, Lord Jesus," nonetheless, every year we come back to Christmas. We can't forget it. We can't get it out of our system. We can't get it out of our bones. Every year we come back to this moment. Every year we begin to experience the magic and the wonder of Christmas. Every year we come again to bow before the manger that holds the child, and every year it happens again. We all know it. There is no question about it. The world is a softer place this weekend. The world is a softer place at Christmastime. The tear flows, the lump in the throat, the old carols stir something deep within us. The simple and beautiful story told again moves us. I've already celebrated Christmas because I have gone through a couple of rehearsals for the early service for tomorrow night. So, I know the baby gets born © Grand Valley State University �God in the Mirror of Christmas: A Child Richard A. Rhem Page 3 again, a real-live baby cries, and as I stood as one of the narrators for the story, being beautifully portrayed by our lovely young dancers and our shepherds, and Mary and Joseph, as I saw it again yesterday, I was cognizant myself of the fact that it does move you again. It happens again. It's a lovely story. It's a story that reaches the deepest part of the human being, and we come back to it every year, and it's the same old story but it's new every year and it moves us every year, and we celebrate every year, and we rejoice in it every year, and I want to submit to you that we do that because it has gotten into the marrow of our bones and we know intuitively that that story is the ultimate truth. We know that the love that came down at Christmas reflects the grain of the universe, the truth deep down in things. You see, most of the rest of the year, we don't live that way. Most of the rest of the year, we simply get caught up in all of the power games and all of the power structures, political life, economic life, social life. We move away from Christmas and we forget the radicality of the vision that we have seen. But, for just a little while, we remember and it touches us because it is true. It is the final truth. And there is that within us that knows it is the final truth. Jesus is our window to God. Jesus isn't the only window to God. Jesus isn't everybody's window to God, but Jesus is our window to God. I appreciate the fact that a dozen or so of you sent me the last page of Time magazine, the essay by Rosenblatt entitled, "God Is Not On Your Side Nor On My Side." I like the fact that so many of you thought of me when you read it, because it tells me that you are listening and that you identify with me with that kind of idea. I appreciate that fact. But, Jesus is our window, and I want to tell you, Jesus is a radical window. Jesus is a magnificent window. Jesus is a window on God that is so profound and so magnificent, that we ought not to miss it. It is so easy to take it for granted because it is the old, old story and we know the story so well, and how could we ever find anything new in it, and then one sits back for a moment, and says, "My God! Do you realize what that story is telling me about God?" It is radical! It is revolutionary! It is so radical and revolutionary that the world hasn't been able to deal with it yet. Our old world is rocking with war again and I am sure the reason that this Advent season I was not able to live with the contradiction without at least lifting it up was the fact of current events, what is going on in our world. That often happens. One has an old story, an old tradition, and suddenly something happens to you or something happens in the world, and one sees something that was always there and one didn't see it at all! Suddenly I see it everywhere now. I see what the future, if there is to be a future, I see what it has to be. It has to be a world that is posited on the nature of God reflected in Bethlehem, in Jesus. That is hardly the way we have lived, even though in the West Jesus has been our window. That’s hardly the way we have lived. It's dangerous to live that way. It can put your national security in jeopardy, of course. But, you see, in this old © Grand Valley State University �God in the Mirror of Christmas: A Child Richard A. Rhem Page 4 world of ours, after 9-11, it has become apparent to us what has long been true, and that is that there is no ultimate security through power or might or force of arms. It would be political suicide for our national leaders without talking about securing this nation, but this nation is not secure, and given the technology of our world today, given where we are in our world today, it will never be secure again. It will never be secure in a world where there are those who are dispirited and despairing and hopeless and helpless and alienated and angry and full of rage – never be secure again. And so, what we really have to do is find out another way to be in this world, because power isn't going to do it. It just might be that, while we're number one, it might be the smartest, most savvy thing in the world for us to begin to create a new one world reality. You see, right now, the way it has been, might, force, power has ruled, and the international game is a vast chess game, and those analysts of international affairs plot out those chess moves. We should do this, they'll do that, and if we do this, we can checkmate at this point, because it's a power game, it's a game about winning, or at least not losing. And it isn't going to work anymore. Our world is rocking with war and there is no security and down deep in our hearts, we know, and we keep coming back to Christmas every year and we're moved by it Our eyes moisten again, we get a lump in our throat again, our hearts are softened again. You can feel it on the street, because down deep we know that's true, and we try to get on with life according to the only way life can be survivable, right? Well, one wonders. We come back and we're touched, because that is the deepest truth and, if that is the deepest truth, I wonder when we're going to try it Let me tell you about a savvy move we made in that chess game. You know it, too; it's been in the news. You know that we funded Osama bin Laden. You know that we funded and gave arms to the Taliban, right? As long as they were fighting the Soviet Union. And why did we do that? Simply because we didn't like the Soviet Union? We are smart. We knew if we could get the Soviet Union to have our own Vietnam, it would suck the life blood and resources right out of them. We'd bring them to their knees. And, by God, we did it. There are those among our leaders right now who were responsible for that policy, who are defending it, and I'm sure there are some of you out there who would say that was a good move, because the Soviet Union was brought to its knees. Didn't President Reagan call it "the evil empire"? Ah, dear friends, as long as we're in that kind of a game, we will be trying to save our necks, we will be trying to defend our borders, we will be trying to perpetuate the preeminence of our position, and it's a no-win game, ultimately. You know the problem with the American people? We're a good people at the pinnacle of power, and Christmas has seeped into the marrow of our bones. If we could just use our power in any brutal and violent fashion, we could shape this © Grand Valley State University �God in the Mirror of Christmas: A Child Richard A. Rhem Page 5 world up. You wouldn't have to pray. You wouldn't have to ask for God's blessing. You wouldn't have to pray "God bless America." Just turn our resources loose with no moral qualms, with no ethical consideration, just bomb 'em, baby. Bomb them into submission. We have the stuff, folks. We could do it. But, we can't do it, because we have Christmas in the marrow of our bones. We have been touched by Jesus. We've seen God in the face of a child, and once you've seen God in the face of a child, you just can't go on being a mean S.O.B. anymore. That's our dilemma. A good people at the pinnacle of power who know the ultimate truth, but haven't quite dared to live by it yet. Maybe this year. © 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 Advent IV Series God in the Mirror of Christmas Scripture Text Hebrews 1:1-4, Luke 2:1-7 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-0-20011223 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-12-23 Title A name given to the resource A Child 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 December 23, 2001 entitled "A Child", as part of the series "God in the Mirror of Christmas", on the occasion of Advent IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Hebrews 1:1-4, Luke 2:1-7. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Advent Divine Intention Incarnation Pluralism https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c6f4dfb01f6850a4dd016cb750d03404.mp3 af74006ab262521afcb1df5812ef4979 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 Christmas Eve Scripture Text Luke 2:1-4, 1Cor.2:23-26 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-20011224 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-12-24 Title A name given to the resource The Paradox of Christmas Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 24, 2001 entitled "The Paradox of Christmas", on the occasion of Christmas Eve, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 2:1-4, 1Cor.2:23-26. 