956 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/732ea1cef458b29f1d5ffaa824ec24da.jpg 409031efee017a972828cc9db7ba2456 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 Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1960s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> 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 GV012-01_UAPhotos_000268 Title A name given to the resource The Fugitives in concert Description An account of the resource The Fugitives in concert. Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities and colleges Students Concerts Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1967 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3d66866f473482b203c5574351c34f63.jpg 902686910da0c24d315b9e65b6293be8 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS3503 R26 G36 1910 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 DC-01_Bindings0467 Title A name given to the resource The Gang: A Tale of the Middle West Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NFB (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Gang: A Tale of the Middle West, by Fred Brasted, published by The Griffith & Rowland Press, 1910. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 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/23bf80c3a82938490b9b7a24d76047a2.mp3 f15449eecc2b240a0bc7af3c0a3ae477 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9d66c40aced804a74961170240adc57d.pdf 561cdae4dfcfa06cb5430d2f926d4b19 PDF Text Text The Garment of God From the series: Creation – God’s Ecstasy Text: Genesis 1:24-31; Psalm 8; John 1:1-5, 14-18 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 18, 2002 Transcription of the spoken sermon Before we begin the Reading From the Present, let me introduce the author to you. She is Beatrice Bruteau, an author I do not know. Someone gave me her book, which happens now and again, and it went on that tall stack, “To be read.” Then I was pursuing things and thinking about what I would be preaching, and for some reason, I picked up that book and found out that it was precisely what the preacher ordered. Bruteau understands the things I have been contemplating. Beatrice Bruteau is a contemplative and co-founder of Schola Contemplationis, an international network of contemplatives. The Roman Catholic tradition does that a lot better than the Protestants. The whole contemplative tradition in the Roman Catholic Church is very strong. Bruteau was part of the founding of the American Teilhard de Chardin Association and founded the Teilhard Research Institute at Fordham University. Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit scholar, worked in the science field and had a fascinating conception of nature, of reality as moving toward an omega point. Fordham is a great Catholic university where scholars have done a great deal of work in spiritual formation and the mystical tradition. Beatrice Bruteau is also a scientist and handles with great facility chemistry, biology, and physics as they play into cosmology. She lays open the universe, the cosmos as it is understood scientifically in our day, but doing so as a contemplative, as one who follows exercises and disciplines which enable one to be in communion with that transcendent reality, that mystery we call God. In short, she is a scientist who is also deeply spiritual, and her pursuit of science is really to have a better understanding of natural reality in order that her spiritual life be consistent with her understanding of nature and vice versa. Beatrice Bruteau’s book God’s Ecstasy provides us the theme for these summer messages. She speaks about the nature of reality in a way that a spiritual person can pray and contemplate. At the end of her book, she addresses the contemplative because, all the talk about the cosmos, about science is really so that one may pray, that one may speak of God in a significant and meaningful © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University   �The Garment of God Richard A. Rhem Page 2   way. (That is true here, also, in case you didn’t know it.) In this paragraph, she addresses the contemplative: So, what now in light of this cosmic miracle, this cosmic drama that I have been talking about, what about the contemplative? Does the contemplative have some special role? I say to the contemplative, “Feel at home in the universe. Study it. Try to understand at least some of its innumerable marvels, including ourselves who are more and more capable of this understanding. Marvel at that. Rejoice in the cosmos. In spite of all its hurtful ways, look at what it has done, is doing, is capable of doing. If you can see the God you love as present in, even as, this world, then feel that union and rejoice at that. And be active in it. Contribute to it, participate in the building, in the artwork, in the healing, in the understanding. This is where reality is. You yourself are both a member of the finite and a member of the infinite. You are a participant in the trinitarian life cycle, for you are doing the incarnating and the creating and the realizing and the rejoicing. God’s ecstasy creates the world and the world’s ecstasy realizes God, and you are right in the midst of it all.” You can read that again this afternoon, but let’s see if I can make some sense of it for just a moment. The sermon is entitled “The Garment of God,” and my intention is to point to the natural world, the universe, as the garment of God. You will remember that we are talking about all of this because what we want to try to do is to be able to speak of God in a meaningful way in the light of everything else we know about our world. Too often, tragically, the conflict between science and religion caused science, in part, pridefully to say, “We don’t need the hypothesis of God.” And it caused fearful religionists defensively to say, “That science can’t be true.” So you get an impasse and there has been a conflict. The first Sunday in October, David Ray Griffin is coming, and he is a process theologian, a process philosopher, who is doing very much what the author of the morning is doing. His latest book is Reenchantment without Supernaturalism. His book before that, Religion and Scientific Naturalism, is an attempt to deal with the world and its “stuff” as we know it today, and translate our understanding of God in such a way that there is not dissonance between our understanding of the world and our image and imagination of God. And so, in Griffin and in Bruteau, the world is understood not as being static, something simply there, but rather as process, something underway. It is an unfolding drama which involves matter, beginning, they tell us, with an infinitesimal spark or speck of explosion, and an expanding universe has been a consequence of that initial “Big Bang.” This universe, which is expanding as we speak, has eventuated not simply in matter, but also in people like us who are matter, flesh, but who have minds and spirits as well. This cosmic process has moved to a point where the conscious human is aware and able to reflect back on the process and to conceive of an infinite mystery that becomes incarnate in the finitude of the universe. The © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �The Garment of God Richard A. Rhem Page 3   universe has moved to a point of consciousness and awareness where it is able in its finitude to have a sense of the infinite. So the loop is closed, as it were. From that Infinite Mystery we call God, the ground of everything, being flows out, and the being that flows out is incarnate in cosmic reality. The cosmic reality in us becomes conscious so that we are able to look back to our source, and to worship, to be moved, and to offer alleluias to that Infinite Mystery. The world, then, is the garment of God, the incarnation of God. Ecstasy, God’s ecstasy. Ecstasy comes from the Greek preposition ek, which means “out of,” and statis, and when you are ecstatic, you are out of yourself. We speak of people in ecstasy as being beside themselves. Well, God is beside God’s self in ecstatic flow in a world which is matter, a cosmic reality which is in process—not a thing, not a static being, but an event—a happening that has eventuated in us who say, “Oh, a happening! Hallelujah!” I love the prologue of John’s gospel. That is why I go back to it again and again. “In the beginning was the word....” I like to translate that as “In the beginning was the intention.” I’m not claiming this morning that the biblical writers had the sense of this that David Ray Griffin or Beatrice Bruteau have, but something’s going on in that writer. “In the beginning is the intention and the intention is with God.” Or, let me say, if we don’t quibble too much about terminology, that Infinite Mystery had an intention which flowed out in the form of cosmic reality, and in the midst of that process, that intention became flesh, human. In classical Christianity, we have said that the word became flesh, meaning Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ becomes the revelation of God the Father, and we have made that a unique, once-for-all kind of event. But what if we move beyond that? What if we sense behind that a deeper genius, an insight, an intuition that the intention of the Infinite Mystery which becomes flesh in Jesus finds Jesus not once-for-all, but as the paradigm or the model of that which is true of the whole process? What if the intention becomes cosmic reality and in the human becomes conscious, able to pray and to praise? In verse fourteen, “the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” And then we have the eighteenth verse: “No one has ever seen God.” No one has ever seen the Infinite Mystery but the only son, the one that became flesh and revealed this God. Someone translated that in a marvelous fashion, particularly if you are one of the rather to be pitied people who ever went to seminary. What you do in seminary is take a text and learn how to exegete a text. Exegesis is a particular disease of people who work with the Bible. Exegesis is how you open a text, interpret a text. Someone marvelously translated the eighteenth verse as this eternal, this only son exegeted the father. Isn’t that beautiful? As though Jesus is the exegesis of God. The Infinite Mystery becomes manifest in the exegesis of the human. © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �The Garment of God Richard A. Rhem Page 4   I wonder about the Hebrew poet who penned Psalm 8: “When I consider the heavens, the moon and the stars, what am I?” The writer knows, and we know: a speck of cosmic dust that has breath and mind and consciousness and is able to contemplate the moon and the stars and the heavens and is able to wonder and to sing “Alleluia.” But then he says, “You have made us,” not as the old translation has it, “a little less than the angels.” Someone translated it that way because they didn’t dare say what it really says: “You have made us a little less than God.” I suspect that was a reflection of Genesis, the first chapter, which speaks about the creation of the human, the male and the female, in the image of God, the likeness of God. The ancient writers are not dealing with cosmology as we know it. They have not a clue as to the cosmic reality which is unfolded before our eyes through all of the sciences. But wasn’t there some deep intuition of that close connection between the Infinite Mystery and the finite creature bearing the image of God? Wasn’t there an awareness and consciousness that as they looked into each other’s eyes, they were experiencing God? In our human experience, we have personified God as a father, or as a mother, a mother hen gathering her chicks, or a nursing mother who would never forsake her child. We have learned in our human relationships, we have intuited, we suspect that that Infinite Mystery is the source of all and the expression of that which is the highest and the best of our own human experience. And so the world, the cosmos, is the garment of God, the finite incarnation of that Infinite Mystery, an incarnation that has become conscious in the human who is able to pray and to praise and to be in communion with the source of all being in contemplation. Beatrice Bruteau has another book which I have never seen, but I smiled as I read the title. I suspect what she says in that book entitled Radical Optimism. Because as the Infinite Mystery in ecstasy flows into being, and that being becomes conscious and in communion again with the Infinite Mystery, who knows where it is going? Who knows what is yet before us in the unfolding drama? I have to say this: We can no longer sit passively by as spectators, for we have become actors, indeed co-creators, and we have it in our capacity to make heaven on earth or let it all go to hell. We have it in our capacity to make it a humane cosmos or to allow the horror of which we also are capable to run loose over the earth. Ah! What an amazing way to live—with wonder and awe before this miracle unfolding. But you say, “What I really want is that intimate relationship with God. What I really want is that immediate intervention of God the Father.” I understand that. That is a totally natural desire and yearning, and it is probably much of the source from which religion arises. But you can’t have it, because that is not the way the world is. © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �The Garment of God Richard A. Rhem Page 5   If we are honest about our human experience, as much as we wish we had that personal immediacy and a God who now and again would tweak and twist and arrange, we know we are part of a self-creating universe. That is the most difficult thing as a pastor I have to say to you, my people, because I take away from you then that which is dearest and most desired. Do I leave you desolate? No. Because if you have my arms, you have God’s arms. If you have my tears, God weeps with you. If you experience grace and forgiveness from me, that’s a cosmic experience, and of course, I receive the same from you. Does that mean, then, that all simply is human? No. The human is divine, the finite incarnation of the Infinite Mystery. After all, God is a speculative idea, friends. It is a philosophical idea. God is a word. It is a label. But, flesh, flesh and blood, arms, compassion, human compassion, human love and care, all this is the incarnation of God. It is not to say that’s just human. It is not, and you ought not to say, “You’re not enough.” Because I’m all you have. But I’m God, and you are God. We are God to one another. We are the flesh and blood of God. We are the incarnation of God, and as the future unfolds, that Infinite Mystery with the lure of love beckons us to love, because God is love and the one who dwells in love, dwells in God, and God dwells in that one. To love one another is to make heaven on earth, and it is wonderful. It is amazing, and when you have loving human arms around you, there is nothing you cannot go through. References: Bruteau, Beatrice. God’s Ecstasy, the Creation of a Self-Creating World. New York, NY: 1997. © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIII Series Creation: God's Ecstasy Scripture Text Genesis 1:24-31, Psalm 8, John 1:1-5, 14-18, Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Beatrice Bruteau, God's Ecstasy, the Creation of a Self-Creating World, 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-0-20020818 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-08-18 Title A name given to the resource The Garment of God Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 18, 2002 entitled "The Garment of God", as part of the series "Creation: God's Ecstasy", on the occasion of Pentecost XIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 1:24-31, Psalm 8, John 1:1-5, 14-18, . Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Immanence Natural religion Process theology https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/18b365805ef3f033167c970275821251.mp3 c68f1e3a6088e0bee9f5f726c5800f41 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 Wed. Night Lecture Series 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 RA-3-19920219 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1992-02-19 Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Title A name given to the resource The Gender of God, Session 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Talk created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on February 19, 1992 entitled "The Gender of God, Session 1", on the occasion of Wed. Night Lecture Series, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/564319e51c5731aff26a0a6d3ba9c66a.mp3 1d6a6e9bd83d61844766a8012dc9472c 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 Wed. Night Lecture Series 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 RA-3-19920226 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1992-02-26 Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Title A name given to the resource The Gender of God, Session 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Talk created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on February 26, 1992 entitled "The Gender of God, Session 2", on the occasion of Wed. Night Lecture Series, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aaa357080c1b172b951f41d3d8c22447.pdf 0c178421bf25476e8325309b61319415 PDF Text Text [' ,, -~~ ~-- ~f., ' .. ~;~:,:·::}\~.;~-·: :·:'~ ~; ...... I·I ( "l. ··'• :. . . ' , ,, .' j ", '!; •;~ ~-~ ·. ;.·-- '/~:?:·: : ,~< - ~, _,...._ •, • . :,_____ -. . ·. : ' _i~~/)': ,-).,_•}., :!_ . ; ,' . , ' '. ; .. .. , ~ ... ...... ~-! ,:-: . -~ .'t,.-__:· ... ;., -~ t ./~· - .. i :·J,' :~;,. ,, · :,;_.~~. .,tJ .. ,. : . ., , ·'. " i t ... . J . f FINAL I :,•:·<··1: : ~ : ·-. ::. ..,.:, '';: .:--4 . l < . ·., ~· 1__ . ~.y ·-.'._~1.-. (.,_.-_ •-:---' ~ : . .. -: · . ·.r •.l'.,..;. ' i ., ~j .; - l• ·• .~i~·~::. -, 'c.,. .... i -: . ~/ . ·::".:"~.~ ,•:': • ,,.·r,_• . • :,t.: "'· ~- - :, ;; ~ ;,,, ·, .; .: • ~•Ila -. tfA , . • ,•, '" { [' '. ,. ~· ''.: ...... . ~ .;· .• j ., -. . ' _ _ _' # . , . ·:•: ~ : ;<,' •·' ..... .• -~ ,.___ t ~- .. .; ·~ ·. ··/ _; ·, D~VE~~6 ·p ~~~~T (;f:? PLAN COMPREHENSIVE . _.,.,_ • • i.: . l• .. • • ;_. .·. •'• • .~-.; I ' •• -.• ~ ~ ~-~ . ., .... . --;_' I' L ..:- .-. :, l.-i. •~- -i .. . 4 f :{, ~ ~ ,•' .: ~~ 5'-,:~-~. . .. • ~-; . ' ·t~ ' ··-·; ~ . -.. : \ .. ~:--· • ,. - ' ...•.·. .,. 1:. - ~ . :.: .. .. . :'; ;;::/~-~~ ·:.~ '. /_ :·~-:.; ~-·: t ,.. l ••·/.' ~! . ~ ~ . ·~ ... :·- • ·,. ·:\ :.; . ·.:.:::t; \ . ;.{ ·:1t·:·;_ :J'.: : �T HE GE NE R A L J r D E V E L O P ME NT P LAN 1l · r r COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PLAN BIG RAPIDSJ MICHIGAN 1-1·• 1976 (. t:l IL iW 1L - iL EDWARDSJ JOHNSON) MILLS &ASSOCIATES l COMMUNITY PLANNING CONSULTANTS MIDLAND) MICHIGAN PREPARED BY: a-_ . - . - --- --- - - - . - _-- - .- �II ;I . l( 11 1· r - ' CITY OF BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Mayor Charles E. Fairman City Commission H. L. King I ~ Ruth M. Lucas rl' Russell A. Hinkle 1f Johns. Taylor 1r City Plan Board rt ll IL Gerald M. Church, Chairman Vordyn Nelson, Vice Chairman Caryl Ferguson Mary Hynes Charles Riley !Ll Joseph Spedowski I James Turner l. I 11 I. \l I_ u Stanley Longcor Robert Entsminger �ft Ir TABLE OF CONTENTS If= GOALS Ir DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANNING AREA 1 POPULATION 2 r r.I 1f ir If Il·- r INTRODUCTION History Current Population Housing Characteristics Housing Conditions Neighborhoods LAND USE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS Land Use Categories Analysis Commercial Ribbon Development i iii 2 4 6 7 9 13 15 17 23 STREETS AND RqADS STUDY 25 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 29 FUTURE POPULATION 34 MAJOR STREET PLAN 35 COMMUNITY FACILITIES 38 lL It LIST OF MAPS 11: - LOCATION MAP xiv l L BASE MAP xiv ~ l1 ~ Il Following ·page NEIGHBORHOODS 9 E~ISTING LAND USE 16 COMMERCIAL RIBBON DEVELOPMENT 23 EXISTING STREET PROBLEMS 26 FUTURE LAND USE 29 �r ~ :r · 1r f f Ir ! .: Ir , I ,i ll _ IL IL IL I- ~ 1! INTRODUCTION The purpose of a Comprehensive Community Plan is to guide the physical development of a community so as to produce an interesting, efficient, safe and healthy environment in which to live and work. The City of Big Rapids has been involved with comprehensive planning for about fifteen years. In the early 1960's, a -PLAJ 1ias developed for the general growth of the City indicating the history and early de~elopment of the area, conditions existing at the time of the report and a general guide for future development. Later, a NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS( 2 ) was prepared to determine areas of blight or potential blight with recommendations for correcting these conditions. In 1966, a RENEWAL PLAJ 3~pecifically for the Central Area or the Central Business District (C.B.D.) was completed. This study outlined steps to be taken in order to modernize and enhance the primary shopping area in the City. A year later, in 1967, a RECREATION PLAJ 4~as prepared to serve as a guide for future development of the City's physical recreational facilities: parks, playfields and playgrounds. The current planning program was begun in 1974 to update all previous planning programs and to incorporate changes that have occurred in the community in the last ten years. planning program is made up of three separate studies: 1. THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM, 2. THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE, both of which have been published separately, and 11 ~ ! l C 3. This study, THE GE NERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. ~i- This �11 r 1r If The BIG RAPIDS ZONING ORDINANCE, the fourth major portion of the COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PLAN, was adopted in 1969 and is being used by the City. To determine the attitude of the community and to provide a foundation for the planning program, the Big Rapids City Plan Board undertook the task of preparing a Goals Statement on behalf of the community. fr ::'i l After a series of public hearings during which the people of Big Rapids considered the goals, the City Commission endorsed the Statement. Following is the Goals Statement for Big Rapids as it pertains to the future of the City; 'r I ~ 1!. I[ IL Ir IL 1, 1, 1. "A PLAN for Development of the City and Community of Big Rapids Michigan", Scott Bagby and Associates, April 1963. 2. "City of Big Rapids Michigan NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS", City Plan ~ ing Associates, Inc, September 1964. 3. "GENERAL '. iEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL PLAN FOR THE CENTRAL AREA, BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN", City Planning Associates Inc, February 1966. 4. "RECREATION PLAN, Big Rapids, Michigan", Raymond W. Mills~ Associates Inc, November 1967. I_ 1I 1! 11 't·.,, ~ -ii- �_. I ~ RESIDENTIAL LAND USE !I I r It fr k. ,'-1 ll Goal Adequate housing for all the citizens of Big Rapids should be achieved through a housing policy which will provide encouragement and opportunity for renovation and improvement of existing housing, and provide for controlled new building which will preserve the essentially residential character of the City and meet the needs of the community. Implementation . Ir I Encourage Planned Unit Development* housing with control over the number of units constructed in order to preserve an essentially "small town" atmosphere. ,, ,r j 2. Strive to provide the necessary;° utilities to areas of the community where construction of housing is desired and is to be encouraged. 3. Strive to identify and obtain state and federal resources in order to provide for the improvement and needed rehabilitation of existing housing units. 4. Provide for specific mobile home areas in the community compatible with existing residential conditions within the City. 5. Seek concentrated code enforcement ll_ IL ll l1_ ~ ~n all neighborhood areas throughout the City. i 11 11 I Ll_ *A Plarmed Unit Development usually includes clustered home sites with srm.ll private yards but having large cormzon open areas and recreation centers maintained by a neighborhood association . It also often includes neighborhood-type shops. It is controlled by a special zoning ordinance. -iii- �f 6. Provide open spaces (parks and r;_;_ :ural preserves) in close proximity to each neighborhood and within each Planned Unit Development. Each open space area should provide some measure of all-season recreation. ?. Encou:rage new home construction and local ownership of City residential properties in order to provide the incentives I[ : r r f. associated with pride of neighborhood and community. 8. Provide for appropriate controls over the development of multiple · and/or rental housing units in an effort to maintain an essentially small town atmosphere. 9. Encou:rage the preservation and rehabilitation of some of the few remaining historical residential stru.ctu:res in the community. lO. Provide for a continuation of public housing and strive to meet similar developing needs in order to assu:re respectable housing for all citizens regardless of status. Such housing shall be provided for in a manner which respects the pride and dignity of each individual. ll. Future Zand available for residential development should include the area which is presently occupied by the county fair grounds. COMMERCIAL LAND USE Goal Pr,omote the development of commercial land use in the City in such a way as to: (l) continue the Central Business District {C.B.D.) as the pnmary commercial service area, (2) stimulate geographically balanced growth by encouraging development in the direction of east and west in order to relieve pressia'e for development which would -iv- ,. -~ t �r r" further stretch out commercial land use to the north and south, (3) promote Big Rapids as a regional trading center. '[ r r Implementation l. The Central Business District should be pedestrian-oriented. Facilities to encourage pedestrian use should be provided. These might include: (a) a landscaped open-air mall, (b) public seating, (c) rest rooms, (d) pocket parks, (e) drinking fountains, and (f) bike parking. f l.l ;; 2. On the edge of the City, commercial development should be limited to small neighborhood service establishments. 3. Expand the Central Business District to provide commercial property for necessary business growth. 