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/908cae5b762dd98fed27ff247ff2e69d.mp3 0bcc8ec7601ecf3a8081cd643a3d9238 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f008c3ea5017deaa825aa01d74acfb42.pdf f30c79e5e18d38ed4b442139201723e3 PDF Text Text Leaving Bethlehem Christmastide I Scripture: Philippians 3:12-16; Matthew 2:12-18 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan December 30, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon We have been to Bethlehem again and we desperately needed to go, didn't we? We needed to experience once more the Christmas mystery and miracle. And as I said last week, after having spent a couple of hours in a rehearsal for the Christmas pageant, it always seems to happen again and never disappoints us, because I think there is something deep within us that knows the truth. There is some deep intuition that the love that came down at Christmas is the ultimate truth, and that the only real power in the world is the power of love. All other power is penultimate and can only finally be overcome. The power games of the world issue in somebody on top for a while, to be toppled by another, in an ongoing desire to be number one. But there is something deep within us, when we celebrate Christmas, when we bow again at the manger, when we go to Bethlehem, there is something deep within us that knows that that is the final truth. And so, this year especially after 9-11, we had to go to Bethlehem to be reassured and to let it happen again, wash over us, to experience it once more, and indeed, we have done that and it has been good. We have found again that our hearts become more tender and the world becomes a softer place, and that is because it is true. Sometimes I have celebrated Christmas with the angels' songs about peace on earth and wondered how could it be, when will it be? I remember one year preaching on the subject, "Peace on Earth: Promises, Promises," or "Peace on Earth: Wishful Thinking?" wondering if it maybe was just a delightful fairy tale that had no relationship to the hard reality of the world. But, this year, in our long Advent journey which has been more demanding than usual, we have discovered something else. We have discovered a tension within the New Testament itself, a tension between the God who is mirrored in the Christmas story and the God who is mirrored in the so-called Second Coming of Christ in power and glory to judge and to reign. We have discovered that the God who was mirrored in the Christmas story is a God who was mirrored as a child, a human face, that the insight of Christmas, the deepest insight of Christmas, is that God is a God of love without coercion, and that the kingdom of God will not come through any way but through the way of the child or the human. That is where the © Grand Valley State University �Leaving Bethlehem Richard A. Rhem Page 2 tension is, of course, because the God we want, the omnipotent God, almighty God, that God is mirrored in that Second Coming which is the Advent theme. "When the Lord of glory comes with power to reign." But, that is in contrast to what we see in the manger of Bethlehem. That is in contradiction to the God mirrored in the Christmas story, and, as I have said to you numerous times in these past few weeks, I never felt the tension until this year. I am sure it was because we are all wrestling with what kind of a world is it going to be and what kind of response must we make, now that 9-11 has happened, and that everything has changed? Well, really nothing has changed, but our illusion has been stripped away and we have come to see how vulnerable we are. Then we go to Bethlehem and we see the vulnerability of a child, and we find that the God mirrored in Christmas is the vulnerable God who moves by love or doesn't move at all. So, we have gone to Bethlehem. Our deepest intuition has been confirmed, our trust deepened, our hope renewed. Dear God, it was important to go to Bethlehem this year. But we cannot linger there, can we? We have to leave Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary had to leave because the idyllic picture painted for us in the Christmas stories of the mother and the child and the animals and the manger and the star hovering overhead and shepherds adoring and angels singing - that idyllic tale was a light set in the darkness, and before long, Joseph had a dream once again and that was that he had to take mother and child and flee the area, to go to Egypt because Herod was going to seek and destroy the child. Those Wise Ones whose visit we will celebrate next Sunday, they too had another dream and had to depart, bypassing Herod's royal palace, going to their own country in another way. And we, too, leave Bethlehem, for that world which is always with us, that world filled with violence and hostility and especially now so vividly before us, a world at war, a world where terrorism is a terrifying threat for our every move, a world that is hunkered in for the long haul of a very intense struggle. And so, we have to leave Bethlehem. And as we leave Bethlehem, the question that I would raise with you is, What difference will it make that we have been there? What difference will it make as we return to our world that we have adored at the manger of Bethlehem? What difference will it make in our response to the world that we have seen God mirrored in the Christmas story? Will it be simply business as usual? Or, will this journey have made some difference to us, impacted our thinking, changed us, transformed us, and become a catalyst to send us back as transforming agents in our world? I suppose that I am a hopeless idealist when I hope that we have knelt at Bethlehem and really seen something life-changing. As I said a few moments ago, peace on earth? Who are you kidding? Peace on earth? Promises, promises. Peace on earth? Get real. And what I see this year as never before is that there is a connection between the manger and the angels' song. It is not a coincidence that © Grand Valley State University �Leaving Bethlehem Richard A. Rhem Page 3 the angels sang about peace on earth and good will among humankind in connection with the birth of the child. That story, created as it is with all of the beautiful accoutrements of angels and shepherds and stars, that story was saying something and it was saying something intentionally and profoundly, and it is that there is a connection between God mirrored in a child and peace on earth. That's what has hit me so strongly in this Advent journey that has brought us again to Bethlehem, and now, as I leave, I wonder what difference will it make? Have I been changed and altered, has my world come into a different focus? As I said last week, we are a good people, we American people, a good people at the pinnacle of power who have been impacted by the Christmas story. That is our dilemma. We have imbibed the Christmas story and intuitively we know it's true, and yet, what can we do with it? When we leave Bethlehem, what will we do with what we have seen and experienced once again? Ah, the Wise Ones had to leave and go another way. And I read that paragraph from Paul just as an example of the exertion that there is in walking this Christian way, this way of Jesus. Paul, in a rather personal and individual way, spoke about his own experience of being scrupulously religious and then having been captivated by the vision, been set free from all religious performance, was free to go into the world and to press for that goal for which he had been captivated. The Christian life, too, is a life that calls us to an exerted effort to do something, to become something. Not in order that we might gain salvation, but having seen something, to do something with it. Not attaining, but pressing on, forgetting those things that are behind and pressing forward, having seen something new, to do something with it. And here we are, American people, a Christian people in terms of this community, and we have been to Bethlehem. Now we depart. What difference will it make? I think about the Middle East right now, and as I was thinking about this, I thought what is going on there is a microcosm of our world. What is going on in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a microcosm, because there is Israel that has all of the moral fiber of tradition over centuries and millennia, that moral law, all of that which comes down from Moses shaping that people, and they have power, and they are dealing with an alienated people, a people who have been made homeless in some respects, a people who are poor, people who seem to have a lot of sense of being victim. And what is going to happen? I see it as a microcosm because I see a powerful force with a moral sense over against an alienated, disaffected people. You know what I am afraid is going to happen one of these days? I am afraid that the pressure that we put on Israel is going to be relaxed just enough or be disregarded, and Israel with its power, is going to move in and dominate and simply put its thumb on that region and hold it by power. Sick of all the conflict, sick of all the suicide bombings, sick of all the stone throwing, sick of all of that. Sick of all the constant violence and danger and peril - sick of it all. Get out the © Grand Valley State University �Leaving Bethlehem Richard A. Rhem Page 4 tanks. Get out the guns. Get out the army. Reduce it to a state of enforced peace. That could happen. How long would it last? How secure would Israel be? It reminds me, you see, that that is a little piece of the globe right there, but it is a picture of the whole globe. It reminds me of the Christmas story when Rome ruled the world. It was the great super power. Roman legions enforced the peace. We speak of the Pax Romana, which was a peace enforced. It was a peace enforced by legions and swords. It kept things in good order. But underneath the enforced peace was the seething underbelly of the human family, and imperial Rome was not the place that God chose to bring the child. Herod's court was not the place for the birth of the child. The power games and structures that are a part and parcel of the human scene in history are contradictory to that which is ultimately true and which we have spotted once again at Christmas. All of our strategic planning, all of our military might, all of that is in contradiction to that which is revealed at the heart of Christmas. And so, we leave Bethlehem, and what are we going to do? I don't think there is any question abroad about whether or not we need to pursue the terrorists. But there are voices being raised about how much military might do you use to go after a network of people. But even that is not the issue. The real question for us, leaving Bethlehem, is how we will approach the global community and the global situation in the wake of 9-11. The U. S. A. has exactly the same power position that Rome had and, during the Cold War, it was a standoff between us and the USSR. It was a standoff, there was a balance of terror, and we all did our things fairly decently and fairly well. There was order! Might, power can ensure order. Let's acknowledge that. But once, through our own strategic planning and cleverness, we brought the USSR to its knees, what happened? The world unraveled with all these civilizational groups rising up and all these conflicts around the globe, and now we're the lone super power. What are we going to do? Are we going to try to maintain that position by force and might? Are we going to create an anti-missile shield with billions and billions and billions of dollars in order to protect ourselves? Are we going to continue to go on and muscle our way through the world in order to maintain economic advantage? Are we going to go on into the world in all of its diplomatic relationships, throwing our weight around? Or, are we going to see that, in a position of preeminent power, it is precisely our prerogative now to yield up some of that power and to begin to think globally? And if we would begin to think globally, giving billions and billions of dollars to international organizations, working through organizations like the United Nations and the World Court, working for global environmental control and working to rid out poverty, disease in Africa, homelessness and all of the anguish that is a part of the human scene, then we might begin to find a way for humankind to dwell securely. It is only when power yields up its prerogative that © Grand Valley State University �Leaving Bethlehem Richard A. Rhem Page 5 there is the possibility for peace on earth. There is no accident between the angels' song and the birth of a child, and there is no accident between international policy on the part of a world super power and the condition of the human family. It is for us, it is in our court and, if we have seen God in the mirror of Christmas, I suppose it’s too much to ask, isn't it? I suppose that I am a hopeless idealist, that masses of us who have knelt at the manger will say, "Oh, my God," and then rise up, changed. In a couple of weeks in this place there is going to be a seminar on a Sunday afternoon led by a peace group advocating non-violence, and they presently are in Israel in the midst of the crossfire between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This peace team is going to be here on the 13th of January, talking about an alternative. There is room for good conversation about the use of force, about pacifism, about non-violent resistance, and this is a place where that conversation can take place, because what we create here is a forum. There's no party line. There is diversity of opinion, and we honor that. But, I want to go on record to say this, dear friends, acknowledging the complexity of the situation, acknowledging only a limited knowledge and understanding, this I want to say - if you have seen God in Bethlehem's child, then you know wherein lies the possibility of peace on earth and, when you leave Bethlehem, you have a hard choice to make. © 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 Christmastide I Scripture Text Philippians 3:13, Matthew 2:12 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-0-20011230 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-12-30 Title A name given to the resource Leaving Bethlehem 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 December 30, 2001 entitled "Leaving Bethlehem", on the occasion of Christmastide I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Philippians 3:13, Matthew 2:12. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Christmastide Way of Peace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b8f93deeb6c4a2e9f61e3a498a5f9a0b.mp3 b254c42ba391c7e2ece0d476d67fb48e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3180fc8932f33414f0e739203d9fa66a.pdf 323527025feab968f374db11c16919fa PDF Text Text The Best Is Yet To Be Epiphany Sunday Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-7; Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27; Matthew 2:1-12 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan January 6, 2002 Transcription of the spoken sermon On this Epiphany Sunday, I want to make a bold declaration that the best is yet to be, the best is yet to be in terms of the cosmic journey and the human story. Obviously, that is an affirmation of faith which is beyond verification, and yet, it is an expression of the trust that we have as a people of faith, as the people of God. It is possible in any given present moment to be paralyzed by the darkness. It is possible in this present situation in which we find ourselves as a nation to be paralyzed by the shock of September 11. In your insert I had printed a piece from The New York Times of October by David Kennedy, which, when I read it, I thought was good to give me perspective, and I thought it might give all of us perspective. It is a piece that I will not read, but simply refer to, for he makes the point that the nation was very jittery, very uncertain, full of fear and trepidation in the wake of that shock. And then he goes on to remind us that we have been there before, that the darkness has been there before, that the fear and the uncertainty have been there before. He points, first of all, to Pearl Harbor to remind us of those days, and yet, as I thought about that, I realized that one really has to be on Social Security in order to remember that. So, there are a couple of generations who would not be able to refer back to the anxiety, the angst of those days. But to be reminded that in those days there were German U-2 boats off our Atlantic coast sinking our shipping, that provocateurs were landed in Florida and New York, that on the West Coast they were so fearful of a Japanese invasion that they cut off radio signals, they moved the Rose Bowl from Pasadena to the Carolinas, and, with one of the dark blotches on our history, Japanese-Americans were incarcerated out of fear and suspicion. And then he goes on to remind us of those Civil War days and Revolutionary days, and the fact that there has been darkness before. There has been fear and uncertainty before, and he concludes with a positive statement about the resilience and the creativity of the people of this nation, and I thought on the first Sunday of a New Year, on Epiphany Sunday, it might be good to be reminded that the darkness has always been with us, but that the Epiphany © Grand Valley State University �The Best Is Yet To Be Richard A. Rhem Page 2 theme, the light has dawned upon you, the light has visited you, is a word that we might well meditate on and contemplate as we try to put our present experience in perspective; for there has been darkness and the announcement of the light is not a denial of the darkness, not a denial of the harshness, brutality, the violence and so much horror that has marked the human story. No, the announcement of the light is a statement in face of all of that, in spite of all of that. It is a statement of faith. It is an expression of hope, it is grounded in a deep trust. In John's Gospel, as he tells the Christmas story, we have those famous words of the word becoming flesh, and in that context he