4. Prevent further strip commercialization along State Street. 5. Provide commercial zoning along the limited access route to the new freeway as needed. A new commercial zone category should be enacted to control this development. INDUSTRIAL LAND USE Goal Recognizing that industry is vital to regional growth and development and that attraction and retention of good industry results in the sound broadening of the cormrunity's economic base, efforts should be made to attract new light industry to the locality. -v- . ., �Implementation l. The development of a variety of new employment opportunities should be undertaken ~n order to encourage retention of local high school and college graduates within the cormrunity. 2. Encouragement should be given to new industries which would complement the higher educational and vocational training resources available in the community. 3. Development of industry within the corrmunity should be limited to industrial areas which could be expanded as needed. 4. Support should be rendered those community organizations working to bring light, diverse industry to the City. 5. Large, heavy and/or polluting industries should be discouraged as not being in confoY'TTlity with the goals and objectives of Big Rapids. 6. In order to accommodate the varying transportation needs of a diverse industrial base, every effort should be exerted to maintain adequate railway freight service to the community. 7. Since any new industry represents a mixed blessing, efforts should be made in advance to insure that the opportunities and problems involved in industrial development balance one another. 8. Prior to encouragement of any new industrial enterprise, an assessment of the impact on existing community services, facilities and schools should be conducted to insure proper planning. -vi- C �f·--- ' I ·[1 I . I TRANSPORTATION SERVICES I Goal If If rI ~, ... l Big Rapids should adopt a street program and a traffic flow plan which recogn~zes that citizens employ the automobile as their main source of transportation. Additionally, in order to meet the needs of citizens who do not utilize the automobile, the City should support a system of public transportation and also provide facilities to encoUI>age bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Ir I ,, Implementation l. The City should continue and expand its program of curb, gutter, street and sidewalk construction and maintenance; inasmuch as this is for the public welfare, residential property owners should bear little or no expense for this service. 2. With the open~ng of the new Z3l Freeway and the probable resulting rr 11 ~ change in the use of city streets west of State Street, the development of a pair of north-south one way streets should be seriously considered in order to relieve congestion on State Street and facilitate movement throughout the City . IL I. ~~ ~ 'i L ~ 3. The City should develop and maintain a public transportation service supported by taxation, if necessary. 4. The City should improve or construct sidewalks, with curb cuts, throughout the City. First priority should be given to walks along both sides of State Street and within the Central Business District. 5. The City should construct street-side bicycle pathways ,to provide for adequate intracity mobility through the use of the bicycle. ll!I ll -vii- �PARKS AND RECREATIONAL SERVICES Goal I[ . The corrununity should seek to develop a broad-based parks and recreation system which wiZZ provide for neighborlwod parks, nature preserves, I outdoor recreational sports parks, and indoor multi-purpose recreational facilities. The preservation of existing open space areas free of organized recreation and aimed at use by entire faJT1iZies should be encouraged; special attention should be given to placing these facilities within walking distance of aZZ neighborhoods. r, '.,i. In ~,, Imp Zemen tat ion Z. The City should seek to acquire Zand which is suitable to meet the goal of establishing neighborhood park and recreation areas on a city-wide basis. 2. An IL 3. Natural preserve areas should be maintained in that character. tr 4. Motorized vehicles should be excluded from all park areas with adequate parking provided on the perimeters. 5. Construction of bike paths in all suitable parks with corrnectors to street-side bike paths should be undertaken by the City. 6. Corrununity recreation facilities should be considered in planning /I l- 11 ; I· i1 effort should be made to Zand.scape, by plantings and general beautifications, all general park areas. - for the construction of the new .armory. 11 ?. 11 I !J Creation of green areas within a Central Business District open-a~r mall shall be provided as a part of an overall effort to develop an attractive business area. -viii- .. [ �r r r: 8. The maintenance and restoration of historical and scen~c sites within the corrommity might include: (l) the conversion of the Maple Street bridge to a year around pedestrian walkway and river observation enclosure, -including lighting, landscaping, picnic tables, seating and restrooms; and (2) preservation of the old county jail as a public service facility. 9. Development of specialized recreation areas to provide expanded r r facilities for winter activities should be undertaken. lO. All public park and recreation lands should be clearly identified by signs. ll. The City should make available and help to develop, cooperative garden plots on undeveloped City-oumed lands. l2. Encourage and promote the continued study of planning for and development of the Muskegon River areas as the prime natural resource for the community. l3. Encourage the development of a Master Parks and Recreation Plan through the appropriate currently established citizen boards in order to achieve the desired implementations. l4. The beautification of the Mitchell Creek area throughout our community should be encouraged. PUBLIC WORKS SERVICES Goals All property in the City should have available City water, sanitary and stoY'l71 sewer services which meet maximum performance standards for such public utilities. -ix- �1 r Implementation z. Throughout the City, water pressure shall be sufficient to guarantee the highest standards for fire protection and other normal uses. 2. The City shall provide water and sanitary sewer lines for connection at a lot line to each parcel of property in the City. 3. The City shall continue to provide water which meets all federal, state and local standards as established by law. 4. The City shall provide for the treatment of sewage in a manner which meets all laws and ordinances governing the same. 5. The use of septic tanks within the City limits should be systematically eliminated. 6. The storm drain services provided should be adequate to protect properties against any common seasonal flooding conditions. ?. The City shall continue to provide such normally expected services as sanitation pickup, street cleaning, leaf pickup and maintenance of passable and safe street conditions during all seasons of the year. PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICES .Goal In order to meet public health and safety needs, the City shall continue and increase its efforts to provide, to all members of the community, health and safety services of uniformly high quality. -x- �r ~ Implementation f1 t r l. Established building and housing codes must .be reviewed regularly and shall be meticulously enforced. 2. The City must strive to better the health care delivery seroices of the corrununity through continued support of the hospital. An expanded effort to attract physicians and other necessary medical personnel mu.st be implemented. 3. Recognizing that improper handling of garbage leads to an unsightly community and creates a potential health hazard, the citizens of Big Rapids should be encouraged to dispose of accwrrulated waste of all types in a manner consistent with sound environmental standards and applicable City ordinances. In addition, the City must enforce more vigorously the provisions of those ordinances. 4. In o~der to protect the right of the individual to own domesticated animals without the threat of infringement, owners must accept the responsibility of housing and controlling the animal population in a manner consistent with existing City codes and due respect for r r ~ ~ 11 ~ l 11.. ll ~l. ~- all citizens. 5. Recognizing that physical facilities presently housing the City offices, police and fire departments will restrict necessary future growth and expansion of their activities, planning should begin for the provision of additional facilities. As the corrmunity grows it will be especially important to continue to provide public safety seroices in which the people have confidence and which , continue to improve in quality. ANNEXATION 1[ ~ ii I ·, t The processes of annexation of unincorporated areas to the City should -xi- �rr 11 . [f rr fr. be COJ'e.fuUy studied to identify costs and benefits for both the residents of any annexed 01'ea and residents of the City. Boundaries should be designed to be more geographically regular and to give both the most economical provision of City services and the level and types of services desired by area residents. THE CITY CHARTER f 1" Our City Cha.rter, ha.ving been adopted in l954, is badly ~n need of revision and, therefore, should be completely rewritten and updated. f Ir if. l [I I.~ IL IL ll r '1 I PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT Citizens from all segments of the City should be actively sought and encouraged to become more involved in the basic decision-making processes of the City. Increased participation by residents, whether they be elected, appointed or volunteer, will enable the City to be more reflective of and responsive to the people. Much could be accomplished by the use of more citizen advisory boards. SPECIAL SERVICES To aid in the mu.ch needed process of making City government more responsive to the needs of all the people, efforts should be made to develop special programs for special groups whenever such groups can be identified and legitimate public responsibility established; youth and senior citizens are examples of such groups. THE CEMETERY 11 The City should continue to provide for the planned development and proper maintenance of a publicly-owned cemetery. 1l !,_I :I ,, { -xii- �THE ENVIRONMENT quality environment relating to a variety of factors including a1.-r, wter, and noise, is important to the general welfare of all the comTTU.nity. Deterioration of any environmental factor has the potential of far reaching consequences ranging from a loss of corrmunity character, to a decline in property values, and hazards to the health and safety of the populace. Each citizen and public agency should recognize the value of high quality environmental standards and anticipate the impact of any action on the environment prior to implementation. Such forethought will ensure the continuance of a h.e althy and ever improving wy of life in Big Rapids. A CITY BEAUTIFICATION Public welfare is a broad and inclusive concept; public welfare includes the aesthetic as well as the monetary. The aesthetic well being of people is a valid part of it. All citizens should begin to realize that a visually satisfying city can stirrrulate an identity and pride which is the foundation for social responsibility and good citizenship. Big Rapids should take advantage of and improve upon the natural beauty of its environment. Examples of specific concerns which will require immediate attention should include: l. Thorough enforcement of strict sign controls. 2. Improved design, tree planting and landscaping of public property, such as parking lots. 3. Maintenance of the natural state of the Muskegon River area. -xiii- -L �4. Preservation of our cultural heritage by protecting the few remaining buildings which architecturally reflect the l9th century origin of our City, such as the old jail. 5. Development of a harmonious architectural design and landscaping concept to be implemented by a City Design Review Board. THE LIBRARY The City shall continue to provide a centrally located public library building with suitable materials and a competent staff. Although all of these Goals may not relate specifically to the planning process, they indicate the attitude of the corrommity and provide a basis upon which the planning of the City may be accomplished. ·!J 'L ~I \ -xiv- �r r r r r LU( SIP(IIII I l I r I1 l L IISCII SIi L 11 ( 11111 BIG RAPIDS 1. Ll 1 -- l LOCATION MAP • ..... • _,..__..., • M SCAU ......._ -L ,- 111 I ,.,,-- ' �BASE MAP COM,-IIEHENSIVE BIG 1 000 Joto 100 0 •••• DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 111, ltDWAIIOS , JOHNSON , MILLI I ASSOCIATES! �r / ~ DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANNING AREA rBig Rapids is located in Mecosta County in west central r· r t f !ij r~ rI ~ Michigan at the southern edge of what is considered the "North" in Lower Michigan. The study area includes the City of Big Rapids and a "buffer strip" approximately one-quarter mile wide around the City. Although this surrounding "strip" is not under the jurisdiction of the City, the planning of the area contained within it will provide a m~thod of coordination between the City and Big Rapids Township for future development. The City is served by two highways: U. S. 131, a north- south highway which runs from Petoskey, in Northern Michigan, south to the Michigan-Indiana border, and M-20, an eastwest highway providing a circuitous link between east I Michigan and west Michigan. ll Big Rapids is located approximately 42 miles west of Mt. f l Pleasant, 57 miles north of Grand Rapids, 40 miles south of Cadillac and 66 miles northeast of Muskegon. r~ Big Rapids is a self-sufficient community with a diversi- i'; system offers grades K-12. r I fication of land uses, including residential, commercial, industrial, educational and recreational. The school One of the major employers and land users in the City is Ferris State College. The College, founded in 1884, has grown steadily to reach its i present enrollment of over 9,200. 11 The City is located on the banks of the Muskegon River. ~ The swift current of the river prompted early settlers to refer to the area as "the Big Rapids". tl -111 L Although the river �is long, traversing the State from Missaukee County to Lake Michigan, it is unnavigable for commercial use and is not expected to be used as a means of commercial transportation in the foreseeable future. The primary importance for the river appears to be in its aesthetic value to the area. POPULATION The comprehensive study of a community is, in essence, the study of the people in the ·community. All factors which are involved in the study of a community relate directly to the population. The people are the determining factor in deciding what will be done with the landscape of the country. They will determine, inevitably, the future of a community's economy, or in general, what kind of community will exist in the future. It is n~t difficult, therefore, to understand the importance of population studies in the preparation of a generalized, long-range comprehensive plan. One should realize that the purpose of all facilities and services in the community is to satisfy the physical, economic, social, cultural and governmental needs of the population. Population History The first white settlers arrived in Mecosta County in 1851 and the County was organized in 1859. Most of the initial growth took place in the vicinity of what is now Big Rapids. The early settlers took advantage of the river to build a sawmill around which the early economy flourished. The population of the County grew from 970 in 1860 to 20,693 in 1900. Since the turn of the century, the number of -2- l �r ~ i If inhabitants has varied from a low of 15,788 in 1930 to a high of approximately 28,000 in 1970. A comparison of the population growth in the Nation, State and surrounding counties and communities since 1950 (TABLE #1) reveals: rr TABLE Ill. Ir- POPULATION COMPARISONS 1950, 1960, 1970 ,I ,,~' \'· Change 1970 Population Change 179,323,175 18.9 203,184,772 13.3 6,371,766 7,823,194 22.7 8,875,083 13.4 Mecosta County 18,968 21,051 11.0 27,992 33.0 Osceola County 13,797 13,595 -1.5 14,838 9.1 Montcalm County 31,013 35,795 15 .4 39,660 10.8 6,736 8,686 29.0 11,995 38.1 698 789 13. 0 1,687 113.8 2,241 2,184 -2.5 2,286 4.7 If I 1960-70 1950-60 United States Michigan 1950 Population 1960 Population 150,697,361 % % 11 1! II IL Big Rapids Big Rapids Twp Reed City 1l ~ IL I i' I Source: Bureau of the Census It is apparent from the U.S. Census figures on population that the City of Big Rapids has been a continuing leader among the surrounding area communities in total growth. I L Although Big Rapids Township has more than doubled its size II_ relatively slow. from 1960 to 1970, its growth to that time had been ii I {: -3- �1. During the ten years 1950~1960, the Nation, State Mecosta and Montcalm Counties and Big Rapids all experienced an increase in population in excess of 11%. Reed City and Osceola County to the north experienced a decrease in population. 2. During the succeeding ten years 1960-1970, all ~ units of government showned an increase in population. The large percentage change in the population of Big Rapids Township, which surrounds the City, can be attributed to some annexing and deannexing which took place between the Township and the City during the 1960's. A significant point, however, is the large increase in population for both the County and the City in the last ten years. The 33 and 38% increase in the Big Rapids area indicates a possible in-migration to the area from other portions of the State. Some of this increase in population can also be attributed to the increase in enrollment at Ferris State College. Current Population · In May 1976, an update was conducted of dwelling units in the City including housing on the campus at Ferris State College. Following is a summary of that housing count: Housing Type Units Single Family Duplex Multiple Family Mobile Homes Federal Housing Fraternity Houses Married Student Apts. (Ferris) Dormitory Rooms (Ferris) 1,460 322 629 138 175 -4- 7 424 3,037 6,192 Persons Per Unit 3.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 20.0 2.3 2.0 Total 4,672 741 1,447 317 403 140 975 6,074 14,772 �,1 • ~~ The number of persons per unit is based on the 1970 U. S. II : 1 Ce nsus as well as known and estimated figures. represents the current population of Big Rapids estimated as of May 1976. rr TABLE t/2. r POPULATION BY AGE GROUPS - 1970 & 1976 Selected Connnunities and State of Michigan > r ~): '1 [ ,1 ,r /I - l lt ~ The total Age Group Years Ten Michigan Cities State of Michigan City of Big RaEids Pop. Pop. 1970 % 1976 % % Under 5 622 5.2 768 8.1 9.1 5-11 747 6.3 931 14.9 14.8 12-14 387 3.2 473 6.4 6.6 15-17 405 3.4 502 6.9 6.1 18-24 6,214 51.7 7,637 9.3 11.6 25-44 1,569 13.1 1,935 22.2 23.5 45-64 1,311 10.9 1,610 20.8 19.8 740 6.2 916 11.4 8.5 100.0% 100.0% 65 & Over 11,995 100.0% 14,772 r 1970 Population and percentages from 1970 U. S. Census 1976 Population estimates by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates 't - Ten Michigan Citie s - Cadillac, Charlotte, Coldwater, Fenton, Flushing, Greenville, Huntington Woods, Ludington, Manistee and Marshall I l- t ~ tl As can be noted by comparing the percentage columns, Big Rapids has an inordinate amount of its population in the 18-24 year age group. This is because students at Ferris were counted as being residents of the City. estimated that of the total 1976 population, slightly more than half or about 7,500 to 8,000 persons comprise the I,_I I It is -5- �r- l C "resident" population of Big Rapids. The ten Michigan cities were selected for comparison purposes because they all have l( rr r rr populations ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 . . Housing Characteristics The m.ajority of housing units . in Big Rapids are thirty years old or older. The U.S. Census "Detailed Housing Characteristics" in 1970 indicated that over 56% of the existing housing was built prior to 1940. During the 1940's, relatively few units (4.5%) were constructed but building increased in the 1950's when 12.5% were built. In the I 1960's, 24.6% of the existing housing structures were built. r'- Other characteristics of the residential units in Big Rapids are indicative of the overall adequacy of housing. r·1 !L Following is a summary of the characteristics as documented from the 1970 u. S. Census. Based on 3,069 units: --1.8% (54) of all housing either had no bathroom rI= I · L1 or a bathroom is shared by another household, --8% (255) of all housing units had as their source of water individual wells not from the public system, --5% (156) of all housing units were not connected to the public sewer system but disposed of sewage by means of a septic tank or other means, --All residential units had some kind of heating equipment installed, -6- �r- _/ 11 i] ' ,- r r l r f --47% (1,440) of the total housing consisted of single-family detached dwellings, --3% (88) of the dwelling units were mobile homes. It may be noted that by comparing the total housing structures in 1970 with the 1976 housing count (Page 4), the numbers are quite different. Although the census publication does not state specifically, i t is assumed that the 1970 figures count each Ferris Residence Hall as one structure. Also, since it is known that all housing on the campus has complete plumbing, the previously stated characteristics are assumed to apply to the housing within the City proper. I Housing Conditions ~ Accompanying the growth of any community is the problem of 11. t I deterioration of portions of that community. As new areas develop away from the original core of the community, the structures in the older area become obsolete in terms of space adequacy and updated building requirements. As a result, these structures often require extensive and IL expensive repair. t survey to note existing housing conditions was accomplished r :i \ l. I_I To determine to what extent this situation may have affected the City of Big Rapids, a in April, 1974, by City officials. The noted conditions of the dwelling units in the City are with regard to exterior conditions of the structures including ~lectrical, mechanical and plumbing equipment. criteria were used to classify the units during the survey: 'I L ii '"-- II l. l: The following -7- �1r If. 1. 1r· 2. I If I . Sound - Housing which is apparently structurally safe and free from defects. Deteriorating - Housing which is apparently structurally safe but requiring minor maintenance. 3. Dilapidate d - Housing which needs major structural repair to prevent injury to persons or damage to contents. 11; Throughout the City there were no concentrated areas of dilapidated housing. '1 All portions of the City did, however, I have some dilapidated structures with as many as six cf these ,r total housing units were considered in need of major repair. units on one s t reet. Approximately one-third of all housing was in a deteriorating condition. 11 . I[ IL IL '1· ~' [ ~ ~ il j. t According to the survey, 2% of the Most of these units were located in the same general area as the dilapidated housing. This indicates that if repair work does not take place in the near future, pockets of blighted housing will begin emerging, creating a situation that could be irreversible. Follbwing is a table indicating the result of the housing survey: Number Percentage Housing Structures (Outside College) 1,758 100% Sound 1,148 66% 567 32% 43 2% Deteriorating Dilapidated Source: Housing Study by the City of Big Rapids - 1974 -8- �/1. ii If· If rr .,J' As the growth in population in Dig Rapids continues, it will be necessary to improve the existing housing which is now in either a deteriorating or dilapidated condition. The existing housing must be able to meet the minimum standards of the now enacted State Construction Code. An active community program :to promote a "paint-up, fix-up" campaign would provide the necessary impetus to rehabilitate areas which contain less than sound housing structures. :1 [ ., Ir Neighborhoods Residential functions have been and will continue to be one I of Big Rapids' largest land users. 11 and a larger percentage is expected in the future. 1! ll IL I ti 11_ Approximately 35% of the developed land is classified as residential in character Residential land use, therefore, is an important part of the City's COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. The residential land use section of the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN must satisfy the many types of needs that the present and future residents of the community require.· One method especially effective in recognizing and rationally planning for the satisfaction of these needs, is to plan on the basis of neighborhoods. The neighborhood concept provides a practical basis for the development of planned residential areas and the provision I 1. by residents of these neighborhoods in their day-to-day It activities. I of many public facilities and conditions that are required It is the responsibility of the City to begin to form the basic structure for desirable neighborhoods by guiding residential development and land uses in accordance with the following planning principles and standards, many l of which will be developed in greater detail in the COM.MUNITY FACILITIES STUDY. -9- �. r--~-L.