says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never overcome it And so, this morning, I want to weave a little biblical thread, a little biblical tapestry for you which is witness to that constant confidence of the people of God in the light that has shined and will never be extinguished. In the Advent series I did not use the words of Isaiah 9:2, but we did read them in the late service on Christmas Eve and you will recognize them immediately: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." That was the eighth century Isaiah. He is also the one in the eleventh chapter who spoke about the shoot from the branch of David who would come to judge with justice and equity and who would bring about that state of things where the lion and the lamb would lie down together. And there was second Isaiah who picked up those themes. He is now in the exile situation in Babylon where the people of Judah had lost their faith and had tended to move toward the gods of the Babylonians, after all they were the victors. And that prophet began with the words made famous by Handel, "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,” says your God. “Say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God."' And he is the one who spoke about the return in all of the glory and brilliance and brightness of those passages. The people did return, but it wasn't all so bright and glorious, and so, third Isaiah, in the context of those first waves of refugees returned, had to encourage them again. He said, "Arise, shine, for your light has come. The glory of the Lord has shone upon you." He makes reference then to the nations coming to Jerusalem, the wealth of the nations being brought into the city, and the kings of the nations bringing their gifts, from which, of course, Matthew borrowed the picture in order to tell the story of Jesus, for after third Isaiah and his encouraging words, there was a period of drought and darkness, frankly. And then, Jesus is born and the impact of Jesus causes Gospels to be written and Matthew, in telling his story, goes back to Isaiah and uses that name from Isaiah, Emmanuel, God with us, and he borrows the picture of the kings bringing the wealth of the nations and he tells about the Magi who followed the star who came to adore and to offer their gifts. © Grand Valley State University �The Best Is Yet To Be Richard A. Rhem Page 3 That was written, you have to understand, after Good Friday. So, he was aware of the fact that the darkness had come on with its unnerving power in that darkest of all afternoons when the son of God was crucified. But it was post-Easter, you see, when those gospels were written, and the post-Easter church was convinced that the one who was crucified was not dead at all, for they experienced his presence and his power and his life throbbing within their life, and so, when they told his story, they told the story of the kings coming with their gifts and the star bright with light because they believed in that vision which they borrowed from third Isaiah and second Isaiah and first Isaiah - that hope of Israel that had come to expression in many ways and forms through many prophetic voices. Then, of course, the persecution set in and in that little Jewish Jesus movement, there was one John, who was exiled for his faith to the Isle of Patmos, and on the Lord's Day, in the Spirit, he received a vision, a vision of the new Jerusalem, and once again, speaking about Emmanuel, God with us, God with God's people, and borrowing from Isaiah 60, he speaks about the Holy City glorified, and the gates of the city always open, and the temple there, and no night there, for the Lord God was the light of the city, and the kings of the earth brought their wealth. So, you have a whole tapestry, a biblical tapestry from the Hebrew scriptures through the Gospels through that picture of the consummation of all things and, running through it all, is that wonderful assurance that the light has dawned and the darkness would never overcome the light. What do you think? Is it just wishful thinking? Every time a historical epic was entered into with hope and light was announced, it seemed to come to nothing. Oh, those prophetic voices gave hope to God's people, and that’s no little thing. People of God were encouraged and they were lifted in their spirit and they did go on. As a matter of fact, the dream never died, and that is not without its significance. But, I wonder - is it just wishful thinking? Is it what it ought to be, what the best of the human imagination wishes and imagines it could be, but finally the old world just keeps grinding on its way by power and might, greedily acquiring wealth and seeking preeminence? It is interesting, isn't it, that the dream was always dreamed by an insignificant ragtag remnant of people. Can you imagine the chutzpah, the audacity of that dream as it came to expression from Isaiah? Who were these people, anyway? They saw themselves as living in the navel of the earth. Goodness sakes, all of the nations were going to come, they were going to flow into Jerusalem. There's a prophetic theme we speak of as the exultation of Mt. Zion. Mt. Zion would be lifted up and all the nations would flow to her, and she would teach Torah. She would teach God's law and God's truth. And in that prophetic vision, as beautiful as it is, there is talk of righteousness and of justice and of peace. There is a portrait of human well-being, human community. But, it's always dreamed by those who have not a prayer of effecting it or implementing it, and old Isaiah in the 8th century was wrong. Second Isaiah was simply wrong. Third Isaiah was wrong, and Matthew was wrong, and the Revelation of John was wrong in terms of history having entered into some ultimate © Grand Valley State University �The Best Is Yet To Be Richard A. Rhem Page 4 point where the light would flood and scatter the darkness. We're two millennia beyond that. So, the dream has been alive for nearly three millennia, and it's always been dreamed by a rag-tag remnant of folk who may well be right, but have not the power to make it right. How could they keep dreaming it? Well, they believed in God. They believed in a God beyond the stars who at some point would intervene and would effect what had been promised. They believed in a sovereign Lord of history that would bring all things to its consummation. And, if I were to preach to you this morning the way I preached for many, many years, and the way I suppose these passages are preached in 99 and 44/100% of the Christian pulpits of the world, then what I would say to you is, "Wait. Hold on. Keep on hoping. Keep on praying for, though the times move on and the reality never comes to realization, nonetheless, trust God. It will be so. Let us pray." I can't do that anymore. I don't want to be just one more voice saying one more time all of those same old things and send you forth saying it was good to be there. Nice sermon. Because, you see, I don't believe that some God beyond the stars is going to come in and fix it for us. Is it just wishful thinking? Is there really nothing to it, then? No, I want to say to you this morning that I believe in the message of Epiphany more than ever I have in my life. I believe that Jesus is the light of the world more strongly than ever I have in my life. I've preached all these things in traditional fashion and believed them, but I never believed them strongly enough, because I never felt existentially gripped by the fact that, my God, Jesus is the light of the world. The difference now is that I come to see that, the light having dawned upon us, it is incumbent upon us to make the light come to its realization in human well-being. I realize now how true it is that the light has dawned upon us. We have seen the heart of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has mirrored God. Jesus Christ has mirrored a God crucified. Jesus Christ has mirrored a God who wins by losing. Jesus Christ has shown us the way. But, we have not followed him. We do not need more light. We really know, and one of the blessings of the tradition of which we are a part – rooted in the Hebrew prophets and the Greek philosophers and Roman law, Western civilization – one of the great blessings of this grand tradition is that we have come to see that which allows the human spirit to flower and to flourish, and we know that which constitutes human well-being. But the problem is that those who have dreamed the dream have never been able to implement it, because they've been the rag-tag remnant of humanity, the minority report always, a voice crying in the wilderness. How could the dream possibly keep alive? Well, as I said, they believed in God. But, more than that, the dream is true! It touches the deepest reaches of the human soul. It's true! We know it's true. The New Creation where there's not a child that will die in infancy and an old person die without the fulfillment of years, where people will plant gardens and eat the produce thereof © Grand Valley State University �The Best Is Yet To Be Richard A. Rhem Page 5 and build houses and be able to dwell in them, a land where they