__ [L ~ _J I NEIGH BORHOOOS COMPREHENSIVE BIG 1 000 ,ooo DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN JOOt 4000 '"' !EDWAIIDI, JOHNSON , MILLS & ASSOCIATES! �• ~ - r r t r ~ l , i ~ ~ Boundary - Where possible, neighborhoods should be bounded by major thoroughfares, railroads and natural barriers such as rivers and other bodies of water. In some cases, these neighborhood boundaries may have to be altered to include areas that would otherwise remain unserved. Size - Neighborhoods should encompass enough land to accommodate a sufficient population . to support an elementary school. Elementary School - An elementary_ school with an adjacent neighborhood park-playground should be located within a reasonable walking distance of the majority of homes in the neighborhood, preferably in the approximate center of the area and removed from a major thoroughfare. Street Pattern - The internal street system of the neighborhood should be designed to discourage fast, through traffic I in order to attain quiet, pleasant and safe residential ~ residential blocks to eliminate costly street maintenance 'l Collector streets should be provided to tie local streets ,, ~ living. Future street patterns should provide longer and to provide more area for residential development. to the major thoroughfares that help to delineate the neighborhood. In summary, a well-planned neighborhood should be suited for every day family living. pleasant and efficient. It should be safe, healthful, Achievement of this objective is 'dependent on physical conditions, site improvements, population I_ densities, traffic patterns . and the availability of public ~ facilities. ~ [~ [ For planning purposes, the Big Rapids Planning Area has been divided into four tentative neighborhoods. -10- These neighborhoods �rr . have been based on present and potential development of II the City and the adj a cent area, plus the locations of rr U. S. 131 (State Street), Mitchell Creek and the r r f. 1-~ .,~-: Muskegon River. For the purposes of future identification, the neighborhoods will be referred to as follows: Neighborhood #1 - The southeast portion of the City bounded on the west by u. S. 131, on the north by Mitctteli' Creek and Hemlock Street and on the east by the Muskegon River, Neighborhood #2 - The southwest portion of the City bounded on the north by Mitchell Creek and on the east by U. S. 131 (State Street), Neighborhood #3 - The northwest portion of the City bounded on the east by the Muskegon River and on the south by Mitchell Creek, Neighborhood #4 - The northeast portion of the City bounded on the west by the Muskegon River, including all of the land area east of the River. Each of the four neighborhood areas have distinctive features which will affect future planning and development of the community. An examination of the existing land use patterns in each neighborhood reveals: Neighborhood #1 contains the principal shopping district in the City. It also contains the majority of Ferris State property. -11- -C This neighborhood contains �'f . the greatest population of the four tentative f. .F If - r ··1 1. I I lr II n e ighborhoods although it has only one school, Riverside Elementary. Tp serve the business district there are numerous small city-owned parking lots. Other governmental functions include the City Hall, County Administration buildings, hospital and library. Future development in this area -would include the expansion of the Central Business District. Neighborhood :/f2 appears to be the neighborhood in which the greatest amount of future growth would take place. Most of the present development is in a three-to-four block area west of State ;( ,. Street and in the southwest corner which is occupied by Ferris State. The school in this neighborhood is Brookside Elementary. There is a large commercial area fronting on State Street, one I. G L l'1 block in depth and approximately 2,000 feet long. Most future development would appear to be single family homes. Neighborhood #3, an area of approximately 700 acres, contains the high school, Hillcrest Elementary School, the airport, cemetery, fai'rgrounds, City filtration plant and senior citizens center. This neighborhood contains a great deal of undeveloped area adjacent to the west City limits. This undeveloped area would conceivably be the area of future growth. l Neighborhood #4, east of the River, is the largest yet least populated, of all the tentative neighborhoods. I -C Most of the area is not platted. -12- �The only plats are near the railroad which bisects the area in a northwest-southeast direction. There is one public school, Eastwood Elementary, some City property including the City Garage and some public housing located north of Maple Street near the River. The River physically separates this neighborhood from the rest of the City except for two streets, Baldwin Street and Maple Street. From a preliminary observation, it would appear that future development in this area would be in the form of some multiple housing and some industry. The problems which have emerged through development of the City and which can be solved by the application of the previously mentioned neighborhood concepts are typical throughout the community. They are as follows: --Small City blocks which are created by numerous cross-streets. Larger blocks could be made by closing unneeded cross-streets and encouraging street patterns which are compatible 'with the type of development planned for a specific area. --The use of many local or residential $treets for cross-City traffic. Major arterials could be either created or developed to bound and serve each neighborhood. This would permit the interior of a designated neighborhood to develop as it is planned to be developed. LAND USE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS One of the basic building blocks of the Comprehensive Planning process is the survey and analysis of a community's -13- [ �-. J I existing land use pattern. This survey is an inventory '. f of how the comnmnity's land is presently being used. i(. is an important early step in the development of a general, I It long-range, comprehensive plan. Ir Ir With this land use information in hand, the general - character of Big Rapids can be examined in the light of planning concepts and principles. Emerging development trends can be identified, land use deficiencies can be "II r· determined and evaluated and future development potentials can be established. I Ir The land use map and tabulations of this report will provide a ready reference for day-to-day planning and zoning proposals. 11 They should also provide a source of factual information about Big Rapids which will be useful to . residents, businessmen and school and township officials. ,r .: This report does not make recommendations or proposals for ·l a future land use pattern. !L L presented in the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN . These proposals will be I Survey Methodology and Procedures I The inventory of existing land uses was made by Big Rapids i ;L J I l - City officials. Land use was determined for every parcel and lot ·within the City and beyond, within the . "P larining Area". Land use calculations were made by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates. The general procedure for portraying land use data is to show on a map, in appropriate colors and screen patterns, the various uses of land such as residential, commercial, L -14- t �r industrial, public and semi-public, agricultural and vacant. Aerial photos and U.S.G.S. maps were used to check base map accuracy and obtain the general character of development. Despite the care taken to maintain accuracy in land use classification by lot, it must be recognized that minor r r variations may have been introduced by the element of human judgment. ~1 1' The use of land is graphically shown on the generalized Existing Land Use Map found in this report. The statistical tables found in this report are based on calculations made from the land use data noted on this map. Existing land r uses were also shown on a larger wall map with each land I; Land Use Categories I_ L L -t~- use designated by a color coding system. Land uses have been divided into major categories for evaluation and clarity and reflect the Standard Land Use Classification System. The following categdries have · been established for this survey: Single-Family Residential - Area on which a one-family dwelling unit ·is located. Multiple-Family Residential - Area on which there are two or more dwelling units per t. residential structure. l Commercial - Parcels, with or without structures, on which goods are sold and personal and business services are provided. This includes retail sales of goods, business and personal i [ -15--- �-~ r services and offices, including medical, T professional, real estate and insurance. 1· Industrial - Parcels, with or without l - structures, on which wholesaling, manu- i rr facturing, processing, storage of finished or semi-finished products predominate. Public - Land areas and facilities which ,-, are available to the public or owned by the government. This includes such uses as schools, parks, libraries, fire stations, sewage treatment plarit, police station and 1l other governmental buildings and uses. 11 I I Semi-Public - Land areas and buildings which !I II are used by a limited number of persons with particular interest who do not have a profit as their principal motive. Included in this category are such buildings and uses as churches, parochial schools, cemeterie~, lt country clubs, fraternal organizations and oth~r similar activities. \ I r ~ ~ ! I Transportation - This category includes all - land and facilities utilized in the movement of people and goods. This includes railroad and street rights-of-way. Vacant and Agricultuial - Parcels on which :l farming or undeveloped land uses predominate. ,l This classification applies to farms and - t [ undeveloped land, including wooded and scrub areas and undeveloped portions of large parcels. �_, . :;:: r r ' - -' ·;:, r- r r r 'i--- - r "=- ~ ,J r~ . :_:_: :; -L L - CO.MM UCIAl • l L L •tSIDENTIAl ~ ~ ~ I l_ LEGEND -• EXISTING COMPREHENSIVE BIG 1000 1000 INDUSTIIAl ,u,uc rAII S - rlATGIOUNOS SCHOOlS LAND ,, . ,,. USE DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN )000 !EDWARDS . JOHNSON . MILLS & ASSOCIATES! -. ·-· .. ~ _. �11 , 11 If __,. LAND USE ANALYSIS An examination of the planning area's existing land use pattern reveals: 1. Approximately 37 % of the 6.0 square miles in the City is presently undeveloped. fr I,.•r." l. l r 2. Most of the communityts development is within the City limits, west of the Muskegon River. 3. Commercial development is located along State Street (U. S. 131), and -Michigan Avenue, with the major concentration of ,, business near the center of the City at the intersection of .Michigan Avenue and Maple Street. rr Almost all of the business development is located on shallow lots fronting on major roads. II The commercial development is undesirable along State Street in that business traffic an'd 11 through traffic on the highway are ll, intermixed. 4. The majority of industrial land uses are 11 generally located in the northeastern portion 1· of the community. i' 11 5. With a few exceptions, which will be discussed in subsequent pages, there does not appear to be a great deal of ·intermixing of incompatible land uses. I,_I I II !I -L -17~ �r Il If r f I 6. One area of significant development outside the City limits is to the north, on either side of the u. S, 131 highway~ The compact development in the City and the general absence of intermixed land uses in the concentrated residential areas indicates a history of relatively orderly growth in Big Rapids. There are a few areas, however, that will require special attention. These will be discussed later and will be ' reflected in the COMPREHENSI~E PLAN. The summary of all land uses, by acreage and percent for the total planning area is shown in accompanying tables. TABLE f/3. % of Total Acres in City Land Use Residential Commercial Industrial Public Semi-Public Transportation Streets Rail River Ferris State* Undeveloped** TOTAL EXISTING LAND USES--BIG RAPIDS; MICHIGAN Total 496.0 68.6 36.2 434.5 18.6 15.7% 2.2 1.1 13.7 .6 340.0 27.5 110.1 450.0 1 188.5 10.8 .9 3.5 14.2 37.3 3,170.0 100. 0% *Not included in study. **Includes agricultural land. Source: I l Land Use Survey - 1974 ... is ... Developed Acres in City % of Developed 496. 0 68.6 36.2 434.5 18.6 35.0% 4.8 2.5 30.5 1.3 340.0 27.5 24.0 1.9 1,421.4 100.0% �-; 1r Following are some observations concerning land use I_· IrIf Ir l~ If I II if. II~ ...-:-, Il; development in Big Rapids for specific categories: Residential --The majority of single-family residences are located in an area approximately one-half mile wide and one and one-half miles long west- of State Street. This area also contains approximately sixty duplex and multiple family dwellings. --Most of the multiple-family dwellings in the City are in an area south of the Central Business District east of State Street. / ~, --Approximately 385 / residential structures are located east of the Muskegon River in the City and, except for access via the Maple Street Bridge and the Baldwin Stree~ Bridge, are physically- separated from the major portion of Big Rapids. ~.._________,..;.--ThirtyJf the residences in this area have been classified as dilapidated. (See Page 8) • 'l --A large number of residences in "older" sections of II. I- the City are located on lots with areas less than 10,000 square feet. Newer developed residential sections have larger, generally 12,000 square feet, lots. ,1 J ·I Commercial --The Central Business District in Big Rapids is located primarily on Michigan Avenue, with additional business I -19- �facilities along State Street (U. s. 131). Businesses outside the City occupy larger tracts and are primarily in a general business category: building supplies, body shops and automobile dealerships. r r --At the present time, commercial uses along State Street and Michigan Avenue account for most of the total business land use area in the City. These businesses, however, are extended along State Street and, except near the center of the City, are not concentrated. They consist mostly of service stations and business offices located in converted residences. Although this commercial land use pattern does not present a major problem at this time, further development of this type should be discouraged. Businesses which are located along major thoroughfares become sources of automobile traffic which interfere with through highway traffic. It is desirable that businesses be located in compact, welldesigned shopping centers which afford the combination of safety and convenience to customers and which will not interfere with other activities in the community. The reader is referred to the section on Commercial Ribbon Development for more details on this type of development. Industrial --Total industrial land use in Big Rapids occupies a small area. There is a total of thirty-six acres of land devoted to industrial use. --Most sites are well located in that they are provide.a with reasonably good access to transportation facilities. -20- �r ,,-> --There are no concentrations of various industrial sites If · however, so if further development is not controlled, an intermixing of land uses and industrial and residential 1r traffic could occur in the future. r Public rr --There are approximately 435 acres of land uses for public facilities in the Big Rapids planning area. La I ·~ --Most of the public land in the City is used for the airport, cemetery and fairgrounds. The other uses consist of various City and County administration and maintenance f facilities and parks and schools. ~ Semi-Public ,1 --Most of the semi-public land is used for a number of churches. II'. Transportation IL I[ --This land use, which includes ·all streets, alleys, parking lots and railroads is the second largest land use category in the community included in this study. \ ii_ l. i 11 - Ferris State College --The College, which is the second over-all user of land , in the community, is not included in this study as it administers its own use of land. It is separated from the rest of the City, occupying the southern tier of I~ Big Rapids on either side of U. S. 131. ,1 I. ·1 -21- �,,-- J. il - Muskegon River --The River, which extends from the northern City limits southeasterly to the southern City limits, is considered for the purposes of this report as marginally developable l( rr ~ ·r and, therefore, not included in the LAND USE STUDY. Vacant and Agricultural --This land, occupying more than one-third of the total area of the City, represents the area of future develop- ~ r ment. Approximately one-half of all undeveloped vacant land is located northeast of the River and most of the I l other vacant land is located on the west side of the J City. • It is anticipated that most future residential growth will take place in the westerly portion. l r (I~ Comparison of Developed Land Use J~ The previous subsection has indicated the breakdown in iL /u ': I: i, I land use in the planning area and has shown ~the percentage of total land that is devoted to each category. considering future development, it is interesting to know how the subject community compares with other communities in terms of land use distribution. The following table indicates the percentage of developed land that is found in each category and compares these percentages with other communities. As can be seen in the table, Big Rapids compares with other communities in the land use categories devoted to residential, commercial and industrial and railroad use. I -22- l When �TABLE /; 4. COMPARISON OF DEVELOP ED LAND USE PERCENTAG ES Bi g Rapids and Ten Sel ec ted Communit i e s Big Ra pids Ten Selecte d Cornmunl ties*''' Residential 35.0% 38.9% Commercial 4.8 4.0 Industrial & Railroad 4.4 3.5 Public & Semi-Public 31.8* 14.3 Streets Roads 24.0 39.3 100.0% 100.0% La nd Us e Source: & *Does not include Ferris State College. **Studies by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associa_tes for Davison, East Tawas, Kingston, Mancelona, Manton, Mayville, Millington, Reed City, Reese and Rogers City, Michigan. · This comp a rison is cited primarily as a matter 0f interest · to the reader and is not intended to serve as a guideline for further planning. Commercial Ribbon Development Early business establishments located along well traveled thoroughfares, such as State Street, in order to provide customer convenience for the motorist. true of present-day communities. This is no longer Tod a y, this strip development falls far short of present-day needs and presents some serious problems. l_ L -23- �COMMERCIAL RIBBON DEVELOPMENT COMPREHENSIVE I 0 00 JOOO J OOO BIG I •••• DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN , I It l1DWAIIDI, JOHNSON , MILLS & ASSOCIATES] �This strip has been used as an example because it clearly demonstrates the problem brought about by this type of d~velopment that should be avoided in future commercial development by using adequate zoning controls. --The location of retail stores is inconvenient for customers. --Insufficient off-street parking discourages customers. --Related retail uses are not · grouped together. The numerous non-retail uses become "dead spots" within the retail area. Also, the spread of retail uses requires the shopper to make a large number of vehicular stops. --Strip development encourages mixed land uses and often results in idle, unproductive land. --Through highway traffic mixed with turning local traffic creates a definite safety hazard. For these and other reasons, the City should discourage strip commercial development. All of the above factors tend, in time, to bring about a general decline in property maintenance and values. The area becomes unattractive, cluttered with signs, presenting a general appearance of I disorder and often resulting in blight. -24- L �STREETS AND ROADS STUDY The streets and roads in a comrnuhity are generally one of the major land uses in terms of total acres of rights-ofway. I( As noted in the LAND USE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS, about 340 acres, or about 24% of the total developed land area, is devoted to street right-of-way. 'r The average community contains twenty-seven to twenty-nine ·~ r 1, percent of its total developed area in streets. This too, is considered excessive, when cornrared to a carefully planned community that could contain as little as twenty I to twenty-two percent of its land area in streets. rr There are three factors which create this slight overage of land usage: d- 1. Most of the streets in the City are in a grid pattern with short blocks and numerous cross streets, 2. platted rights-of-way of sixty-six feet, and r! tI; Most of the City residential streets have - 3. The highway uses a great deal of land area. 1·- As a result of this extra quantity of land area being used .l. for street rights-of-way, land which could be more economically developed is owned by the community. This land is not taxable, cannot be developed unless it is 1· vacated by the City and, .in the case of the numerous unnecessary cross streets, extra maintenance such as snow removal and surface repairs are required at the expense L -25- �of the community. It could also be stated that each intersection presents a potential traffic hazard. Gravel surfaced streets and roads are found throughout the planning area. At the time of the survey, these roads appeared to be in good condition. Like most unpaved surfaces, however, they require periodic maintenance throughout the year to prevent rutting and erosion. The remaining platted streets, those which are not open for use, constitute only a small portion of the total. Although the majority of these platted streets are in the City, they are on the fringe of the developed areas and do not create open, unused space within the core of the City. · Intersections In terms of traffic safety, as few intersections as possible are desirable and should be T-intersections and ninety degree four-way intersections. Seventy degree intersections are acceptable, where necessary. Intersections which should be avoided are those with an intersecting angle of less than seventy degrees and intersections with railroad tracks. Within the planning area, the most common of the undesirable intersections are those at the railroad tracks. Except for major traffic carriers, street-railroad intersections should be closed and the street ended in a cul-de-sac (court) or turned (looped) to join other streets. Incomplete Streets One of the problems that is created in a community which is only partially developed, ·is streets and roci.ds which are not -26- �'t . ~ ~ r---.L_f---.L-__J=,-r-,--J.., I ~ "oiit"::" L- 1 __i__,__::_~~~ . i ~ •0 - INCOM,LITI PIOILIM LISS THAN ~TIIITS I NTIISICTIONS MINIMUM CLIA8ANCI EXISTING STREET COMPREHENSIVE BIG 1001 JOOO J OOO <1111 PROBLEMS DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Pit f lEDWAIIDI, JOHNSON. MILLS I ASSOC I ATES! �r r r r fully completed or streets which have dead ends. An incomplete street system can result in parcels of land being landlocked and installation of utilities being hind2red as a result of no public right-of-way to follow. Although this is not a major problem in Big Rapids at this time, consideration should be given to existing and future development to avoid additional expense. Summary :r I All of the above discussions repr~sent potential ~roblem areas in the redevelopment of the community. In many cases, the problems are the result of poor platting practices I which took place during early development of the community or the lack of public funds necessary for construction and j !' maintenance. ·1 of development along major highways, railroads and waterways. In most cases, these problems are the result These problems are summarized below and illustrated on the accompanying map . .l L --Unpaved Road Surfaces--Either gravel or dirt. This is a result of a lack of funds or of streets being platted without a need for them. --Short City Blocks--Generally less than 550 feet I [ I• -l long. This is a result of the grid street system and an excessive number of unneeded cross streets. --Excessively Wide Rights-of-way--For most local residential streets, rights-of-way of 60 feet are adequate. -27- �--Narrow Rights-of-way--44 and 50 feet. These narrow rights-of-way are less than the desired 60 feet right-of-way width. --Problem Intersections--Angles of less than seventy degrees and at railroads. These intersections all represent potential traffic hazards. Another type of undesired intersection is caused when a street is not align.ed from one sicle to the other of a cross street. --Incomplete Streets--Platted streets which deadend with no outlet. Corrections of these and other problems should be considered before any extensive· development takes place. ·'l1;'. ;l~ rt qj r Some of the standards which are employed in the development of the street system in the Big Rapids planning area are ·as follow: --There should be a minimum of street iritersections. This can be accomplished by vacating or closing specific streets and creating longer blocks (minimum 800 feet, preferably 1,200 feet) in both presently developed and proposed-to-be developed areas. --When feasible, T-intersections should be used instead of four-way intersections~ All inter- sections should be designed with ninety degree angles. In no case, shoulcl the intersection be less than seventy degrees. Intersections which do not align should be eliminated or corrected. L -28- �If --Where a street parallels a railroad or a major arterial, a minimum of two hundred feet from the railroad or arterial should be maintained. --Residential streets should have a minimum of sixty feet right-of-way. Solutions to some of the problems, such as surfacing, can only be accomplished when the need arises or when funds are available. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN The basic facilities which have the most effect on the development of a community are those which concern the daily activities of the population - living, working and leisure-time facilities. This FUTURE LAND USE PLAN indicates the recommended future location of the areas in which these facilities will be found. Residential Areas Residential areas are proposed to be located in all neighborhoods in the planning area. The greatest concentration of residential land use is proposed in the City of Big Rapids with fringe developments concentrated to the north and west of the City limits. Although most of the residential land use areas will be developed for single-family dwellings, there is expected to be a need in the future for multiple family structures. These multi-family areas are well suited to act as buffers between commercial and single family development. Presently, most of the duplex and multi-family dwellings are located in the area between the C.B.D. and the Ferris Campus and along State Street. Further develop- ment of this kind is proposed in the same area to serve two -29- -C �'r r r r =:X · ·I -:..J•::1./, • ~ ~ - i • u I~ r I .L~ . i ~ l~ le{. L us 13 1 ,w , .[_;'.',:,'! LEGEND E] [:J l MUl T IH f StNGlf f A Mil T ~IISIOINT I Al FAMILY .. CfNflAl 1111 GfN(IAl lfSIOfHTIAl IUSl~fSS DIS1'11CT COMMflCIAl ~ IMOUSTIIAl Bil GOVflNMfMf.t,l ~ rAU - "ATGIOUHOS LOCAL UllttS ::::: COlllCTOI STllfTS . \. FUTURE COtllPREHENSIVE L-~ ... , , ... BIG •••• 4010 f LAND USE DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN It f !tDWAIIOS. JONNION .• IIIILLS A ASSOCIATES ! /ii: ," • -- �purposes: (1) Discourage the growth of the C.B.D. to the south, and (2) Discourage further development of commercial uses along State Street. Commercial Areas The primary purpose of the commercial areas in Big Rapids is to serve the residents of the community and the surrounding regions. Preliminary studies indicate that there should be two classifications of businesses in the study area: (1) Commercial shopping or Central Business District (C.B.D.), and (2) General commercial. The former classification is proposed to contain a variety of retail establishments but is oriented specifically to the pedestrian shopper. It is proposed that the retail outlets in the C.B.D. be grouped together, connected only by pedestrian walkways or green areas. Automobile parking areas should be on the outside perimeter of the stores so that there will be no intermixing of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The general commercial areas are proposed to contain retail establishments which depend on the use of the automobile for their business: service stations, automobile dealerships, and various highway service facilities. By comparison, general commercial areas are composed of large land areas (five or more acres) and contain their own parking and traffic movement spaces. Based on information from publishers of area "buyers guides", customers to the Big Rapids commercial area come from a radius of 30-35 miles or from Baldwin, White Cloud, Lakeview; Howard City, Remus and Barryton. Although these areas are served by other larger cities, the market area for the Big Rapids commercial district includes portions of five West- .I I Central Michigan Counties. These surrounding counties, with l I_ t -30- �11 f . a total population of over 110,000, provide a potential of over 30,000 customers even when shared by other communities. Although an accepted standard* states that there should be an average of three acres of developed commercial land area for each 1,000 persons served, that figure should be used as a guide only. Primary consideration should be given to the location of the commercial areas and to encourage the best use of the designated areas. The 1966 CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT RENEWAL PLAN recommended the area bounded by State, Hemlock, Linden and Warren as the Central Area be developed. This study recommends that the C.B.D. be further extended to the east to Stewart Street north of Maple. General commercial areas should include the area north of the C.B.D. between State and the River except for the high school and park lands, and an area presently developed on South State across from the Campus but enlarged to include the blocks surrounded by Fuller, Division, Perry and State. In addition, it is proposed that a large area south of Fuller, extending from Division to the west City limits north of Perry Avenue extended, be designated as a "General Commercial Park". This area would border on the proposed business loop (Perry Avenue) for the proposed U. S. 131 Freeway. It is recommended that this commercial area not have direct access to the business loop but instead be served by special access roads. This Commercial Park would provide the necessary spaces for vehicle dealerships and similar businesses which have need for large display lots. It is anticipated that when the business loop continues *The Community Bu i ld e rs Ha ndbook, Urban Land Institute--1968. -31- . l �11... ir Il l[ ,- r ~·- to the Freeway interchange approximately one mile west of the City, other highway service areas will be developed in ·Big Rapids Township. A report by the Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation* describes the routing of the proposed Freeway and lists the effects that it will have on the community. Industrial Areas - The Big Rapids planning area presently has approximately 36 acres of industrial land area, most of which is located in the northeast portion of the City. '1 I II 11 11 There are no particular standards which can be applied to determine land area requirements for industrial use. Industrial areas are determined by: 1. Demand for expansion by manufacturers, 2. Available space for expansion, 3. Available resources and facilities such as water, raw materials, labor force and IL I[~ II; transportation, and 4. Attitudes of the community. Although the land areas presently devoted to industrial use are sufficient, it is the desire of the City to make more land available with the intention of encouraging new industrial growth. '1 The area recommended in the FUTURE LAND USE plan for the majority of this industrial growth is 11 located in the northeast portion of Big Rapids. This area, 11 L :.l - [_ *Engineering Report 1846, LOCATION OF US-131--1974 State of Michigan, Department of Highways and Transportation. -32- -L �in addition to the existing industrial area, provides approximatel y 130 acres of industrial land area for the future development of the Big Rapids community. Recreational Areas The previously discussed land use areas deal directly with the day-to-day living activities of the population--where they reside, purchase their goods, and earn their livelihood. The fourth major area for study purposes concerns the areas for recreation. With advancing technology enabling the individual to spend less time in the pursuit of means of subsistence, more leisure time has been created. As a result, facilities must be provided where this leisure time may be spent. These facilities should be provided in close proximity to . people who will be using them. . . As communities ~ develop, open land areas become fewer in number and smaller in size. It is the obligation of the community to preserve areas of adequate number and size so that there will be sufficient recreational and developed open s~aces to satisfy the needs of the community. The RECREATION PLAN FOR BIG RAPIDS--1967* has been recommended for the community as other growth takes place. The National Recreation and Park Association** recommends that park-playgrounds, playfields and community parks be provided in a community. Space standards may be determined according to the population of the community. It has been suggested by the National Recreation and Park Association that a minimum of 10 acres of total recreation area for each 1,000 I I I *op cit page ii. **Outdoor Recreation Space Standards--1965 National Recreation and Park Association. I_ -33- �,r r Ir If 1r ' ~~ Ir I persons be set aside. Based on this ratio, the Big Rapids Planning Area should contain approximately 150 acres of developed recreation space at this time. FUTURE POPULATION The increase of population in Big Rapids from 1950 to 1960 and 1960 to 1970 has been 29% ·and 38% respectively. From 1970 to 1976, the estimated increase has been 23% or at a decennial rate of approximately 38%. This indicates that the population growth has leveled off to a steady rate of increase. Assuming that this rate of increase will remain steady, the estimated population for 1980 would be 16,560 and for 1990 it would be 22,850. ,, Based on available housing figures, approximately 2,500 II Ferris students were included in the 1960 census and i! ~ population estimate of 14,770. approximately 7,200 students were included in the 1976 Ferris' enrollment is presently estimated at approximately 9,200; therefore, approximately 82 % of the students are living.on campus. lL Ferris officials do not have immediate plans for new I housing programs so that even with the proposed increase '1.J in enrollment, it is determined that the on-campus student ll population will not increase past 7,200 in 1980. It is feasible that between 1980 and 1990, new housing may be I- available in order to house additional students, thereby J_ increasing the on-campus student population to approximately ·r L_ L 10,000. Applying this estimate to the previous total City estimate, the population of "permanent" Big Rapids residents · by 1990 would be approximately 12,850. These estima t e s are compatible with population estimates extra polated in previously cited planning studies; i.e. -34- . [ �BIG RAPIDS MASTER PLAN--1963 and RECREATION PLAN FOR THE BIG RAPIDS PLANNING AREA--1967, therefore, it is recommended that reference be made to those plans when necessary. MAJOR STREET PLAN The MAJOR STREET PLAN has been developed to provide for the safe and efficient movement of two types of traffic-regional or through traffic and local traffic. It is necessary that these two types of traffic be separated to preserve the residentially-oriented atmosphere of the community. Regional Traffic I.~ [' Vehicles which are moving from one area of the state to another must be afforded safe, quick passage through urbanized areas. The plan proposes two types of thorough- fares for this movement: major arterials for non-stop passage through the community and primary co+lectors for Ll business traffic. The major arterials or major thoroughfares designated for Big Rapids are the existing Federal highway U. S. 131, and the proposed freeway. U. S. 131 is presently a major highway for north-south traffic from Petoskey to the Michigan-Indiana state line. Preliminary studies by the Michigan Department of State Highways indicate that there will be a freeway paralleling u. S. 131 and at this time, the location is proposed to be west of the City. This proposed freeway will alleviate the traffic load through the City but regional traffic is still expected to be heavy enough to warrant classifying U. S. 131 (State Street in Big Rapids) as a major thoroughfare. -35- �BIG RAPIDS MASTER PLAN--1963 and RECREATION PLAN FOR THE BIG RAPIDS PLANNING AREA--1967, therefore, it is recommended that reference be made to those plans when necessary. MAJOR STREET PLAN The MAJOR STREET PLAN has been developed to provide for the safe and efficient movement of two types of traffic-regional or through traffic and local traffic. It is necessary that these two types of traffic be separated to preserve the residentially-oriented atmosphere of the community. Regional Traffic Vehicles which are moving from one area of the state to another must be afforded safe, quick passage through urbanized areas. The plan proposes two types of thorough- fares for this movement: major arterials for non-stop passage through the community and primary co+lectors for business traffic. The major arterials or major thoroughfares designated for [J Big Rapids are the existing Federal highway U. S. 131, and the proposed freeway. I_ 1, 1~ L L I[ U. S. 131 is presently a major highway for north-south traffic from Petoskey to the Michigan-Indiana state line. Preliminary studies by the Michigan Department of State Highways indicate that there will be a freeway paralleling u. S. 131 and at this time, the location is proposed to be west of the City. This proposed freeway will alleviate the traffic load through the City but regiona l tra f fic is still expected to be heavy enough to warrant classifying U. S. 131 (State Street in Big Rapids) as a major thoroughfare. -35- �State Highway M-20, which presently provides an east-west thorough-fareinto and out of the City, is recommended to be realigned so it will continue compatible with the expanded Central Business District. This highway presently enters the C.B.D. via a truss-type bridge spanning the Muskegon River. It is proposed that the use of this bridge be discontinued for vehicular traffic and a new bridge be constructed. Several alternative alignments have been proposed for a new bridge site. At this time, the Big Rapids City Plan Board has no preferences among these alternatives. At the time of this study, possibilities were being explored to retain the existing "Maple Street Bridge" as a pedestrian ~alkway providing access between the C.B.D. and the developed areas east of the River. A large portion of the residents east of the River are elderly citizens so that it is necessary that they be offered easy non-vehicular access to the downtown area. A primary collector in Big Rapids is proposed to act as a business route around the developed areas. alignment for the collector is: The recommended a new road on the west City limits connecting 19 Mile Road to the north with Perry Avenue, extended, to the south: Local Traffic Residential traffic within the developed areas is proposed to be served by minor streets. Alignments and locations of the minor streets are intended to discourage fast-moving cross-town traffic by eliminating continuous through streets and developing a curvilinear street pattern in residential areas. •I I Intersections with major roads and -36- C �r I- r r r r railroads should be eliminated where possible. New residential streets are recommended to parallel these major roads and railroads so that residences will not front on or have access to the heavy trafficways. Except in cases where a new street alignment has been planned to reduce the number of intersections and where streets have been planned in previously undeveloped areas, existing alignments will be followed iri the street plan. 1 ,[ ., The PROPOSED FUTURE LAND USE map shows the recommended street plan as it relates to the future land use patterns and locations. The accompanying illustrations, MAJOR STREET PLAN and STREET CROSS-SECTION STANDARDS, show recommended changes in street alignments and recommended street surface widths respectively. The schedule for updating the _existing street system in Big Rapids to conform with the street plan will depend primarily on the City's ability for funding. Recommended street closures or vacations can be accompli~hed immediately with little cost for presently unneeded or undeveloped streets. j; l l I- One of the points of implementation of the Goals for Big Rapids was to consider a north-south pair of streets to relieve the congestion on State Street within the developed portion of the City. As was previously discussed, the proposed U. S. 131 Free~ay west of the City is presently in the _planning stages. This Freeway will be the major traf£ic carrier for north-south through traffic and will by-pass Big Rapids approximately one mile to the west. Access from the Freeway will be via M-20 at the south and 19 Mile Road at the north. It is anticipated that with the building of the Freeway, new development will begin between the Freeway and the City and then into the west -37l - �portion of the City. The primary collector previously mentioned would bisect this development along the west City limits and connect the business · loop access routes. This collector would also serve to alleviate local northsouth traffic on State Street by affording an easier, less congested route between residential areas on the west side of the City and one of the ·principal traffic generators, Ferris State College. The recommendation of this report is to first consider this collector and then, in the future if needed, to develop a one-way pair in the City employing State Street for northbound I :1 II -f traffic and the combination of Rose Street-Division Street for southbound traffic. Primary factors to be considered in using the Rose-Division routing are the necessity of widening and resurfacing and the bridging over at Mitchell Creek to connect the two 1 l. streets, both of which could result in high expenditures and disruption of traffic flow. COMMUNITY FACILITIES \I . ;l:: Schools In most communities, the public _school system is the center of local cultural, social and recreational activities as well as being used for the education of children. Following are recognized principles and standards which have been developed through past experience in planning and which reflect standards of the Michigan Department of Education. These principles and standards are used as a · ba~is in determining the future requirements of the school system by relating them to existing factors and preliminary forecasts of population. -38- [ �Principles and Standards --Type and size of school facilities should be related to present and future residential areas and school age population. f I'C4. --Primary man-made and natural features, such as heavily traveled thoroughfares, railroads, bodies of water and large terrain changes should be considered in the determination of school locations. --Schools should be conveniently and safely accessible. --Where possible, all schools should be located in the interior of the concentration of residential development, preferably within 1/4 to 1 mile of the majority of homes. --Minimum school site sizes should be: elementary school - five acres plus one acre per 100 pupils; school - twenty acres; junior high senior high school - forty acres. --School athletic fields and play areas should be compatible with city recreation areas to minimize duplication of facilities. --School plants should be carefully site planned so as to result in a desirable amount of the site in open use which, in conjunction with _recreation facilities, could result in a more adequate recreation system for the community. I .I I -39- · L �r r l = r r -,; [~ Existing School System* The Big Rapids school system, which is approximately ninety years old, was first accredited by the University of Michigan in 1884. the North Centra l Association .of Secondary Schools and Colleges and by the University of Michigan. The present location of schools is shown on the EXISTING LAND USE MAP. In terms of planning, a survey and evaluation of the Big Rapids Public School system reveals: 1. l I I The present high school is accredited by The Big Rapids Public School District covers approximately 105 square miles in portions of two counties, Mecosta and Newaygo. Administrative offices for the system are on Maple Street in Big Rapids. 2. Communities served by the school district are the City of Big Rapids and surrounding I L L Townships. 3. elementary schools, a public junior high school, a public senior high school, two parochial schools and a vocational education program. [_j - IL The school district is served by four public 4. In the past five years, 1970-1975, the school age census, 5-19 years has increased from 2,342 to 2,550. l_ *Source: Office of the Superintendent L -40- •. �5. Existing enrollments in the schools are as follow: School Enrollment Site Acres High School 910 850 11.8 Intermediate School 500 450 3.0 Brookside Elem. 222 175 7.0 Riverview Elem. 193 175 4.4 Hillcrest Elem. 188 175 6.6 Eastwood Elem. 175 175 4.3 Kinderga~ten at H. s. Special Education 180 at High School 182 TOTAL 6. Rated Capacity 2,550 37.1 All schools have appropriate playground or athletic facilities at the school sites. 7. All school facilities are exceeding capacity enrollment; however, additions are being made to the elementary schools for an additional 75 students each. 8. Existing public sites in the City are well located in terms of accessibility, room for expansion and compatibility to adjacent land uses. The sites, however, are presently too small according to recognized standards. I .I l_ I_ I l. L -41- �1r :r \r f f f f:-, . 9. The Big Rapids elementary schools, built in 1955 and the Big Rapids Senior High School, built in 1965 are all considered in good condition and are in good locations. The Big Rapids Intermediate School, built in 1924, is classified as being in fair condition and is on a site which is too small by site standards. Parks and Recreation Areas . 1 'l- ~ 11 11 , lIL IL ll IL I__ 1_1 In recent years, due to advancements in industrial technology, improved transportation systems and general automation to aid in daily activities, people everywhere have more leisure time to devote to recreation. become necessary to·develop adequate recreational facilities to satisfy the needs of local residents as well as tourists from crowded urbanized areas. ~ig Ra~fds is in the position of having quantities of relatively inexpensive land in a recognized tourist region of the State which can be developed for recr·eational use. This plan proposes a park system which may enable the City to make use of undeveloped land areas and possibly aid in the overall economy of the community. Recreation Principles The development of a recreation plan relies on established principles which have been adopted from standards of the National Recreation Association. ~-- ll L Since these standards are general in nature, they have been modified to apply to the City of Big Rapids. j_ It has -42- . �Ii Among these standards are: --A balanced park system should be provided to serve recreational needs of the local residents. --Park and recreational facilities should be developed to accommodate tourists. --Active, _passive, indoor and outdoor facilities should be provided. Where possible, these facilities should be provided in conjunction with schools. --Recreation areas should be conveniently and safely located. They should be accessible, well-designed, properly landscaped and maintained. --Recreation areas for use primarily by lo~al residents should be provided· within residential developments with proper buffers to shield adjacent residential uses from active recreation facilities on the site. -1 L --Recreation areas for transient use should be located and designed to be easily accessible L to major thoroughfares and trunklines and to the retail business district. 'i • I l_ --The following types of parks or recreation areas should be included in the overall plan: I_ -43- -C �rPark-Playground: {_- A small (three acre) park for use by residents of the community. This facility is usually developed adjacent to an elementary r r of elementary school age and also for occasional r. Playfield: school and provides facilities for use by children recreation by adults. for use by teenagers and adults. conjunction with a senior high school. The recommended size is twelve to twenty acres. I Community Park: r. This area is developed as a center for civic activities. It should be located near the center of the population I. concentration and provide facilities for all age groups such as playground equipment, picnic I. ,~ tables, passive recreation areas and facilities for civic functions. This area should contain approximately two acres per thousand population. Community-Wide Recreation: All totalled, ten acres of recreation land should be provided for 1 every 1,000 persons. I! This area should contain sports fields and is usually developed in r -l An active recreation area intended - This total includes the recreation areas developed for the specific use of the residents of the community. I ·1 lI_ Tourist Recreation Areas: These areas developed either with community funds or private funds depend upon the need which can be developed by encouraging tourism. They include camping grounds, swimming, fishing, and other sports areas, scenic areas, areas of historic interest or in general, -44- �11 ir- lf r f facilities which may be used by a visitor to the community. Existing Recreation Facilities In addition to the playground-playfields associated with the schools, there is a total of 160 acres of designated parks in the City of Big Rapids. These parks, ranging from a one-half acre neighborhood park to a 38-acre l l generally along the Muskegon River and Mitchell Creek. 11 These park areas provide passive landscaped areas and also 1-·i I ~ 1 I community park, are located throughout the City, but active recreational areas such as athletic fields. newly completed swimming pool facility at Mitchell Creek Park has a capacity for approximately 800 persons with parking for 60-70 automobiles. rl The The building which houses the bath house also doubles as a community room during II 1~ Ii.: I IL the off-season. Adequacy of Recreation Facilities Based on national recreation standards*, Big Rapids' present population of approximately 14,770 should have a total of 150 acres of recreation land for all types of facilities from a park-playground to a community park. To determine a proper recreation plan for the community, existing facilities must be measured, both quantitatively and qualitatively. r' ~ ~ - *op cit, Page 33. !I -45- L �r r .r lr .rr j Quantitatively, the parks in the City plus portions of the school sites designated for recreation, total approx imately 160 acres. This is an estimate that includes the total school property which is used for recreation purposes. A large portion of the designated park space is undeveloped. Mitchell Creek Park and Hemlock Park have a large portion devoted to and developed for recreational purposes. It is, therefore, apparent that the City has sufficient total recreational acreage according to standards. 11 ,1 Qualitatively, Mitchell Creek Park and Hemlock Park are the best developed of all park areas in the City, and as a result, the most used. Other park areas, with the ,-, exception of the parks along the Muskegon River and the I Mitchell Creek Roadside Park on State Street, are not II large enough to satisfy standards. l IL I '. L - Locations of e x isting park areas for the most part are 1 r good. The designation of areas that may be otherwise \ unusable along the River and Mitchell Creek for parks, indicates that the City is in the process of developing a completely adequate park system. Refer to the RECREATION PLAN FOR BIG RAPIDS--1967 . . (Page 33) I !t ! l. Recommendations 1. Small (approximately three acres) areas should be acquired in various locations of the City to be developed as neighborhood playgrounds. These areas should be located so as to be able to serve the majority of I- youngst e rs throughout the residential areas. -46- -L �r The playgrounds should be equipped with rI interesting playground equipment and ' should be maintained on a regular basis. 2. Existing facilities should be equipped with standard equipment: r r~ :r screens, goal- posts, basketball backboards, etc. and maintained on a regular basis. If it is not feasible to improve existing facilities, ~ additional acreage should be acquired and equipped to meet recreational standards. I 3. Additional land should be acquired along the Muskegon River and Mitchell Creek to ,_ be developed as community parks. These parks should be diversified and developed for both active and passive recreation. f. l 4 .. should use approximately 150 acres pf land at this time and plans -should be made for [~ the eventual recreational space to be u 1i .I Total developed recreation areas in the City approximately 230 acres by 1990. 