will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. We know that is true. If only a super power, if only a super power believed the dream. A super power, for example, that had amassed power and was willing to yield it up, had amassed immense military might and was willing to lay down its arms, had amassed vast economic resources and would use those to turn the earth into a garden. Then that dream would not be so fantastic. Then that dream would not be so unrealistic. Then it might be possible to effect the dream and to implement the vision. You see, the dream is true. The dream didn't tumble out of heaven somewhere. The dream was placed by the Creator Spirit in the depths of the human heart. The dream has lived on through all the darkness because, finally, that dream will never be defeated. Finally, that dream will continue to obtrude itself upon human consciousness, until finally somewhere, sometime, some people make it happen. And, in the meantime, to live in the light of that dream, in the meantime to have our own behavior affected by that dream, in the meantime to be the earners of that light and that life. Ah, one could grow cynical. One could despair. Suddenly the war on terror takes second place to the war on the economy, for the son learns from his father that it is the economy, stupid. And so, all of the engines of power will be turned on in order to regenerate this monster that we have created which is not our servant, but of which we are slaves. One could wonder if it can ever be. And yet, the dream won't die, and there have always been a minority of people who have believed that the best is yet to be. A people who have kept the dream alive, who refuse to quit, have refused to be silent. Maybe in the long run, if we really want to take the long-range view, maybe a million years from now, they will look back on us and say, "You know what? That was the childhood of our species." Maybe it takes millennia but, whatever it takes, we dare not deny the dream, for the light has dawned upon us and we are people of the light and to live in the light is to live even in the darkness humanely and to know the mantle of God's grace. Is it just wishful thinking? Or, is it time for us to do something about it? © 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 Epiphany Sunday Scripture Text Matthew 2:9, Revelation 21:24 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-0-20020106 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-01-06 Title A name given to the resource The Best Is Yet To Be 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 January 6, 2002 entitled "The Best Is Yet To Be", on the occasion of Epiphany Sunday, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 2:9, Revelation 21:24. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Epiphany Jesus Light of the World https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e135833ad88e1f62206874f07b80aaf9.mp3 894f7a71026c8ff47282e675fa4ee6a6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2c01c39fd02c38e6204cade9dce08527.pdf 8b5abddc36a9f754c1290e759f949c87 PDF Text Text From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human Epiphany V Scripture: Psalm 103:1-18; Matthew 11:2-19 Text: Psalm 103:14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan February 10, 2002 Transcription of the spoken sermon Last week I, as I suppose many of you, watched the Super Bowl taking place in New Orleans. Because of 9-11, the game was moved back a week, consequently right into the center of Mardi Gras. And, as we have come to expect with television these days, it is a string of commercials interrupted occasionally by football. And then, even less frequently, there may be an interview of some interest, and with Mardi Gras being on in New Orleans, the capitol, and all of that in the midst of the Super Bowl celebration, one of the television journalists interviewed a local New Orleans person who talked about the celebration of Mardi Gras as he had experienced it growing up as a second or third or fourth generation New Orleans person. He made the point that it was a wonderful festival, a wonderful family time, that it was really a time for family and friends to enjoy each other and to celebrate together and he made the point that what the media camera catches about Mardi Gras is not really what it's all about. It is not, after all, he said, one big orgy. It is just a good, decent family celebration, and I'm sure that he is right, and I'm equally sure that the cameras will try to find whatever is at its naughtiest to bring us from New Orleans and the Mardi Gras celebration. But, as the interview was going on, I thought to myself, "Native of New Orleans who celebrated many Mardi Gras, I wonder if you really know the deep background of Mardi Gras." He gave no indication of knowing that place out of which it arose, or the reason for it arising, which is the fact that, in the wisdom of the ancient Church, there was a recognition that it is necessary to have a certain rhythm and balance in life, and so the Christian Year is structured such that one moves from feast to fast to feast to fast. (C. S. Lewis, in his Screwtape Letters, has the old Devil commiserating about God's wisdom and giving people that rhythm, feast to fast to feast to fast, where it is always the same, yet always new.) In the interview, I didn't see any acknowledgment of that background, really, in the ancient Church where, on the threshold for example of moving into the solemn and sobering period of Lent of forty days, license was given to have a grand party, to pull out all the stops and to celebrate. © Grand Valley State University �From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human Richard A. Rhem Page 2 This morning we have a taste of it with some foot-tapping music and there are Paczkis, and you're invited to indulge to your heart's content, but in the real celebration of Mardi Gras, there is this full release of all that is a part of the human person, the human animal, the recognition that to honor the human is to give opportunity for the expression of the full gamut of that which constitutes us as human beings. So, Mardi Gras was a party that started out as an opportunity to let go and to release and to get it all out of your system as you moved into the somber time of Lent which was marked in the tradition of the Church by self denial, which we have come to mark more in terms of the cultivation of some added dimension of our spiritual experience, not necessarily repression or self-denial, but spiritual enrichment. Nonetheless, in the ancient practice of the Church, there was this emphasis on self-denial and prior to it, on the threshold of it, a grand party, and there was wisdom in that, because we are, after all, creatures who are composed of body and soul, soul and spirit, material ,physicality, sensuality, spirituality - all dwelling within our skin. But, of course, the Church has always also recognized the risk and has been squeamish about the expression of our humanity in such a fashion. I was reminded of this in a book I read while I was gone, Constantine's Sword, by James Carroll. You'll probably be hearing me quote this thing a time or two every week for the next ten weeks or so. It has to be one of the ten best books I've ever read. James Carroll was raised a very observant Roman Catholic. In his childhood and his adolescence, he had a very devout mother who led him on pilgrimages and exposed him to the finest and the richest of spiritual experience in the Catholic tradition, to the extent that he eventually became an ordained priest and even a member of the Jesuit Order. Eventually, James Carroll came to his own personal conviction that that was not what he was cut out for. He left the order. He is a writer, a journalist, married, with a son and a daughter. He continues, according to his own description of himself, as a faithful, if critical, Roman Catholic. The point of my story is this: the Church has always been squeamish about the expression of the human, particularly in its sensuality, its physicality, in its bodily expression, and James Carroll, wanting to bring his wife and his two children on a pilgrimage to Europe where he had grown up, where his father had been in the upper echelons of the military in Germany after the Second World War. They came eventually to St. Peter's itself, in Rome and, as they approached, the Vatican guard stopped them and would not let them enter because his little daughter, just a child, had her knees exposed, because she had a little mini-skirt on. James Carroll, who was raised in the very heart and center of the Church, deeply traditioned, priest and Jesuit, and all the rest, says in this book that he saw his little daughter humiliated at the doors of St. Peter's. Suddenly it rushed over him – everything of which he had experienced a failure of the Catholic Church, that © Grand Valley State University �From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human Richard A. Rhem Page 3 failure being the denial of the human, that squeamishness before the full humanity and its expression. I could identify a little bit with him because I had been turned down at St. Peter's myself for wearing