5. A signing system should be developed to help the public identify parks . Plan for Recreation Areas The PLAN FOR RECREATION AREAS is based on the planning principles and standards listed earlier in this report, the preliminary population projections for the community, the preliminary sketch plan presented to the Plan Board, -47- l �r Ir ir If I. r the MAJOR STREET PLAN and the BIG Rl\PIDS RECREATION PLAN. Parks and Recreation According to accepted standards, approximately onethird of the existing and proposed school sites should be designated and developed for recreational use. ;~ l~ Ir All property owned by the City fronting on the Muskegon River is proposed to be developed ~s a community park. Portions of these areas should be equipped with playground I equipment, picnic tables, restroom facilities, a park !I along the River should also be encouraged to improve and 1[ shelter and adequate parking. Private owners of properties maintain any lands fronting on the water. · The MAJOR STREET PLAN recommends that a park drive serve this area. Other neighborhood parks as shown on the FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 11 IL 1-tj I IL -I' :L l. L L .L -l should be developed as soon as suitable land areas can be acquired. Public Administrative Facilities Existing Facilities The principal administrative officesin Big Rapids are located in the City Hall Building at the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Pine Streets. This building houses the offices of the City administrative staff and the City Commission chambers. Also in the building are the City Police Department and the City Fire Department. The building, which is approximately 55 years old, has been renovated and remodeled over its time of existence to accommodate the needs of the City as it has grown . -48- �r ![ . f ' Ir I rr ~ II l } ,r [!~ )! fL -. Although it is recognized that newer and larger facilities will be requir e d for the City Hall, this report will not cover specific recommendutions. Unlike other facilities that have been discussed in this report, there are no general standards pertaining to space requirements or location of administrative areas. The particular space requirements in any given office are dependent upon the needs or desires of the director or head of that department. Relationships of one office to another also depend on the coordinating functions as assigned in a particular city. In its present location, the City Hall is within the area of the present and the proposed Central Business District (C.B.D.). Although it offers convenience to persons who may wish to shop and also do City business, it is using land space which would be well suited to a commercial activity. One of the problems in nearly all C.B.D.'s is the lack of separate off-street parking near the stores. By necessity, employees at City Hall utilize the existing parking lots during shopping hours thereby decreasing the available and potential customer parking~ The Big Rapids City Police Department presently has 19 employees, 13 of whom are fully-sworn officers. All facilities for the Police Department are in the City Hall Building. The . four patrol cars are kept behind the building in the parking lot. Although it is not anticipated that the department will expand by more than about five persons in the nex t ten years, plans should be m9 de to provide for a larger, better-located facility. Vehicles in an emergency situation generally have to travel within the C.B.D. area when moving from the station. -49- �,r ,\l I[ rr -; -. The Fire Department located next to the Police Department presently has ten fulltime and fifteen volunteer firemen. The department presently covers an area of approximately 144 square miles, including the City and four surrounding townships, plus having responsibility for campus buildings at Ferris. There are six vehicles operated by the Fire Department, but a need is anticipated for more new or replacement vehicles, including a high platform aerial truck and a rescue vehicle. Optimum conditions would be for all vehicles to be located within buildings so with i' 1l ,, I! l IL !L Il - an expansion program a new space f~r this facility is desired. As with the other emergency vehicles, the fire trucks are located close to . the high value C.B.D. during runs to other parts of the jurisdictional area the trucks must traverse the shopping area. It is anticipated that as the City grows, new departments will be developed to take care of growing demands of the City. As new departments are generated, additional space must be allocated. As this is a changing situation, the viable solution is for the City, in the near future, to conduct a feasibility study to determine what the longrange administrative and space needs will be for the City. 1· ,L t L L l-l However, ·-50- � 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 Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 Big-Rapids_Comprehensive-Development-Plan_1976 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates, Community Planning Consultants Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976 Title A name given to the resource The General Development Plan Description An account of the resource The General Development Plan final report was prepared for the City of Big Rapids by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates in 1976. Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Big Rapids (Mich.) Mecosta County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng 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/ca45306bc4d3ce78a5b4fdbd4705e45f.jpg 407e502a55a829ca159e2a219dcb118a 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS2972 .G4 1899 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 DC-01_Bindings0302 Title A name given to the resource The Gentleman from Indiana Description An account of the resource Binding of The Gentleman from Indiana, by Booth Tarkington, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1921 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/66689638c038fb05a52b2e36d75c1817.mp3 0bd179ec5d0198bc427eae15caf5f41d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4ed37bf385612b275fd264f70df0ff75.pdf d68adf7d0542ab08d569b7996888c2fd PDF Text Text The Gift of Life; The Life of Grace Text: Luke 15 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Pentecost VIII, July 22, 2001 Transcription of the spoken sermon Life is a gift. The Psalmist knew that. The old, familiar 100th Psalm says we are the creatures of God's hand, God has made us, not we ourselves. Life is given. We are the recipients of that miracle, and a miracle it is, really. A sperm and an ovum unite and there potentially is a human being. The human genome project is mapping out the genetic mysteries of the human being and it is far beyond my understanding, but, in any case, when we think of life, when we think of birth, we say it is a miracle, and it is a miracle in the best sense of the word, for miracle is not some event that goes contrary to the processes of nature, but rather, it is that wonderful, awesome consequence of nature itself when it is functioning according to its intention. Life is a gift and life is a miracle. It is almost impossible these days for a pastor to make a hospital call on a new mother, but it used to be one of my favorite calls to make. Today, by the time we hear of the birth, the mother is out of the hospital, hopefully with a baby in tow. But, formerly, there were a few days of grace and it was always marvelous to make that call. There were tears and there was joy, such a wonderful experience. My favorite text was Psalm 34, verse three, which must have been in Mary's mind when she sang The Magnificat, "O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt God's name together," because in the face of the gift of life, in the face of a birth, we know we are in the face of a wonderful miracle. I think that when my own children were born, I was somewhat in a fog, not fully aware, lacking wisdom and experience to stand in adequate awe. I wonder if it may be that God gives us children before we are wise enough and have experience enough fully to appreciate the awesomeness of it. Perhaps when we get that experience and wisdom, we'd be so scared, we wouldn't have them in the first place. As grandparents, at least we have a second chance to enter into that with our own children if God is gracious to us. I can remember as though it were yesterday four years ago this past Friday. Nancy was entertaining some of her friends on our deck. They were having a luncheon, as I remember, and she received a call from her son-in-law that our daughter was on her way to the delivery room, and with uncharacteristic irresponsibility, she left her guests at lunch. They could continue to eat if they © Grand Valley State University   �The Gift of Life; The Life of Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 2   would. They could clean up if they were helpful, but she wouldn't care. She was on her way to the hospital. And so it is - the gift of life. Life is a gift, and when we stand in its presence, we know miracle. It would be wonderful, we often say, if we could only keep them little. Not really, of course. And yet, they do grow up, and in order to become adults, they have to go through adolescence and then there comes that moment when we have to let go, when we have done all we can do, when we have prayed for them and nurtured them and shaped them and formed them as best we can, given as much wise counsel as we can. But, with fear and trepidation, there comes that moment when we have to let go. Then it is that life becomes a choice. It becomes a choice for them. What will they do with this miracle of life that is offered as gift? In the story that Jesus told which is called the Story of the Prodigal Son, it could well be called the story of a father's unrelenting love. But, interestingly, in the very beginning of the story we learn that when the young son came and asked for his inheritance, lacking all propriety and wisdom, the father let him go. There was wisdom in that. All of us, I suppose, at one time or another have cajoled, we have pled, we have bribed, perhaps. But, we know that there is a limit. There is a time to let go. Then the choice belongs to those who have grown up under our sheltering wings, for it is time for them to try their own wings. The younger son wanted his inheritance and he took off, and Jesus said he squandered his property on dissolute living. Just what the details of that were is totally unimportant. The fact is that he just thought it would be a party forever. He didn't realize that there could be a turndown in the stock market. Suddenly he found himself in dire straits. Well, you know the story well. A significant little phrase has it that "he came to himself." He came to himself. He had made a choice and it was a rather disastrous choice. But, all of us have the privilege of one or two of those. Thank God he came to himself, and he began to calculate a bit and then he said, "I will arise and go to my father," because what he really wanted was a bunk and breakfast. Or, maybe a bunk and three square meals. We get to the bottom of the heap sometimes and we get desperate and we need the common, ordinary things. He was remembering the parents' home, its civility and its dignity and its adequate provision, and so he arose and went to his father without any sense at all that there was not a day since he had left that the father's heart had not been wrenched and that the father had not looked longingly down the road if perchance he might see some indication of a returning boy. Well, he wasn't home yet. He wasn't even totally changed and transformed at this point. He was still calculating a bit He was still figuring how he could make it on his own with a little help. And so, he had a well-crafted speech that he was going to give to his father. He had memorized that speech and said it over and over all © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Life; The Life of Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 3   the way from the far country, only to be interrupted by the father's running to him, embracing him, kissing him, the father's heart breaking over him, and the father's love breaking his heart And then, finally, he was home, for he had had an experience of an overwhelming grace. No more calculation. No more selfjustification. No more rationalization. Just home in the father's arms. Rembrandt has captured it magnificently in oil on canvas, 'The Return of the Prodigal." He was home. Grace transformed him. But, it isn't only the far country that beckons those who come to years of responsibility and have to choose. There are those who dwell in the far country, even though it's only the back forty, those who never leave home, but have never been home. Those who are responsible and faithful and dependable who never kick over the traces or kick up their heels. Those who are righteous to a fault. In the parable, the elder brother who was such a person, coming in from the fields, hears the music and dancing and catches a whiff of the fatted calf roasting on the spit, and like the eruption of Mt Etna, all of his anger and resentment and hostility break forth. He had been faithful and responsible every day of his life, and he had hated every minute of it. He had not followed his younger brother's example, maybe because he lacked imagination or courage or whatever. But the reason that we cannot applaud him for his faithfulness and his righteousness is his self-righteousness, and the fact that there was no joy or spontaneity in his life. What he did, he did as onerous duty and heavy responsibility, and the resentment continued to build up until the moment of the party, of the joy, of the spontaneous bursting forth of life watered richly with grace. And then, in total alienation, he left the home, the home of which he had never really been a part. Life is a gift, and then becomes a choice. We have to remember why Jesus told this story. Luke tells us in the opening of the 15th chapter that it was because he was receiving criticism because of his table fellowship, because of the people with whom he consorted, because he was open to ail sorts and conditions of humankind, because he didn't make distinctions between clean and unclean, righteous and unrighteous, godly and godless. And he didn't do that because Jesus saw more deeply into the human soul than most of us. Jesus saw the turmoil there; Jesus saw the hurt and the pain, he saw the fear and the wonder there, and he knew that all of the negativity sometimes takes over a human soul, a reaction, a very clear response to a multitude of life experiences. But Jesus never lost sight of the fact, as he looked into the depths of every human being, that there was a child of God, and so, with open arms, with an open invitation to the table, with an embrace, with a spirit and an attitude that was totally opposite of any kind of exclusion or ruling out, Jesus was able, as the father in the parable, to transform human beings, to give them an image of God as the God full of grace who creates every new possibility. Here we are this morning, gathered in community in worship. What an interesting story it would be if all of our tales could be told. Some of us have been © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Life; The Life of Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 4   here forever and some of us have returned somewhat recently. Some of us are full of grace and some of us are still not sure, and the message this morning is that grace creates the possibility for new beginnings, for new possibilities. There is always the opportunity to choose again and to be born and to be born again, for finally, the only thing that God desires for us is that we come home and that we rest in the grace symbolized in the arms of the father as we are washed with tears and made clean. If only we would come home, we would learn to sing, to sing a simple song. © 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 VIII Scripture Text Luke 15 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-0-20010722 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2001-07-22 Title A name given to the resource The Gift of Life, The Life of Grace Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 22, 2001 entitled "The Gift of Life, The Life of Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost VIII. Scripture references: Luke 15. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Inclusive Life Miracle Pentecost Prodigal Love Transforming Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/41af5f42cc1b7f0fa0a77ec650482b95.pdf c8fb8316c6d495e66548c573adfec5d3 PDF Text Text The Gift of Love: The Face of God Funeral Service for Louise Zevalkink Exodus 33:17-23; I John 4:7-8, 12, 16; Psalm 16:5-11; John 1: 1-5, 14, 18; John 14: 8-9 Richard A. Rhem Fifth Reformed Church Grand Rapids, Michigan July 3, 2012 Finally home; she is finally home and what shall we say? My words are not adequate to paint a portrait of this extraordinary human being. With you all, I loved her deeply. I have some sense of the void in your hearts. In these later years she really did not want to go out and about nor did she want dear friends in. In a sense she has long been removed from family gatherings and celebrations. Nonetheless she was present in her absence and was still “there.” She, the solid rock, the heart and center of the family, was still with you. But now she is gone. Slowly but surely she was shutting down in those last weeks and final days. Today we gather to worship, to remember and to give thanks for this beautiful life lived out before us. Leading the service as I am, yet I do so as one of you, as family. I can do no other. It would take too long and is not necessary to relate why that is the case – but you know. And so for a few moments let us celebrate her life as the child of God that she was. Louise was deeply traditional in the Christian faith, in the Reformed faith that looked back to Geneva, to John Calvin, and was expressed perhaps most clearly and warmly in The Heidelberg Catechism which opens with the penetrating question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” To which the eloquent answer is given, “That I with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ....” She never wavered from that bedrock trust in the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ. To her end, one of her favorite hymns was “Blessed Assurance.” “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!” So secure was she in her Christian faith that she had the freedom to question, to wonder. I suspect that is why we grew so close over the years. Spending the © Grand Valley State University   �Gift of Love: The Face of God Richard A. Rhem Page 2   summers on Lake Michigan shores in Grand Haven, the Zevalkink clan found their way to Spring Lake and Christ Community Church. I really don’t know just when that began or what brought you there in the first place, but I remember as summer arrived, year after year, I looked forward to having you fill a pew on my right about two-thirds back. And every so often I raised a question about which I was thinking and invited the people to think with me. Those were days of probing, not of dogmatic statement. And Louise was a natural prober; she loved to think, to wonder, to deepen and broaden her faith and understanding. Sometimes I got a bit too far ahead in the questioning of orthodox Reformed doctrine. Then there would be a conversation at the door – never in panic, certainly never in anger; she never took offense, she had to think about it. She was really quite wonderful: thoroughly engaged, thinking deeply, seeing possible pitfalls but ever gracious, kind and patient. If I were to describe my own pilgrimage and, I think, hers, there was a movement from dogmatic clarity and rational certainty to deep trust in the good and gracious God who holds us securely as we wonder, as we attempt to bring faith understanding into meaningful relationship with growing experience in our evolving human situation. There was a little choral response I haven’t thought of for years, but thinking of Louise I think it describes the passion of her life: To see Thee more clearly, To follow Thee more nearly, To love Thee more dearly. Perhaps that gives you a snapshot of how I knew Louise and I suspect you will recognize her in my description. I read the passage from Exodus. These are Israel’s founding stories – a kernel of history with faith’s embroidering. Moses, Israel’s great leader, brings them to Sinai where God calls him to the mountain and gives him not only the Ten Commandments but extensive direction for Israel’s life and worship. The people grow restive when Moses does not come down to them. They go to Aaron and, in an attempt to calm them, he calls for their gold and jewels and from those casts a Golden Calf – the focus for worship. The story is familiar. Moses returns, is infuriated at the people’s faithlessness and smashes the tables of the Law – fearing God may consume them in His anger. Well, that is the background for Chapter 33. God and Moses in conversation, Moses pleading with God not to abandon Israel but to go with them – and God promises to accompany them on the way of their pilgrimage. I selected this Old Testament story because, as God is reconciled to Israel, Moses makes a request: “Show me Your glory.” © Grand Valley State University �Gift of Love: The Face of God Richard A. Rhem Page 3   And God’s answer – “You cannot see my face; for no one shall see my face and live.” God does, however, instruct Moses to stand in a cleft in the rock as God passes by. God will cover him with His hand until He has passed by so Moses can see God’s back, but the chapter ends with the words “My face shall not be seen.” This biblical story came to me when I heard the news that Louise was shutting down and I began to think about her and her religious pilgrimage. There was in Moses, the story tells us, a longing to see God which I take to mean a longing to know God, to experience God in all His glory and greatness and grace. I can identify with that. I know that is not a common human experience; multitudes, I suspect, go on their way happily or nonchalantly, not worrying much about the source, ground, and goal of the whole cosmic drama. But I do and Louise did. And, as the Hebrew people told their founding story, they were saying from the beginning there has been a hunger for God. But this story ends “My face shall not be seen.” And that brings me to the heart of my reflection. I knew a week before Louise died that my meditation would be “The Gift of Love: The Face of God.” In that title I am trying to say she was a gift of love and she gifted us with love. In Louise, love was embodied and she was our gift of Love. But that’s not all; in her face we saw the face of God. In the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John there is a fascinating thread that essentially says, “No one has ever seen God” but God is love and those who love abide in God and God in them. “In the beginning was the Word....” (John 1:1); “The Word was made flesh (or human) and lived among us, and we have seen His glory...” (John 1:14); “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only son...who has made Him known.”(John 1:18). In the ancient story God’s word to Moses is “You cannot see my face...you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” But the Christmas gospel is “The Word became flesh...and we have seen His glory.” The gospel writer is well aware that “No one has ever seen God” but now the clue to the mystery of God is a human face. © Grand Valley State University �Gift of Love: The Face of God Richard A. Rhem Page 4   If we move to John 14: 8-9, that this is the writer’s intention is clear. Philip says to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus’ response is amazing: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Quite amazing, isn’t it! Just as the Moses stories were created by later generations trying to grasp their origins in Moses’ encounter with God, so the circle of the Apostle John, probably located in Ephesus, was trying to understand the story of Jesus, his life, death and continuing presence in their midst. What was the message, the truth that came to expression in the life of Jesus? The Gospel is the Good News – in Jesus we have experienced the presence of God; in Jesus we have a clue to the Sacred Mystery from which all has emerged. The writer of the First Letter of John takes us one giant step further. Reading the mystery of God in the life of Jesus he states his fundamental trust. He writes, “God is love.” The Gospel affirms that the mystery of God is revealed in the humanity of Jesus. The writer of the First Letter of John repeats the Gospel’s acknowledgment that no one has ever seen God but, rather than pointing exclusively to the Word made flesh, this writer makes the astounding claim, broadening the Gospel’s claim. He writes, “If we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us....God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Do you understand my title? Do you see why for the funeral meditation for Louise Zevalkink I entitled it “The Gift of Love; The Face of God”? She was the gift to everyone whose life she touched from the intimacy of marriage and family to the wide circle of friends and community – the gift of love – and in her face we glimpsed the face of God. Over these past years Betsy and Peg conspired with me to visit Louise but she was cagey and usually foiled our conspiring. But on March 23 of this year it was arranged. I gained entrance as it were and we had a delightful time. In fact it was so natural and easy that Peg called Betsy to come in with Nancy. We had one more happy hour. I had brought along a copy of a rather new hymn, “I was There to Hear Your Borning Cry.” We even tried to sing it. I chose that hymn because of the final verse: When the evening gently closes in And you shut your weary eyes I’ll be there as I have always been © Grand Valley State University �Gift of Love: The Face of God Richard A. Rhem Page 5   With just one more surprise. Well it was a beautiful moment. And then when it was apparent that Louise was approaching her end I came once more. She had been unresponsive all day but Peg and Betsy were sitting on her bed, Kleenex at the ready. Once again she came to life and was very present with us. She smiled and savored those moments as we sang and prayed. Finally the end drew near but once again with Peg and Betsy present she tried to tell them something – they figured out there was a framed something above her desk. It was a framed prayer I offered at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I had the prayer written in calligraphy and she had framed it. The girls read it to her and she said, “Now you may go.” The prayer in part tells the story of this wonderful woman, so full of grace, and the life she shared with her beloved Jim, taken from her too soon: “We give Thee thanks for the love and faithfulness in which they have lived together, worked together, nurtured their family, and been stewards together of the grace of life. We all in various ways are here present to attest to the enrichment our lives have received through them and the model they provide for us, - a model of the joy of living, - of quiet strength and steadiness, - of vivacity and graciousness, - of faith and devotion, - of kindness and gentleness, - of faithfulness and love.” Louise has entered light eternal, united again with the man she loved, caught up in the abyss of love of the God we have glimpsed in her beautiful face. What a gift! What grace! Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! © 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 Meditation for the Funeral of Louise Zevalkink Scripture Text Exodus 33:17-23, I John 4:7-8, 12, 16, Psalm 16:5-11, John 1:1-5, 14, 18, John 14:8-9 Location The location of the interview Fifth Reformed 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-0-20120703 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-03 Title A name given to the resource The Gift of Life: The Face of God Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 3, 2012 entitled "The Gift of Life: The Face of God", on the occasion of Meditation for the Funeral of Louise Zevalkink , at Fifth Reformed Church, Grand Rapids. Scripture references: Exodus 33:17-23, I John 4:7-8, 12, 16, Psalm 16:5-11, John 1:1-5, 14, 18, John 14:8-9. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Faithful God Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1bddd3c6ee72dbd06ad1582ecb85cf57.mp3 ded93e48a664dbd61512c41069f25e3c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/50566ee3819393a4c430613fa4a92044.pdf 40406536065c8775da35a456a5a9fa5f PDF Text Text The Gift of Sabbath Text: Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12, 15; Mark 2:27 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan September 3, 2000 Transcription of the spoken sermon I smile a bit as I think about bringing a sermon on the subject of the Sabbath. I suppose it has taken me several decades in order to preach with passion and conviction the fact that the Sabbath ought to be rigorously observed. That is because of the way I was raised in my family home as a child. The Sabbath was observed very, very carefully. The Sabbath day was absolutely predictable; it never varied. If we, in the summertime, rented a cottage at a neighboring lake, we would move out on Saturday. That’s when the rent began, of course, but we would go back home on Saturday night and do the Sunday ritual and go back on Sunday evening for the week’s vacation. There was no frivolity, there was no playing. When I think about the Sabbath as I experienced it as a child and as a youth, I don’t think it was exactly the intention of the Sabbath observance prescribed by the Ten Commandments. We got up early in the morning, off to 9:30 church. My mother stayed behind. Part of the meal was prepared on Saturday night, the rest she prepared on Sunday morning because when we got home after church and Sunday School, we had to sit down immediately to eat because my father had to get a brief nap before he gathered my mother and me up and we went off to pick up my grandparents, and then they went to the Dutch service in the afternoon. I was left with some aunts, “unclaimed jewels” they were. Then they came back from the Dutch service for coffee and cookies and the extended family all came around. It was quite nice, really. And then we had to hurry home for a light supper in order to get back for the evening worship. When I was a younger child, it was Junior Christian Endeavor on the Sunday afternoon, and when I got a little older, it was Intermediate Christian Endeavor before the evening service. And then, of course, because I was a mistake and came along rather lately, I got dragged along, my poor parents being burdened with me, and so I always had to go out for coffee and cake after the evening service. Now, that’s a Sunday! That’s a Sunday. When I think about it, I smile because obviously it was so contrary to the intention of Sabbath. That’s the way Sabbath was observed and I also am mindful of the fact that for my parents, for our household, it was the total social structure of our life. The whole social © Grand Valley State University   �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 2   structure of our life centered around the church and therefore, I guess it didn’t appear to be an oppressive thing to them or an abusive thing at all. For a child? It was a long day. When I was in college or seminary I heard the old Presbyterian minister who was a great preacher, Donald Grey Barnhouse, who experienced that in his Scottish Sabbatarian practice as a child, who said of the hymn, “Day of All the Week the Best, Emblem of Eternal Rest,” “If heaven is like a Sunday, I don’t know if I want to go there.” Well, that rigorous observance of Sabbath which had so much value is also very difficult to keep going without it slipping into legalism. That’s a tension that we simply have to live with. If we’re going to do something religiously, if we’re going to do something rigorously, then there is a kind of obligation about it which, if we miss the glow of it, can be perceived and experienced as an oppressive legalism. I think in my own Dutch Calvinist roots there was a lot of legalism which a child simply has to endure, failing to see the intention behind the practice. So, I have to smile a bit when I think about how important I believe Sabbath observance is at this point in my life, the observance of Sabbath as that principle of punctuating one’s life for rest and for refreshment and for worship, for the contemplation of God’s creation, and for the remembering of God’s grace. The point of my message this morning is that we have lost the Sabbath principle. It is almost non-existent in our society today and we are paying the price for it. We live in this marvelous, exciting age in which we have been able through the application of intelligent mind, reason, skill and competence, to create a culture that is so filled with possibility. We have mastered so much of the universe. We have performed technological miracles. We have possibilities undreamed of only a generation or two or three ago. We call these things labor-saving devices, or time-savers, and the irony is that the more we have developed the capacity to save time and to multiply our productivity, we have not found more leisure or rest, but we have become more driven. I do believe that we live at a frenetic pace and part of it is simply because we can. Look at all the gadgets and technology that are at our fingertips in order for us to do so much more than ever could have been done before, having created more time. I heard on the very early CNN Headline News this morning that we are working more hours than ever before, according to a study just out, and the minority populations among us are having to work even more just in order to keep up. We live in a society where I am sure there are those of you out there who would say it’s absolutely essential for us to maintain our standard of living to have two incomes in the home. And so, we become a people who are driven by our success. We become the victims of all of that which is possible for us, and there is precious little consciousness of Sabbath in terms of rest and cessation. We escape in exhaustion to the weekend, not the Sabbath. And then, because we’re rather affluent and we have so much possibility, what we do on the weekend of escape in © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 3   order to let our hair down is rush off some place! We pack our cars and we have to keep up two places and we complain about that, but yet, we wouldn’t give that up. We have all kinds of toys to enjoy and, of course, the weekend is just crammed with the wonderful good old American religion. It happens in the stadiums around the country, many of them brand new, with all kinds of creature comforts, wonderful professional sports. Football starts today, doesn’t it? There’s college football on the weekend. I mean, you can cram the whole weekend full with wonderful exhilarating experience until you are so exhausted you can’t wait to get back to work in order to get exhausted again and to rush into the next weekend. Are we not in a frenzied pace? Are we not the victims of all the possibility and the prosperity and all the capabilities that are ours? The Sabbath principle is almost non-existent, and I think that is a kind of syndrome that feeds on itself and we are in one of those spinning modes where we don’t seem to be able to get off the trolley. I heard on National Public Radio a few weeks ago some report about the German economy, the fact that they are being forced to open up more business hours through the week. Germany is probably the most highly structured European society, although The Netherlands is not far behind. In the 60s when I was in The Netherlands, there were just so many hours that a business could be open and so in the weekend on Sundays, most of the stores were closed. If you needed a pharmacy, it was printed in the paper as to what pharmacy in, for example, the city of Leiden, would be open. But, the government regulated how many hours it could be open. This was a humanitarian principle; it was for the well-being of the workers, for the well-being of society at large, and it was, I am sure, a residue of the old Dutch Calvinist Sabbatarian principle. But, I heard just recently that there is tremendous pressure being put on the German economy, the German government, to allow businesses to be open more hours because they are losing business in a world that is global, connected by the Internet where you can shop anywhere, 24 hours a day, and if you are closed, you have lost out. Well, it’s just an illustration of the fact that in our world we are going faster and faster and faster and the frenzied pace is dizzying and instead of finding ourselves able to relax and take time because of all of the possibilities, the array of technological devices, we are caught up in it, and it is for that reason that I preach this sermon, to being you to awareness of the human need for Sabbath. It may sound like a complaint, like a Jeremiah, and I don’t mean that at all, and as I said, if it slips into a legalism, it can become coercive and very negative in its effect, but I want to hold Sabbath before you today. Let me just say a couple of things about the Sabbath in its biblical rootage. Obviously, in the first place, it is a gift. It was intended as a gift for the humanization of the creature. It was not some prohibition, even though it involved a prohibition. But, its heart, its purpose, its thrust was not prohibition, but invitation, invitation to catch one’s breath, invitation to cease and desist. It © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 4   was a recognition in the wisdom of that early Hebrew culture of the need for life to be punctuated with pauses, the need for life to have those boundaries and limits to that unceasing, relentless cycle of work and labor and productivity. We have become managers, anxious, wanting to subdue and subject and to dominate, and the Sabbath principle was contrary to that human drive. If you take the whole Sabbath cycle, every seven years and every seventh seven years, every 50 years, that is, there was to be a cessation of that driving determination to produce and to accumulate and to acquire and to master. Every seventh day the human being was called simply to be, to be a human being rather than a human doing, simply to stop and to contemplate, to catch one’s breath, to get out of the rat race, to let go and to be. The intention was that it be a wonderful gift. There are great social implications in the Sabbath observance because it was not only for you, but for your servants and for your animals and for your land. The intention was that the whole created order needs time, time to be. The great Jewish Rabbi Heschel speaks of the Sabbath as the cathedral of time. The great European cathedrals are sacred space, but the Sabbath is sacred time. It was an oasis; it was a resting place; it was a very, very great gift. It was a gift that was marked by the cessation of work, of labor. And once again, that can become legalistic and that is not its intention. Although the Sabbath in the Hebrew Creation account is the seventh day, the Christian movement moved it to the first day in celebration of the resurrection, it could as well be the third day or the fifth day. The point is that life have a rhythm of work and rest. The point is that we need to have the cycle broken and when we have that cycle broken, the intention is that we not work, that we, indeed, rest. I don’t know where our drivenness comes from. Some might point to our Calvinism or our Puritan roots or whatever it may be, but while the biblical account recognizes the necessity of labor, that work was not an end in itself. In the creation account, the seventh day was the climax. It wasn’t a mere interlude. All one’s labor, all one’s energy, all one’s action was to culminate in rest, delight, contemplation of the wonder and the miracle of life, recognition that one is not one’s own creator, recognition that one is borne along in a process, recognition that finally this whole created order is the gift of God. One could say it’s the contemplation of creation according to the Exodus account, for if you read in the 20th chapter, the Sabbath commandment is in light of creation. But, if you go to the Deuteronomy account, the Sabbath commandment is based on the need to contemplate salvation or grace. You were slaves and God set you free. And so, it is a cessation of work but not as an end in itself, but as an opportunity to delight in the wonder of life and the miracle of life and the glory of life. The Sabbath is a time to be open to God. If we don’t have those seasons and days and rituals and actions, prayers, stories, sacred myths - if we don’t have them, God dies. God dies in our awareness. © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 5   I was reading Karen Armstrong’s The Battle for God and I came across that paragraph which I put in your insert. Just since the modern periods of the Enlightenment everything has been tried to be reduced to rationality, where the myths are exploded and perhaps the rituals and the cult looked at divisively. But if we don’t have sacred space and sacred time and sacred language, God becomes a non-factor. We can become very numb, very dull to our rootedness in the Divine. Thomas Moore, in The Care of the Soul suggests that it is not a case of remembering and so observing, it is a case of observing and then remembering. It is important for you to come here week after week and to be reminded in a hymn, in some word of scripture, some statement from the pulpit - it’s important to come here in order to be made aware again, to be called to attention again, because we can dull to it, we can die to it. Dag Hammersjold says God does not die on the day we fail to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day that our life is no longer illumined by a radiance whose source we can never discover. I need to be reminded. I need to be reminded that creation is God’s gift, life is gift, and all is grace, and so I need this time, I need this time to come and to hear “When Morning Gilds the Sky, my heart, awakening, cries, ‘May Jesus Christ be praised.’” “This Is My Father’s World, I rest me in the thought,” or “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound.” I need to be gathered in this community where there is birth and there is death, where there is health and illness, where there is joy and there is sadness - I need to reminded that I am a part of the bundle of life. I need to have time. If I don’t have time, if I don’t take time, if I don’t make time, I’ll lose part of my humanity and it’s not that God is going to be angry with me, it’s that I’m going to lose the sense of the presence full of grace. It’s not that I’m going to go into free-fall; it’s just that I’m going to forget that underneath are everlasting arms. The gift of Sabbath, dear God, how we need it. How I think all of us probably need a lesson or two from my father and mother. (I didn’t think I’d ever say that.) © 2013 Kaufman Interfaith Institute and 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 Exodus 20:8, Deuteronomy 5:12, 15, Mark 2:27 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-0-20000903 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-09-03 Title A name given to the resource The Gift of Sabbath 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 3, 2000 entitled "The Gift of Sabbath", on the occasion of Pentecost XIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Exodus 20:8, Deuteronomy 5:12, 15, Mark 2:27. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Awareness Community of Faith Worship https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1df3378e26bf9fbb8e81f46f0bd38352.mp3 2dd738f20837f85c3f051345e184ece8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/21574e35f3d037263ed6383a9b647e07.pdf 43720cfb8e31701eb36e544c928583f7 PDF Text Text The Gift of Sabbath Labor Day Sunday Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:23-28 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan September 1, 2002 Transcription of the spoken sermon I'm not going to tell you anything new this morning. I'm not going to tell you anything I haven't told you before. I simply want you to reflect with me and think with me about the importance of receiving and celebrating the gift of Sabbath. I have to smile when I see that title, 'The Gift of Sabbath," because it took me a long time before I thought of the Sabbath in terms of a gift, for I was raised in a home in which the Sabbath was very solemnly and seriously observed. The observance began on Saturday night where my father would peel the potatoes for the Sunday dinner. And then he would go out on the porch and take down a basin, one of those old white porcelain basins with chips all over it, fill it with water and put it on the stove, get it steaming, put his towel in that water, and put it on his face. Six days a week he shaved with an electric razor, but on Saturday night, he really did a job with the safety razor very closely so he wouldn't have to shave on Sunday. The Kalamazoo Gazette came to our door on Sunday morning, but it was put under the couch and never opened. And then it was off to church, and after church there was Sunday School and my mother stayed home to get the dinner ready. Dinner was ready when we came home, we ate the dinner and my father took a very brief nap. It had to be a brief nap because we were off again, off again to pick up my grandparents where I was dropped off while they took the grandparents to the Dutch service in the afternoon. Then back to the grandparents where the clan gathered for coffee and cookies. By 5:00 p.m., with the other grandfather in tow, we went home for a light supper and then off to the evening service. Following the service it was a social gathering with friends for more coffee and cake, and finally home about 10:00 p.m. That was Sunday - our Sabbath observance, but it was hardly a Sabbath. It tires me even now to think about it. It was one big day. © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 2 It was a strict and serious observance. It accomplished the purpose of stamping my existence. Here I am six decades later still observing Sabbath, but in quite a different mode, for that observance of my childhood was marked by legalism. It is not easy to observe seriously without falling into legalism. This is a problem generally for us as humans beings - the things that we structure into our lives, to be able to do them, remembering why we do them and to revel in the joy of doing them and not to get caught up in the obligation to do them in a certain fashion so that there is a kind of legalistic pall over the whole thing. There certainly is a positive there. We all need structure, predictability, and I don't want to paint my growing up in tones too dark, for there were moments of delight in that; there were family gatherings, there were community gatherings. And, of course, in spite of myself, I must have picked up some stuff in all those church services and Sunday School classes and youth groups. That steady observance, obviously, imprinted my life, so I am still doing it week in and week out. But, there can be a negative side to it, as well. We all have certain moments we remember in encounters with others, and I remember dealing with a young man, I say young from my perspective, that makes most people on earth young. He came out of my very circle. But, somehow or other, his observance was hard, lacking all grace, and I shall never forget when he looked at me, his eyes moist with deep emotion in his voice, saying," I most regret I have lost 40 years of Sundays." That's almost five and a half years of one's life, and what he was saying is that it was such an oppressive, almost abusive experience - it carried with it such heavy weight, such baggage that, to this day, he has been unable to come back to worship because of that experience which was so negative in his past. It is difficult. Do not hear me playing light and fast and loose with this. Observances that are significant and meaningful in our lives must be observed. If we don't have a structure for them, if we are not caught up in a pattern and a routine, chances are that we will be less and less likely to carry out any kind of serious observance. But to mark out a sacred space and sacred time and avoid that heavy legalism is the secret. Because, as a matter of fact, as we look at the Sabbath principle in the scripture it is designed with human beings in mind. Somehow or other we twist that around as though we do this for God. We don't do this for God. We do this for ourselves. We do this for our sanity. We do this for our humanity. As Jesus said, when he was criticized by the Pharisees, who were giving expression to that negative legalism of which I spoke a moment ago, "The Sabbath is made for humankind not humankind for the Sabbath." The translation is, "So the son of man is even lord of the Sabbath." The real translation is, "So humankind is really the lord of the Sabbath." In other words, we are in the place of determining how the Sabbath will be observed. It is our gift. It is given to us. © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 3 If we go to the Hebrew scriptures, the Sabbath principle was a revolutionary principle. The observance of one day in seven is a big part of it, because it was that weekly observance, and in the giving of the Ten Commandments we have it attached to the fact that God created the heavens and the earth and then rested and blessed the Sabbath, so that Sabbath is a day which God has blessed and has given to humankind for rest. The significance of one day in seven can be seen in Leviticus 25 where the Sabbath principle is applied to the agricultural situation in terms of years, and they are to work the land for six years and then let it lie fallow for a year and not work, and not work their slaves and not work their beasts of burden, and take what the land offers, but let it lie fallow. Let the land rest. And then if you continue in Leviticus 25, you will find the year of Jubilee is every fiftieth year, a Sabbath of Sabbath years, seven sevens, and the 50th year, the year of Jubilee in which the trumpet is sounded, the slaves are set free, debts are cancelled, and property, if it has moved from one family to another, goes back to the original family. You try running on the Republican or Democratic ticket with that kind of a policy. The point of it is obvious. You don't own your land. The land is God's. It was an intentional instrument to short-circuit human greed and acquisitiveness and aggressiveness and competition. It was all set up very carefully. If you get indebted at a certain point in that Jubilee run, it is thus and so. If you get land at one point, it is thus and so. It is all set up so that there was a kind of justice about it. But, the point of it was this: the land belongs to God. If Israel had ever lived by that ideal, there would never have been the development of the gap, an excessive gap between the rich and the poor. It was a day to be delighted in. It was a revolutionary principle of freedom and liberation. It was a weekly reminder that we didn't create ourselves, that we live by grace. It was a weekly opportunity simply to be and not to do. In the Jewish observance, it was not for corporate worship as in the Christian tradition. When I think back about my own story as I related it a moment ago, that was not a day of rest. I get tired thinking about it. I can't believe that we did that year after year after year. But the day was intended, according to the Exodus passage, for the contemplation of creation, for in six days God created the heaven and the earth and rested and blessed the Sabbath. Or, if you go to Deuteronomy, it was the contemplation of their redemption, their salvation. It was a punctuation in the ongoing tale of their lives in order to short-circuit and cut that drivenness. It was in order to say, "Cease and desist! Stop, already! Would you for a moment simply be! You are a human being, not a human doing." So, the biblical intention, whether you take the Sabbath principle in the Hebrew scripture, or Jesus' application, which was simply the mantling of that institution with grace, the intention of the Sabbath is human well-being. In the situation where the disciples were hungry on the Lord's Day, they broke the Sabbath. They © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 4 broke the ordinary, regular regulation. In the gospel of Thomas, there is an incident recorded where Jesus sees a man picking up sticks on the Sabbath, which is to break the law, to break the Sabbath regulation. Jesus said to him, "If you understand what you are doing, blessed are you. If you do not understand what you are doing, you are cursed." The point is that this is not a matter of the literal dotting of i's and crossing of t's in some slavish manner. The Sabbath principle in a given situation cannot be observed in the same way, perhaps. And if that is true in given circumstances of our human experience, how much more true is it in the culture in which we live. How in the world do you observe the Sabbath in our culture today? Think of it with children, for example. I remember when I came here 40 years ago that Wednesday nights, in terms of the school system, were sacred and left for the church. Now, Sunday morning isn't even sacred. Sporting events are scheduled now on Sunday mornings. And we went from the Sabbath to Sunday to the weekend. Some time ago in Time magazine there was a cover story about the demand on parents to get their kids involved all over the place. The cover said, "Sports-crazed kids - year 'round play, summer clinics, pushy parents. Is this too much of a good thing?" The author said, "So what are parents to do?" This isn't a preacher; this is a journalist observing a cultural situation. What are parents to do? We do what Americans have always done. This is, after all, a country that systematizes. We create seminars on how to make friends, teach classes in grieving, make pet-walking a profession. In that light, Greg Heintzman's praise of structured play seem almost unAmerican. Any activity, no matter how innocent or trivial or spontaneous, can become specialized in America. So, if our children are to have sports, we will have leagues and teams and schedules and rulebooks, publish box scores and rankings, hire coaches and refs, buy uniforms and equipment to the limit of our means. We will kiss our weekends goodbye, and maybe more than our weekends. So, what are you going to do? You want your kid to grow up distorted? You want your kid to go through life with no self-esteem, feeling odd and different? Well, as a matter of fact, that is the intention of some religious groups whose very peculiarity is their statement of being different. I couldn't do that, personally. I didn't do it very well with my own. I could still remember how difficult it was always being different, always being odd person out, and I know the gospel says this whole thing is for us, not against us. But, what do you do? How do you find that golden mean? How do you raise your children so that they have a sense of identity which is other than main street culture? How do you get through to them that there are some other concerns than that with which we are bombarded in our culture? I mention that as the whole school year starts and all the activities start, and I do it from the luxurious position of a grandparent, because it's out of my hands. All I have to do is sixteen soccer games on weekends, that's all. Watch the grandkids. © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 5 That's easy. And we can laugh about it, but I know if you are a parent, I mention this in order that there might be the beginning of a conversation, if it's no more than talking to yourself, in order that you are not simply pressed into a mold, but you live with some intentionality that comes out of your own vision and value. But, that's one thing. What about the world of technology? Look at all the laborsaving devices that have given us so much more leisure. That's a joke. The laborsaving devices that allow us to work all the time. I sent this very weekend to my associate, Jane Ruiter, a fax which had a letter to be e-mailed to the other side of the country, and I thought to myself, "This is Labor Day weekend. Why am I doing this? One is able to receive e-mails. You know, there are certain number combinations that take hold and signify a whole panorama of things. You say 911, immediately we all pick up on it. What else do you always pick up? What do you see everywhere these days? What other number combinations? 24-7, 24-7, 24-7. There is no ceasing. There is no stop. There is no gap. There is no peace. There is no rest. Susan is working with my son Joseph who has some system going at George Washington Hospital in Washington D.C. where there is a system whereby the doctor can be on the ninth tee and with his little wireless thing check into the computer system of the hospital to get the pulse rate of his patient and prescribe whatever needs to be done and then get on with his golf game. I mean, it's wonderful. You never have to work. You can never simply play. And, of course, I speak about others. I am fortunate in that my work is my hobby and my hobby is my work, so I never work and I am an exception to all of this, as Nancy will bear with this. I'm talking about a real serious issue. It was the intention, the sense of the Hebrew writer of the Jewish tradition that God would have us have a cathedral in time that there would be those moments in which we could be present to the presence. In these past weeks we have been saying, if the world and nature, if we ourselves are the incarnation of that overflowing font that Mystery that is God, then God is in us and God is in the whole creation, and then it takes a moment to stop and to be aware and to allow that sense of the eternal to bathe our souls and mantle our spirits in order that we might be sane, in order that we might be human. I come back to these things because I have preached them before and it doesn't make any difference. It just gets worse. We are just being bamboozled. We are bombarded. We are driven to a kind of obsessive compulsive posture in so much of our lives and that is, according to the Hebrew prophet and according to Jesus, not good for us. God will get along just fine. It is our souls that wither. It is our spirits that grow thirsty and hungry, and we can't figure out what in the world is wrong with us. The gift of Sabbath, finding time, taking time, making time, time to be, time to be in the presence of God, time to be with the family, time to be in community. And this isn’t a bad time, this Sunday 10 o’clock hour. Not a bad time for a serious © Grand Valley State University �The Gift of Sabbath Richard A. Rhem Page 6 appointment full of grace in order to keep our lives on track. It’s a gift. Don’t miss 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 Labor Day Weekend, Pentecost XV Scripture Text Exodus 29:8-11, Mark 2:23-28 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-0-20020901 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002-09-01 Title A name given to the resource The Gift of Sabbath 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 1, 2002 entitled "The Gift of Sabbath", on the occasion of Labor Day Weekend, Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Exodus 29:8-11, Mark 2:23-28. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Faith Open Mind https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c18abfea5370ebc622992737a0104dc8.jpg e64f45511121143b2fd1f7bf2b809a0e 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS3515.O7593 G57 1900 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 DC-01_Bindings0405 Title A name given to the resource The Girl at the Halfway House: A Story of the Plains Description An account of the resource Binding of The Girl at the Halfway House: A Story of the Plains, by E. Hough, published by D. Appleton and Co., 1900. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 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/8f4ed85998d92d6d8f526c81e93c99f4.mp3 c17db53599bd8df6c8eb53dfd9c299df Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XI Series God Our Ally Scripture Text Psalm 139:1, 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-0-19850811 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-08-11 Title A name given to the resource The God Before Whom Our Life is Open/The God We Cannot Flee 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 11, 1985 entitled "The God Before Whom Our Life is Open/The God We Cannot Flee", as part of the series "God Our Ally", on the occasion of Pentecost XI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 139:1, 7. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/737fc5228e90ee1a423d5aed19f6f4b9.mp3 fee3cb83dd6eb2fea4131f65147f3ae1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent I Scripture Text Jeremiah 31:31,34, Revelation 21:6 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19931128 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1993-11-28 Title A name given to the resource The God of Our Beginnings 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 28, 1993 entitled "The God of Our Beginnings", on the occasion of Advent I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 31:31,34, Revelation 21:6. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cf3c71c43c1f5eda27059c0cf0bcdd27.mp3 8a6c918b68cc3eede63d210cc742b957 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 Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 3:2, 20, I Thessalonians 4:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19931205 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1993-12-05 Title A name given to the resource The God of the End 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 5, 1993 entitled "The God of the End", on the occasion of Advent II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3:2, 20, I Thessalonians 4:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e0e5ab5087a92f0c889b5cc52b0895ee.jpg 35af360455fa3596758fb1d318de6ab2 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS3179.W5 G6 1902 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 DC-01_Bindings0255 Title A name given to the resource The God of Things: A Novel of Modern Egypt Description An account of the resource Binding of The God of Things: A Novel of Modern Egypt, by Florence Books Whitehouse, published by Little, Brown, and Company, 1902. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1902 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/f5a2789312eaf740221a4f3d93923a83.pdf e883ac103e64e214b5119f5bde45b08e PDF Text Text The God We Cannot Flee Heartfelt Poems Psalm 139 Richard A. Rhem Lakeshore Interfaith Community, Mother’s Trust Ganges, Michigan October 19, 2008 Prepared text of the sermon This is the fourth of the four scheduled presentations for 2008. As I begin each time, I want to express my appreciation to Tapas and the Interfaith Center for the invitation and the opportunity to reflect on biblical themes from my own Christian tradition. Here all are honored, celebrated, and respected and one experiences that all too rare spirit of warm welcome, affirmation and openness. There is something about the atmosphere here that invites one to relax, to share openly and candidly and sense one is valued. This is a place of rich spiritual life where religious practice and spiritual quest are joined in a wonderfully positive community that is unapologetically a community of religious faith in its wide variety of manifestations. I had to smile to myself a week ago yesterday as I read the Grand Rapids Press section on Religion. I was reminded of my pre-retirement preaching ministry, when on Saturday morning, I regularly took the Press Religion section up to my loft where I would hibernate until I left for Christ Community Church on Sunday morning. More often than not, there would be something in the paper that would get my adrenaline flowing and even, if I were fortunate, provide an entrée to the subject of the sermon I had announced. I smiled because it happened again; what I was ruminating on for today was dealt with, in a sense, in two pieces that referred to the same current phenomenon – the film by humorist Bill Maher entitled Religulous. You have probably heard about the recent release of the film; it has a strong PR campaign working to promote the film. The L.A. Times printed a piece entitled “Bill Maher’s Religulous; Oscar Bait?” (August 21, 2008): When I attended a press screening for Bill Maher’s “Religulous” in New York on Tuesday, it struck me like a lightning bolt on the road to the Kodak Theatre via Damascus: yeah, “Religulous” will probably be nominated for best docu at the Oscars – and God help us all after that. © Grand Valley State University   �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 2   We know that “Religulous” is seriously in the derby for several reasons. First, Lionsgate hired veteran Oscars PR reps to handle its ballyhoo (Michele Robertson in L.A., Jeff Hill in New York). Secondly, the studio is giving the documentary its theatrical runs in L.A. and New York to qualify it for academy consideration, as Jeff Sneider notes at Anne Thompson’s blog at Variety.com. Thirdly the hallelujahs that film critics gave it today at the screening. More disciples are sure to follow. In order to catch on widely like religion itself, what atheism has needed for a long time is a popular preacher to rally ‘round. Maher just volunteered for the job that’s been vacant since Madalyn Murray O’Hair vanished in the 1990’s (eventually found murdered in 2001).Richard Dawkins has been a fine temporary stand-in, but not flashy like O’Hair. Bill Maher kicks things up a notch. He’s a pop culture hipster who already has a large, antiestablishment flock, and he has a bully pulpit that O’Hair didn’t: his own HBO show plus vast presence across all media. The Huffington Post notes: In a statement about the film, Maher explained his rationale for making it: It has been my pleasure over the last decade and a half to make organized religion one of my favorite targets. I often explained to people, “I don’t need to make fun of religion, it makes fun of itself.” And, then I go ahead and make fun of it too, just for laughs. With religious fanatics like George Bush and Osama bin Laden now taking over the world, it seemed to me in recent years that this issue – this cause of debunking the man behind the curtain – needed to have a larger, more insistent and focused forum than late night television. I wanted to make a documentary, and I wanted it to be funny. In fact, since there is nothing more ridiculous than the ancient mythological stories that live on as today’s religions, this movie would try to be a real knee slapper. Unless, of course, you’re religious, then you might not like it. As part of the film, Maher has also created a website, Disbeliefnet, as a parody of Beliefnet, the popular spiritual website. In response to the local showing of the film that occurred on Friday, October 3, Charles Honey used his column to suggest “It’s time to move beyond belief wars.” He writes we should divide into teams – religious believers on one side, atheists and agnostics on the other with each side getting ten minutes to present its case for or against God and religion. Then each side would get a five-minute rebuttal. Well, Honey is spoofing, of course, but his serious point is believers would do well to listen to the critics of religion and so would the sceptics. And, he concludes, both sides would do well to know when to give it a rest. © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 3   A more important piece in the Religion Section, also by Charles Honey, was entitled “Nonbelievers Make A Move”, in which he reports on a gathering of religious sceptics who gathered after seeing the movie. He writes, “For many of them, Maher’s mockery of religious faith was a kind of coming out for their beseiged minority of atheists and agnostics.” One complained, “They don’t respect us in our nonbelief….Why can’t we have a conversation about this?” To which a Hope College Professor of Psychology responds, “Great; let’s talk.” David Meyers is a fine scholar, widely published, and a serious Christian. His latest book is entitled A Friendly Letter to Sceptics and Atheists. He thinks scepticism is essential to healthy faith. He writes, Let’s, with a spirit of humility, put testable ideas to the test and then let’s throw out religion’s dirty bathwater. But then he adds, Is there amid the bathwater a respect-worthy baby – a reasonable and beneficial faith? Well, it is not my intention to get into this discussion. My comments flow from my expression of appreciation for this inter-faith community which strikes me as serene in its diverse religious observance. Perhaps it is simply that I am of an age that religious wars and conflict hold no interest for me. I’ve had enough of trying to persuade or convert or argue. But that doesn’t imply that I no longer find the spiritual/religious quest fascinating; I do. And I cherish a good book, a good conversation, arriving at a new insight. I never tire of wondering, wondering about the amazing cosmic story, the emergence of life, of consciousness and awareness, the evolution of human thought and the history of religion in all its varied facets. It is a great gift to be free of religious institutional concerns, budgets and building programs and memberships. I’ve paid my dues in that dimension of religious practice. And now, if anyone is interested, I can reflect on the mystery that is at the heart of reality, the Sacred and the Holy to which there has been universal witness of experience. And I can, if I desire, even view Religulous and read the hostile denials of God in Dawkin’s The God Delusion or the petulance of Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great. But that is not where I will feed my spirit. It is rather in the great classics of religious experience as well as the sacred texts themselves, for me, the biblical text. That is what these four reflections have been – hearing again the heartfelt poems that came to expression in the Hebrew Scripture. Last month my theme was “The Human Hunger for God” taking the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 42: © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 4   As the deer longs for flowing streams, So my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, For the Living God. Much of my presentation focused on a work by Andrew Newberg and Eugene D’Aquili, Why God Won’t Go Away. In sum, the authors claim on the basis of brain research that we are hard-wired for spiritual experience; it is a given of human nature. Supplementing that claim, I referred to a recent book by Huston Smith and Henry Rosemont, Jr., whose title raises the question, Is There a Universal Grammar of Religion? The authors agree there is. Huston Smith, the dean of scholars who has studied world religions, comes from a life-long Christian perspective. Rosemont, however, declares, “I am not a Christian, do not believe in God or gods….” Yet these two from oppositive positions on the God question and religious practice both affirm that there is written in the human DNA a religious dimension. (My presentation was, some have told me, heavy and I must admit, when I was finished it did feel a bit like a term paper.) We will look more closely at Psalm 139 in a moment but first I want to return to the discussion between Huston Smith and Henry Rosemont, Jr. in the recent work to which I referred last time – Is There a Universal Grammar of Religion? In his response to Huston Smith’s lecture claiming there is an innate human capacity for religious experience – a conclusion with which Rosemont agrees with Smith as well as the authors of Why God Won’t Go Away – he set himself apart from Huston in that Huston has remained in his childhood faith – Christian faith in the Methodist tradition – while Rosemont says, “I am not a Christian and I don’t believe in God…” You may find it strange that one who writes with Huston Smith and agrees that there is a universal human religious dimension would say he doesn’t believe in God. Obviously, for him religious experience must be of another sort than that of traditional religion focused on some conception of Divinity, of a Supreme Being though variously described. And indeed that is the case. I did not reference this last month but on my first reading of Rosemont’s response to Huston Smith’s lecture I was struck by his own statement of how he understood religious experience. As he was the designated responder to Huston Smith’s recent lecture, so a few years earlier Huston was the responder to a Rosemont lecture. Rosemont refers to that lecture as he tries to portray where he is in relation to Huston’s Christian understanding. He explains: Much of my lecture was devoted to claiming that the sacred texts of the world’s religions all provided spiritual disciplines for the achievement of religious experiences which I described as a strong feeling of belonging, or © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 5   of attunement, or, in Wittgenstein’s Christian-flavored account, “the experience of being absolutely safe.” Let me underline Rosemont’s description of religious experience – A strong feeling of belonging, or of attunement, or, in Wittgenstein’s Christian-flavored account, “the experience of being absolutely safe.” I found, and I find that a powerfully descriptive phrase that immediately resonated with me. Wittgenstein was one of the towering figures of early 20th century philosophical discussion, especially in the meaning of language in our discourse. I was frankly surprised to find such a description of religious experience in Wittgenstein. Rosemont went on to say that in his response to the lecture, Huston Smith pointed to that religious sense – I really liked what you moved up to in the notion of the mystical absolute safety, and the notion of belonging. But again, are these simply psychological states that these traditions give us as directives for how we can come to these feelings? Or, do they dig deeper into the nature of things to describe a reality, the ultimate reality which gives grounds for us to think that we are not just making it up when we have these sentiments of safety and belonging? (p. 40) Rosemont responded to Huston’s comment at the time of that discussion – My claim would be that just as we are “hard-wired” to respond in certain ways to human speech – the Universal Grammar – so are we wired equally to feel a sense of belonging in the natural world we experience with our sensory organs. But beyond that I make no ontological commitments… Now in this recent book he explains himself further. …although I restrict myself to the human realm, I take that realm, and religious experience, very seriously, and do not believe we are somehow “just making it up.” But as his remarks both then and now suggest, Smith does seem to want to say more, as he does at the outset of his lecture: The world (that my fourteen points) describe is objective, in the sense that it was here before we were and it is our business to understand it. He reiterates this claim in his ninth point: Nature does the same thing by building this Universal Grammar of language into our heads. We did not create that. It came from outside. © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Now if by “outside” Smith means that our linguistic capacity is not such that we can modify it at will – that it does not depend on our whim, or even on any particular psychological state – then I would heartily agree, and believe Chomsky would as well. Language is simply an important feature of the species homo sapiens, and I would say the same for the religious capacity. But if by “outside” Smith wants to go beyond human biology, I fear I may not be able to join him. Do you catch what is going on here? Is religion an inner-psychological experience or does the experience point beyond itself to a Ground “outside” our personal experience? To feel “absolutely safe” – is that an inner psychological/spiritual experience or does that point beyond the personal experience to a transcendent, objective Ground? As I was gathering resources on our Psalm this morning, Psalm 139, which we will come to in a moment, I came on a sermon by Paul Tillich on the Psalm and was delighted because I thought maybe he could help me with the Smith/Rosemont question. Tillich, one of the seminal religious thinkers of the twentieth century, was well known for the description of God as the Ground of Being. I began to wonder if Tillich was trying to articulate an understanding somewhere between Rosemont and Smith. Ground of Being Is that Ground, the Creative Source, the Presence of Mystery within the one reality of our universe? Or is that a Foundation “outside” to use Huston’s words? This is what Tillich expresses in his sermon on Psalm 139: Christian theology and religious instruction speak of the Divine Omnipresence, which is the doctrine that God is everywhere, and of the Divine Omniscience, which is the doctrine that God knows everything. It is difficult to avoid such concepts in religious thought and education. But they are at least as dangerous as they are useful. They make us picture God as a thing with superhuman qualities, omnipresent like an electric power field, and omniscient like a superhuman brain. Such concepts as “Divine Omnipresence” and “Divine Omniscience” transform an overwhelming religious experience into an abstract, philosophical statement, which can be accepted and rejected, defined, redefined, and replaced. In making God an object besides other objects, the existence and nature of which are matters of argument, theology supports the escape to atheism…. Let us therefore forget these concepts, as concepts, and try to find their genuine meaning within our own experience. We all know that we cannot © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 7   separate ourselves at any time from the world to which we belong. There is no ultimate privacy or final isolation. We are always held and comprehended by something that is greater than we are, that