Bermuda shorts and, taking many people there over the years, I always warned them to bring a scarf and have their shoulders covered, and fully covered kneecaps. Nonetheless, what he experienced was a moment of insight. He credited his non-Catholic wife with being more adept at dealing with situations like this than himself. The wife took the little girl off to the side and kind of skinnied her little skirt down until it covered her knees, and then took her sweater and covered her bare midriff and they went through with flying colors. The story, of course, simply points to that which has marked so much of the Church, its moralism, its inability to deal with the flesh. Now, I started out by saying the Mardi Gras was particularly that opportunity to do that. But, on the other side of the coin, the Church has been so crimped and so cramped in the full expression of human being. When I read Carroll's narration, I was reminded of a story of my own which happened over thirty years ago down in Williamsburg, Virginia, looking at some of those old Colonial buildings and taking a tour of Williamsburg. We came to this building, a lovely building, an upstairs hall, lots of windows, nice wooden floor, and over in the corner there were some wine vats and then some chairs stacked up. The tour guide said, just matter-of-factly, that in this hall on Saturday evenings the community would gather for a dance and enjoy a glass of wine together in this space. And then, on Sunday morning, the chairs would be set up and the community would return for divine worship. As I heard that, there was an experience, a moment for me precisely like the moment for James Carroll at the door of St. Peter's. For at that advanced age of my life, wine had never touched my lips, nor had I ever danced one step or the two-step, or whatever they danced when I was growing up, out of religious and moral scruples. It wasn't just that I am clumsy, which I am, but I could not dance. It was one of the things I could not do. As I stood there that bright, summer morning in this hall flooded with light with its wine vats and its dance floor and the chairs that on Sunday were filled with worshipers, I had one of those "Aha" moments, one of those Epiphany moments when I realize that I was living a truncated existence, that there was a whole spectrum of life of which I was not a part, which was civil and decent and lovely and grand, and I had been so crimped that there was no balance in my life, no balance between Saturday night spent in an enjoyable fashion and Sunday morning spent in religious devotion. I didn't know those things could go together. And so, for me, it was also a moment of insight and I realized that there was something lacking in my own traditional experience and nurture, and frankly, in my ministry. This morning, I tell these stories simply to make the point, as we are on the threshold of another Lent, that it is in the honoring of the full spectrum of our © Grand Valley State University �From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human Richard A. Rhem Page 4 humanity that we best honor God and best find our own human fulfillment, for we have in the Church not done a very good job of honoring that full spectrum. The Psalmist speaks so profoundly in this regard when he speaks of the love of God. Certainly there is sin and transgression, but he says, as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is God's love for those who fear him, and as far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us. And then he goes on in what I think is just so profound: "For God knows our frame; God remembers we are dust." And, of course, it is a reference to the Creation story where the Creator in the midst of a garden of delight, Eden, a garden of blessing, forms the human being out of the mud, the stuff, the earth, and then breathes in the breath of life so that that mud becomes a living being or a living soul. What the Jewish people have known and maintained in terms of balance so much better than we in the Christian Church is that the whole human being is made up of that physicality and spirituality, and that both must be honored and allowed to come to expression. What happened in the New Testament, and you can take a line from Paul to Augustine to John Calvin, and you have a terrible distortion of the human being. Paul hinting at original sin. It was Augustine who formulated the doctrine of original sin, and of course, it was trumped by Calvin, as well, in the Reformation period. But, to take the Creation story which in its Jewish format is a story about the Creator creating a creature who has physicality and spirituality, who is put to a test, who fails the test, but who is tested again and fails again and tested again and fails again. There are about four falls in those early chapters of Genesis. There is not a "Fall," as though there was an original couple that ate an ancient apple that marked forever the rest of the human race. To do that to the story is to miss the story and all of its profundity. But, that's what happened in the Christian Church so that, to be human became synonymous with being sinner, and so to be human was not something to be trumpeted, but rather almost something to be ashamed of, something that needed to be screwed down and restricted and repressed and, consequently, many of us have lived with a bad conscience about that shadow side, to use Jung's term, and have lived with the denial of much of our humanity that is simply a part of being a human being with physicality and spirituality. Mardi Gras at its best was the attempt to allow people to kick over the traces and have a ball, to be just a little bit naughty, if you will, but to enjoy themselves fully, fully cognizant of the fact that they were entering into a period when they were called to more sober reflection and the pursuit of spirituality. If we would honor the image of God within us, if we would allow humanity in its wholesomeness and healthy fullness to come to expression, then we'd have to recognize that rhythm from feast to fast, from party and celebration to serious intention and disciplined spiritual experience, and to do this is to allow the fully human to come to expression. © Grand Valley State University �From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human Richard A. Rhem Page 5 It isn't easy. I think the Psalmist, as I said, expressed it as well as it could be expressed. God made us human. Why would God condemn what God created in the human that is physical and spiritual? Jesus ran into it. John, good old John, fire and brimstone preacher looking for the end, all torn up by all of the degeneracy around him, John who had introduced Jesus now has questions. There was too much joy in Galilee for John's liking. There were stories about too much joy connected with Jesus' ministry for John's liking. He sent his disciples to ask, "Are you the one, or was I mistaken? Aren't you the real item?" And Jesus gave him a very ambiguous response. He didn't defend himself, just didn't define himself except by his deeds. He said, "Go tell John what you see - the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame are walking, the prisoners are released." And then he said a very interesting thing, "Happy is the one who is not offended in me." There have been a lot of very sincere, devout, religious people who have been offended in other religious people who have had too much fun, who have enjoyed life to the fullest. And Jesus couldn't have affirmed John more than he did, but he said, "You know what, the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than great old John." And then he said to the people, acknowledging the fact that this is not an easy thing, "I don't know what to do with you, because it is like children in the marketplace saying, 'Hey, we wanted to play weddings and you didn't want to play weddings. You didn't want to be happy. So, we said, 'Well let's play funerals,' and you said, "We don't want to be sad, either.'" He said, "I don't know what to do with you. John comes neither eating or drinking and you say he has a demon. I come eating and drinking and I'm possessed." It is not easy. Happy is the person who is not offended in another person's joy and expression of their spirituality in a celebration. It is ironic that this morning between services one of my dear old friends came up to me and said, "I got a letter from a friend of mine telling me how awful is Christ Community and how terrible are you. You wouldn't believe it." I said, "Oh, yes, I would." Happy is the person who is not offended in the joy and the celebration as we seek to give expression to the fullness of our human nature, after all, in the image of God. Lent is coming, but in the meantime, have another Paczki. References: James Carroll. Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History. New York: Houghton Miflin Company, 2001. © 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 Epiphany VI Scripture Text Psalm 103:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References James Carroll. Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. 