has a claim upon us, and that demands response from us. The most intimate motions within the depths of our souls are not completely our own. For they belong also to our friends, to mankind, to the universe, and to the Ground of all being, the aim of our life. (The Shaking of the Foundations, p. 45f) Tillich discourages philosophical debate about the nature or attributes of God and encourages us to try to find what those concepts mean in our own experience. And he assumes that experience is real, not delusion – agreeing with the authors of Why God Won’t Go Away and with Huston Smith. He claims “We are always held and comprehended by something that is greater than we are, that has a claim upon us…”. I assume he is saying such a realization of being “held and comprehended by something” is a dimension of human experience reflective of the reality of the human situation. But what does his counsel to leave off philosophical debate and look to experience have to say to the question we raised about the positions of Huston Smith and Henry Rosemont? Could not the experience of being “held and comprehended” be either an experience pointing beyond itself to a “Ground Outside” as Huston would claim, or to an experience within the one reality of our existence, as Rosemont contends?? I’m not enough of a Tillich scholar to give an answer; perhaps in his total work an answer is available. But as I reflect on this whole question I cannot help but ask: Does it matter? Need it be either/or? In either case would not the experience be the same? And that experience would be, in Wittgenstein’s words, “the experience of being absolutely safe.” I wonder. Having been born into and nurtured in a community of faith that understood God as over against Creation, both transcending creation and immanent within it, I understand Huston Smith’s probing and his intention of grounding the human and human religious experience “outside” the realm of human experience, the Reality to which human religious symbols and stories point. I am inclined by everything that has shaped me to understand God as “outside”. I suspect that is the case also with Tillich although I wonder whether he was not suggesting God as the Ground of Being as immanent in the totality of reality, © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 8   moving away from the traditional theism that understood God as “outside” of our cosmic reality even though immanent within as well. A naïve criticism of religious experience as an inner psychological phenomenon would claim that that makes God and/or religious experience simply a figment of our imagination or, even more crassly, the result of self-delusion. We brainwash ourselves as it were. But what if our psychological experience is the fruit of the experience of the whole of reality – the means by which the Sacred Mystery, the Source and Ground of All That Is is perceived? What if the marvelous gift of imagination is precisely the locus of the intersection of divine spirit and human spirit? What if there is not a bifurcation of reality into eternal/temporal, spirit/matter, sacred/profane? Let’s take such a wondering question to the Psalms, to Israel’s hymnbook or Psalter. Of course we are dealing with an ancient cosmology, a three-storied universe, a God who is Person as we are persons – only more so – the Creator, Ruler, Judge and Savior. But, acknowledging that and recognizing such conceptuality cannot work for us, nonetheless listen for the experience to which the Psalmist gives expression – read it in your favorite translation – the experience of being known, completely known: O Lord, you have searched me And known me, … Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your Presence? For it was you who formed My inward parts; You knit me together In my mother’s womb Where could I flee? But why should I flee for I am immersed in the Presence, the Presence of Grace. The closing verses grow harsh, wishing death on the wicked or is it simply those who do not share the Psalmist’s divine vision? Whichever, thankfully, the Psalmist moves beyond his vituperative condemnation – sensing, it seems, that he is out of line. Such imprecatory expression has no place in the presence of the Presence, and he returns to his own self-awareness in the Presence of the God before whom he is an open book: Search me, know my heart, test me and know my thoughts …and lead me in the way everlasting. © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page 9   A moving conclusion, resonant with openness, humility and peace in the Presence. Some years ago I received a modern translation of Psalm 139 from Howard Moody of the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, New York City. I think the author was a creative artist/poet on the church staff, the Rev. Al Carmines. I find this a most moving paraphrase of the Psalm: Yahweh, you have searched me, Known me deeply; Known my rest and restlessness, My innermost desires And where they lead In word and deed. Yahweh, you surround me, Hound me with a closeness Which will not retire – I cannot pass your test. Where shall I hide from your wind, Or where find a place that is faceless? No long road will lead away Nor deep sea drown your sounding voice. No height escapes your frightful reach Nor emptiness, your speech. The darkness leaves no time alone, For dark and light are both your home. There in the darkness of your secret place You formed my frame and shaped my face; There in the darkness of my mother’s womb You made room for me. Accept my praise: For I am dazed By your creation: Thoughtful of each instant of my time As if I were your only child; Yet my life, part of the ongoing rhyme Of history, your play. Why don’t you kill these selfish actors? Men who seek the center stage And try to play your part! How my heart rages at the sight of them! Why don’t you… © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page10   Search me and know my heart; Test me and know my doubts; And see if I am hiding in false face; And lead my words and actions by your grace. I am no accomplished judge of poetic expression but I find that powerful and moving, capturing in beautiful language the intimacy the Psalmist experienced in his witness to the God he could not flee. To use the phrase from Tillich, one could say the Psalmist found himself “always held and comprehended by something that is greater than we are, that has a claim upon us….” Or, to use Huston Smith’s language when describing that which is “outside” our experience: “…the ultimate reality which gives grounds for us to think that we are not just making it up when we have these sentiments of safety and belonging.” That feeling of safety and belonging would be a fitting description of Psalm 139. The experience of being absolutely safe. Experience – that is what the religious dimension of being human is all about. Religious experience has many facets and fruits as well as some shadow sides in human experience. The psalmist’s imprecations against the enemies of God as he understood God; the marriage of ignorance and arrogance that marks so much religious exclusivism and militancy. The control by institutional authoritarianism manipulating the people by the imputation of guilt and the prospect of an eternal burning. I could go on but to what avail? That is not what religious practice and observance is about in a place like this. It is not what it is about where it is a means to open the mind and warm the heart. And I know of no finer, more concise description of the fruit of the spiritual quest and the religious life than coming to an experience of being absolutely safe. Is that experience an inner psychological/spiritual experience or is it an experience grounded outside ourselves in the very structure of reality, in the Ground of Being, in the God beyond all the names and attributes by which the respective religions have described their vision of the Sacred Mystery of Being? Does it matter? Does it matter if the result of one’s religious observance and practice yields the experience of being absolutely safe? I know there would be a clamor should I suggest such an idea beyond the confines of this safe place. I can hear the objections already: © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page11   Is there not such a thing as Truth? Are you suggesting a relativity that makes no distinctions? Etc. Etc. I know. I know. But consider: what greater fruit can religion offer and provide than the feeling of being absolutely safe? Could one not live a fully human existence if grounded in such an experience: And could one not face one’s end with serenity if such was one’s experience? With all this on my mind, I attended a funeral yesterday at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. A lovely woman who was a team member for many years at Christ Community Church working with children in the education program lost her husband at age 58. He was not really an observant Catholic but had been baptized and confirmed at St. Pat’s and thus the funeral was there. I know the pastor, a warm, inviting person and was greeted warmly as I entered the sanctuary. “Ave Maria” was being sung. Then the processional, candles and cross and vestments. I was feeling very much at home. The manner of the priest was gracious, warm and embracing – no pomp and circumstance. He even handed out suckers to the few children in attendance The liturgy was followed, but minimally. The homily was given in a friendly nonthreatening, inviting manner. The gospel passage from Matthew 25 about the Sheep and the Goats was read and referred to. The theology was straightforward atonement-centered – Jesus died for our sins – he took our place opening access to God and eternal life. We were all invited to receive the gift of salvation. It is a theology I once held without question but have come to understand quite differently, but it didn’t really matter. The priest’s manner, as I said, was nonthreatening, non-judgmental and very genuine and sincere As I said above, with all of today on my mind, I found the whole experience quite wonderful. The dogmatic framework out of which the priest was speaking did not matter to me. What did matter was his manner, his obvious care for the grieving, his assurances, his goodness and kindness, the affirmation of the deceased and the hope expressed. I sensed that the family and friends were hearing through it all the affirmation – Your loved one is absolutely safe and you are as well. I was quite conscious of that sense pervading the sanctuary, no doubt because I have been reflecting on that declaration as a summation of what in religious parlance we mean by salvation. For me, as for others there, of course, there was not only the beautiful humanity of the priest but also “Ave Maria”, stained glass, the twenty-third Psalm sung and the Gospel read, cross and candles and the beauty of the sanctuary. The Story – the Symbols – the Setting – All of it “speaking” good news – you are absolutely © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem Page12   safe! Safe because your life is held and comprehended by something greater than you, the Ground of Being, experienced through story and symbol – through posture, gesture, vesture, through liturgy and music. I don’t mean to be boastful when I say it takes a great deal of maturity to sense in all of that that one is absolutely safe. It has taken me a lifetime of study and struggle, of questioning and wondering. I really don’t need Bill Maher to tell me religious practice, observance and dogma is all too commonly religulous. Of course it is because we religious folk are not infrequently ridiculous – arrogant, ignorant, tribal, exclusive, dogmatic and judgmental. But religion is not religulous; in its vast variety of expression and observance it is humanizing and elevating, inspiring and a catalyst for the best and the highest of human achievement and nobility. And it functions thus at its best when our human experience in the Presence of that which holds us has assured us we are absolutely safe. O Lord, you have searched me And known me…. Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your Presence?… Search me, O God, and know my heart …and lead me in the way everlasting. For in your Presence, within or “outside”, I am absolutely safe. After the morning experience in the sanctuary, last evening we attended a neighborhood gathering at a home across the street from our own. On our neighbor’s deck, I watched the brilliant sunset as the sun slipped into Lake Michigan, leaving a golden afterglow. Walking home an hour later, darkness had set in and the sky was inky black, but across the vast expanse of heaven’s canopy sparkled myriad stars as diamonds. To the west where the last traces of gold had been erased, the Evening Star was brightly shining; to the south, massive Jupiter could be seen; to the north the Big Dipper twinkled. My heart leapt within me; the words of my favorite mantra came to my awareness: All will be well, All will be well; All manner of things will be well. And I knew I was absolutely safe! References: Paul Tillich. The Shaking of the Foundations, a collection of sermons. © Grand Valley State University �The God We Cannot Flee Richard A. Rhem © Grand Valley State University Page13   � 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 Lakeshore Interfaith Gathering Scripture Text Psalm 139 Location The location of the interview Lakeshore Interfaith Center, Ganges References Paul Tillich. The Shaking of the Foundations, a collection of sermons, 1948. 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-0-20081019 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-10-19 Title A name given to the resource The God We Cannot Flee 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 Text Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 19, 2008 entitled "The God We Cannot Flee", on the occasion of Lakeshore Interfaith Gathering, at Lakeshore Interfaith Center, Ganges. Scripture references: Psalm 139. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Immanence of God Nature of Spiritual Experience https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fdba54f855d583a4d6662e9f95b32bfd.mp3 6c2bfb4d0d42019fb6a49df280fc1e50 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost X Series God Our Ally Scripture Text Jeremiah 2:13, John 4:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19850804 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-08-04 Title A name given to the resource The God We Forsake 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 4, 1985 entitled "The God We Forsake", as part of the series "God Our Ally", on the occasion of Pentecost X, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 2:13, John 4:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57e3660acefce76ec5188e3e273277ba.pdf 59eef9d0972dbeaf21a3e363c68d0d6a PDF Text Text The God We Forsake From the series: If God Be For Us… Text: Jeremiah 2:13 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan July 28, 1996 Transcription of the spoken sermon The word of God comes not only from those of ancient time whose words are recorded in the canon of the scriptures; there are contemporary voices, as well, that can set that ancient word in a context. These words, for example, by the wellknown psychoanalyst, Carl Jüng: Among all my patients in the second half of life, that is to say over thirtyfive, there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life. It is safe to say that every one of these fell ill because he had lost what the religions of every age have given their followers and none of them has really been healed who did not regain his religious outlook. This, of course, has nothing to do with a particular creed or membership of a church. In 1953, Rollo May, a psychotherapist in his book Man's Search for Himself, wrote, The chief problem of people in the middle decade of the 20th century is emptiness. The human being cannot live in the condition of emptiness for very long. If he is not growing toward something, he does not merely stagnate. The pent-up potentialities turn into morbidity and despair and eventually into destructive activities. The experience of emptiness generally comes from people feeling that they are powerless to do anything effective about their lives or the world they live in. Finally, these words from Hans Küng: The whole development, including the problem of addiction, particularly of educated young people for quasi-religious ideologies up to the point of terrorist anarchy is connected in no small degree with a breakdown of religious beliefs and the abandonment of religious rites. And from Jeremiah: © Grand Valley State University   �The God We Forsake Richard A. Rhem Page 2   The word of the Lord came to me saying, "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, 'Thus says the Lord, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness in the land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it became guilty. Evil came upon them, says the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord, O House of Jacob and all the families in the House of Israel. Thus says the Lord.' What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went at their worthlessness and became worthless? They did not say, 'Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no one dwells?' And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things, but when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. The priest did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' Those who handle the Law did not know me. The rulers transgressed against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. Therefore, I still contend with you," says the Lord, "and with your children's children I will contend, for cross to the coast of Cyprus and see your sin to Kedar and examine with care: see if there has been such a thing: Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their Glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this. Be shocked. Be utterly desolate," says the Lord, "for my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." The word of the Lord. In a week in which we have continued to witness the salvaging of the horror of TWA Flight 800, and a week which sees the Olympic Games disrupted by a pipe bomb, we are faced as a people with the recognition that we no longer live in fortressed America, separated from all of the disaster that has stalked the world through the ages, from which we have been mercifully spared for so long. We recognize that our world is changing drastically and there is no safe place, and we can rail about it and we can speak negatively about it, we can throw up our hands in despair about it, we can condemn the perpetrators of it, but we will do well to take a moment to ask, "What in the world is going on?" And, "What time is it?" I'm struck with the parallel between our present situation and the time of Jeremiah the Prophet. Walter Brueggemann, in his comments on Jeremiah, says that just as Jeremiah, in 587 BCE, the time when Babylon removed Judah from Jerusalem into exile and Babylon, had been announcing the End of things as they © Grand Valley State University �The God We Forsake Richard A. Rhem Page 3   had always been - the end of the Temple, the end of the dynasty, the return of Creation to chaos - and every one of these a symbol for a whole complex of social structures and meaning, and Jeremiah was the spokesperson to announce the end. He was saying, in effect, "Folks, it's over." And he was saying, further, that all of the frantic energy that you are expending to shore up these structures, to find some security, and to perpetuate, to preserve that which you've always known, that is not only futile, it is disobedient, because God is in this thing, and we happen to be at a time of dismantling. The prophet of Israel, at its best, was a destabilizer, destabilizing the status quo, announcing the end of things, and the emerging of something on the horizon that was new but could not yet be fully conceived. The prophets were not popular. Jeremiah is spoken of as the weeping prophet, and one time he cursed the day that his mother gave him birth. At another time, he said, "The word of God I will no more speak," only to find that the word of God was like a fire in his bones that he could not contain. And so, he had to announce to a people not so unlike us that their whole religious structure, their whole social arrangement, indeed, the monarchy that had held them together - all of that was coming to an end. And that God was in this thing, and therefore, they should recognize not all of the surface symptoms, but the deep, underlying cause of it all. Chapter two of Jeremiah documents how God had graciously brought them into the Promised Land and established them only to find the people having priests who knew not God, prophets who prophesied not the word of God, people who handled the law who knew not God. God said, "What have I done to you? Has it ever been such? Be appalled, O earth. My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken the fountain of living waters and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water." What a vivid image. With all of the lakes around here, we can't begin to appreciate the image in its original context where water signified life so dramatically, and God being offered as the fountain of living water, the very source of life. And the people being seen as forsaking that living water scurrying about with great energy to hew out cisterns, cisterns that were broken and could hold no water. A fatal forsaking, a futile pursuit, a double folly. Jeremiah says to the people of his day, "The problem is we have forsaken God, and all of the rest of the chaos on the present horizon are but symptoms of that deeper, deeper loss." As I was contemplating that, I thought about the contemporary prophets that speak in our day. I read the words of Carl Jüng, who said that all of those who came in with deep neuroses were those who had finally lost the sense of meaning that their religious traditions had mediated to them, that sense of the transcendent. Not talking about a creed, not even talking about a particular religion, but recognizing that there is a spiritual dimension to life, that to which all of the religions would point us, that to which we must be plugged in if we would be fully human and know some measure of human wellbeing. And then, © Grand Valley State University �The God We Forsake Richard A. Rhem Page 4   thinking about our present situation, where in the words of Hans Küng, commenting on that statement of May, where he says that what we see, particularly among the educated young, is the seeking after pseudo, quasireligious ideologies, but it ending in all kinds of addiction and finally terrorist anarchy. And we think about our world where the danger is not simply from without, but growing from within, and those who have studied the contemporary situation and the human person recognizing there a deep spiritual malady which probably can be expressed no more eloquently than in the words of Jeremiah: "Forsaking the fountain of living waters". Another commentator in the same area spoke about how, when he was used to setting forth all of the problems that he saw, whether it be the gridlock in Congress or potholes in the highways or the infrastructure of society, or the tax system or the welfare system, or the miserable way that we go about electing our politicians - and you could name your own litany of horrors of our contemporary society - and incidentally, these are all the things that the Hebrew prophets addressed – but this particular person said, "When I was naming off those problems that I would see, I was always stopped short when somebody would look at me and say, 'Well, what's your solution?' And he said, I sort of felt deflated and walked away, until I came to realize that it was not my responsibility to find a solution, a new arrangement for every particular problem that I saw about me. But it was enough right now to expose the emptiness, to at least say there is a problem, something is desperately wrong." And then he said to his friend, "We are like those who are singing under the balcony. We are the precursors of a day not yet arrived, but we see that something is happening. We are announcing the end of things," which is precisely what Jeremiah was doing, which is precisely what folks really don't like to hear, which causes us to get into that frantic activity to try to patch it up and hold it together, holding on with a kind of white-knuckled intensity, hoping that the world will stay together long enough at least for us to get through it. I had always hoped that I could get through life without ever turning on a computer, but it's all going so fast now, I don't think that I'm going to be able to make it! But, it's a very normal response for us to say if we can just keep the present structures intact long enough, if I can just get through with my retirement without Social Security going bankrupt, if I can only get through my life without Medicare going to pot, if only we can hold on - you see, it's always that kind of reactive, that sort of fearful response to the fact that things are being chipped away, things are unraveling. Nothing is the same anymore; there's no solidity, there's no security. We live in a world that is blowing up! And those who have observed, not simply just Jeremiah in 587 BCE, but those who have written in the last half of this century, have identified the human problem as a problem of meaninglessness and as one of them has said, ultimately the question of meaning is a question of God. Not a particular creed, not a © Grand Valley State University �The God We Forsake Richard A. Rhem Page 5   particular religion, but a particular spiritual dimension apart from which the human person is not whole, apart from which the human person becomes neurotic, apart from which human society becomes desperately ill. And so, the image of Jeremiah is not only apropos for that day in Judah's past, but I think very apropos for our day, too, for we can see the symptoms all about us, and the sense of powerlessness, the sense of victimhood. And then the dimensions of the problem and the feeling of helplessness to do anything about it, to make any difference, any dent in it - all of that is characteristic of our day and