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-0-20020210 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-02-10 Title A name given to the resource From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human 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 February 10, 2002 entitled "From Feast to Fast: Honoring the Human", on the occasion of Epiphany VI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 103:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Celebration of Life Epiphany https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9948f1b02a20a52b02bda5b2c2656f64.mp3 620c5fa2a3c60d5d6ef1c9d3607e6ac8 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 Ash Wednesday Series The Grace To Let Go, Scripture Text Psalm 31:1-5, 11-18, Luke 23:44-49 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-0-20020213 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-02-13 Title A name given to the resource As Death Approaches 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 February 13, 2002 entitled "As Death Approaches", as part of the series "The Grace To Let Go,", on the occasion of Ash Wednesday, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 31:1-5, 11-18, Luke 23:44-49. 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/78d550f632de2eb9e04cff141cf77670.mp3 806d969257ffea6b13a09c49ffc668df https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/06f0b0d95bd8b1b7924e6176420cc401.pdf cec5b429274fac8b11b38cb5b843c95a PDF Text Text This Do; But Why? From the series: Journeying With Jesus on the Road Less Traveled Text: Luke 22:19,1 Corinthians 11:24 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Lent I, February 17, 2002 Transcription of the spoken sermon Once again the Lenten season. Once again "Journeying with Jesus on the Road Less Traveled." That is the Lenten theme for 2002. We are here again, and it all seems so familiar, and yet, it is all new and fresh, which is the amazing thing about the Gospel story. With each returning Lenten season – to focus once again on Jesus, on his life, on his fate, on that which emerged in the wake of his life and death and the experience of his presence living with them – all of that never seems to grow old or ordinary. And so, once again, we will journey with Jesus on the road less traveled. The road less traveled is a phrase which, to a contemporary audience, probably calls to mind the book by M. Scott Peck by that title, The Road Less Traveled, of which I guess there have been some six million published, a book that was on the bestseller list of The New York Times Review of Books longer than any that I know. I paged through it quickly; I didn't see any reference in Scott Peck's book to the origin of that phrase, but really it is a poem by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken," and if things work out according to schedule, we'll conclude this Lenten journey to the threshold of Holy Week with that poem rendered beautifully as an anthem. But, in the meantime, we want to journey with Jesus on the road less traveled. The road less traveled would indicate that there's a fork in the road and, contrary to that profound, contemporary philosopher Yogi Berra, who said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it," a fork in the road demands of us a choice. We cannot take both arms of the fork. Sometime along the way, we meet that fork in the road and we have to decide where we will travel and how we will travel. Jesus met such a fork in the road at some point. We want to be examining that in these weeks. Last week we did hear the question that John the Baptist raised to Jesus. He sent his disciples to Jesus to say, "Are you the one, or do we look for another?" because John had heard rumors about a marvelous ministry in which there was joy and grace in Galilee, and it wasn't exactly the blueprint that John had envisioned for Jesus for whom he had been a mentor and a guide. But Jesus, obviously in the struggle to determine his own call and identity, when faced with that fork in the road to follow John and his preaching of righteousness and the © Grand Valley State University �This Do; Buy Why? Richard A. Rhem Page 2 apocalyptic nearness of the end, took a road less traveled. He went another way and, in going another way, he found himself on the way to the cross. We have been to the table this morning. The table is set with bread and cup, the bread is broken and the cup is poured out. It doesn't seem, in the sanitized version in which we experience it as a congregation in 2002, to represent what, as a matter of fact, it does. It was John Dominic Crossan here one Lord's Day, I think on the first Sunday of Lent, who reminded us that when you have bread and cup separated, speaking for body and blood separated, you have a sign of death and a violent death. And so, when we come to the table of our Lord, we are confronted with the reality of his violent death, which was a consequence of the journey on the road less traveled. Jesus made his way and the end of it was crucifixion because of that for which he spoke and which he embodied, which was nothing less than the love of God in the midst of our human darkness. As we journey with Jesus during these Lenten Sundays, we will be journeying on the way we have gone several times before. It is not new for this congregation, and I really don't have much that is new, except in nuance. But I was reminded of the way that we have come together over the last decade or decade and a half. My own experience, for better or for worse, eventually proves to be your experience and, as I have been wrestling in earlier years with Jesus, I came to see Jesus less as some God figure and more as a human being who was the embodiment of God. I came to see Jesus in all of his humanity. As the liturgy said a moment ago, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. It was April 15 of 1984 that I preached the sermon, "Jesus, You Are Really Somebody," and that was a bit of a watershed for me, because it was as though, in dismantling some of the Christological, creedal formulations of the second and third and fourth and fifth century Church as the Jesus movement became the Christian Church and the established Church of the Roman Empire, I began to see through that Christological, creedal formulation and began to feel the flesh of Jesus. Contrary to what might appear to be happening, that is, that I was pulling Jesus down to my own size, rather, Jesus became for me a man magnificent in what he was and how he was. My estimate of Jesus, my admiration for Jesus, my amazement before Jesus grew in proportion to my seeing him as my brother. Seeing him that way, I began to see him in the way that he was and the way that he walked and the life that he lived. I began to see him in a light that I had never appreciated when, for me before, he had been a divine intruder, a God-figure coming in to effect a salvation for the world. I began to see him in a totally different light and a phrase began to be repeated here, particularly during the Lenten season, "Jesus died the way he died because he lived the way he lived." I remember it was in 1993, Palm Sunday, when I made the rather bold declaration in the title of the message - "Jesus Did Not Die For Our Sins; Jesus Died Because of Our Sins." It was the darkness of the world that rose up and said © Grand Valley State University �This Do; Buy Why? Richard A. Rhem Page 3 "No" to Jesus, which was, in effect, saying "No" to God. That is the light that began to dawn for me in the life of Jesus, what he embodied, and consequently, what he met in his violent death. And so, here we are again ready to journey with Jesus on this road less traveled, and we have been to the table this morning. Actually, the message should precede the table, for the Word should illumine the act to follow. But then, how do we get the kids out of here on time? So, we go against good liturgical practice; we do the act and now I'm going to say, "Why?" Jesus and the institution as Paul passed it along, as Luke passed it along, says "Do this. This do." And I ask, "Why?" Well, obviously, first of all, and it is in the text itself, "Do this in remembrance of me." For we are historical figures, rooted in history, and unless we continue by some means to call to mind, we forget and we lose. And so, Jesus, in good Jewish fashion, or the followers of Jesus in very natural Jewish fashion, fashioned a ritual, a sacrament, for they had been remembering for 2000 years. The last supper, whether it was technically a Passover meal or not, we can't really be sure, but it was in the manner of the Passover meal, and the Passover meal was an annual celebration of their being set free from Egypt under Moses. It was the Passover supper on the night of their deliverance that they celebrated, and in their years of faithfulness, they celebrated every year and the Jewish community to this day still keeps Passover, remembering that they were slaves in Egypt and they were delivered by the mighty hand of God. In the beautiful statement of Moses in the Book of Exodus, in the words of God, "See how I have brought you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." Year by year by year by year, thousands of years now, the Jewish community has remembered and they have maintained their sense of identity. And Jesus and the community around Jesus, the immediate disciples, obviously fashioned a sacramental celebration by which the community would continue to remember, would continue to remember Jesus, to remember, to call to mind, to come back again and again to this founding person, this founding story, to remember Jesus. Every great religion has something that it remembers, that marks it, and there are others who have been luminous with revelatory grace in the history of humankind. But for us, it’s Jesus. Jesus is our window into the heart of God and so, just as he, a Jew, was remembering the deliverance of Moses, so the Church for 2000 years has been remembering who it is, who is its center, and what it is called to be, because in that early movement and down to this present day, we believe that something, something came to expression in Jesus, and it is that which came to expression in Jesus to which we are called again and again in order that it might continue to come into expression, in order that the God embodied in Jesus and the manifestation of that grace and power that was there in that life, in order that that same manifestation may continue to be experienced in the ongoing course of history. © Grand Valley State University �This Do; Buy Why? Richard A. Rhem Page 4 It is not as though we worship Jesus. It is not as though we seek to emulate the journey of Jesus. It is that in the journey of Jesus we see that that was it! God was there! This one, this one, with a human face was reflective of the depths of God. That is our story, you see. That's what has made us what we are, and so Jesus said, "Do this." Why? In order always to remember, not simply to hark back to that past, although in harking back to that past, we are reminded of that past in order to be reminded what came to expression. Do you follow me? Sometimes I think that I am so simple and so clear, and then somebody goes out afterwards and they make a comment, and I say, "Oh, my goodness. I must have been so dull." Or, maybe they were, who knows? You see, the tendency is always, the tendency has been, to make Jesus a cult figure and the tendency rather early on was to turn that whole event into a salvation cult as though somehow or other God was able now to forgive the world because Jesus died for the sin of the world and, frankly, I think that is to evade and to avoid that to which Jesus would call us, that which came to expression in Jesus. What came to expression in Jesus is what needs to come to expression universally in order that this world may be transformed. Jesus said, "Do this. Do this to remember. Don't remember in order that somehow or other I might mean something other than I am. Do this to remember me in order that you may be what I am. Do this in order that the dynamic that is set afoot here may become the dominant mood and dynamic of the world." It’s the only hope of the world. They weren't kidding when they made Jesus the light of the world, the hope of the world, the savior of the world. He said, "Do this." Why? To remember, and maybe I could add, to stand in solidarity with, not only see it and admire it, but to stand in solidarity with it. As we read in the first letter of Peter, he has given you an example that you follow in his steps, to remember the teachings of Jesus, to remember what he embodied, and then to say "Yes, yes, yes. Somehow, by God, yes," failing often. Simon Peter is set before us this morning, denying often, betraying often, yet never able finally to give up that struggle to be in solidarity with Jesus, to be in the uniqueness of our own person, in the uniqueness of our own historical moment, to be what Jesus was in his embodying God, the God who is love, the God who calls for justice, for compassion. Ah, do this, because every time to feed on Jesus, to say it in that way, is to gain that inward strength once again to be in solidarity. © Grand Valley State University �This Do; Buy Why? Richard A. Rhem Page 5 And then just this, and I don't even know how to say this. To remember, to be in solidarity with, and to experience in the depths of our being the mystery that is God. I grew up in the Reformed faith with a liturgy that comes out of the 17th century which was in the wake, of course, of the 16th century Reformation and the break from the Catholic Church, and that liturgy was didactic. It was a theological statement. Every i dotted, every t crossed. It was a statement of justification, in a sense, of the break from the Roman Church. It was a statement that appealed to the mind, it was an intellectual and a rational description of the understanding of the doctrine of the atonement which was the center of the table or the bread and the cup. That is what marked that post-Reformation community. Intellectual definition, rational explanation. I have envied those of you who have been raised in the Roman Catholic tradition or high Episcopal or high Lutheran, Anglican, because you always knew there was something more operative than that which could be stated in a proposition, in a creedal clause. Some mystical dimension, some encounter within the depths below a rational mind, the subconscious or the unconscious, some encounter, some experience of God which cannot be defined. Now and again it happens in sacramental action. That’s what ritual is about, calling us again and again to a certain practice and, lo and behold, now and again, there is a light that goes on, there is a movement of grace, there is the brush of an angel wing, and that, hopefully, also is at least an occasional experience when we do this, remembering, being in solidarity with, but being open to that dimension of the Spirit that is not at our disposal, but now and again graces us if we have at least some thin, mystical thread within the fabric of our being. Nancy and I had a lovely evening with three Revs. Van Hoeven and their wives, our dear Gordon and Dorothy, and then his cousin Doc and Shirley, who are members here, and then his brother Jim and Mary, and Jim has been a longtime, close friend of mine and conversation partner. We had an evening in which we partied very well and laughed a lot. We laughed until we cried, and we told stories. We remembered stories. Gordon told stories on me way back into the sixties, and it was a delightful evening. Somewhere in the midst of it, I don't know how it came up, but Jim, who is a good theologian and a good thinker, said to me, "You know, recently Mary and I were in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, that cavernous space, that holy space, and the smell of incense and the mighty choir and the great organ, and I was moved, and I said to Mary, ‘The Jesus Seminar doesn't build cathedrals.'" It was a deep, profound insight you see, because, just as I grew up with the liturgy of the Lord's Supper, which was didactic, rational, explaining everything, just so, in our search for the historical Jesus – whether it be Dom Crossan or Marcus Borg or Amy-Jill Levine or Paula Fredriksen, or whomever – sorting through all this stuff, trying to get down to the real core of it, it's not enough. Finally it is that kind of total commitment in the presence of a mystery that transcends us. And when we come to this table, when we engage in this © Grand Valley State University �This Do; Buy Why? Richard A. Rhem Page 6 community, when we pray and we sing, now and again, here and there, something happens and we keep doing this, not because grace or Spirit or glory are at our disposal, but we keep exposing ourselves in the midst of the mystery, longing to be touched. Jesus said, "Do this," and as we do it, we remember and we are to go in solidarity with him and the way he went, on the road less traveled, and at the end of it all, the road we take makes all the difference. © 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 Lent I Series Journeying With Jesus On the Road Less Traveled 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-0-20020217 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-02-17 Title A name given to the resource This Do, But Why? 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 February 17, 2002 entitled "This Do, But Why?", as part of the series "Journeying With Jesus On the Road Less Traveled", on the occasion of Lent I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Journey Lent Way of Jesus https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ffa493ed26d56fc1d27e5ecaecf8892d.mp3 c8af50964acef07981b89065c10529ed 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 Midweek Lent Series The Grace To Let Go Scripture Text Luke 2:33-36, Mark 3:19-35, John 19:25-27 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-0-20020220 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-02-20 Title A name given to the resource Mary and Her Son 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 February 20, 2002 entitled "Mary and Her Son", as part of the series "The Grace To Let Go", on the occasion of Midweek Lent, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 2:33-36, Mark 3:19-35, John 19:25-27. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives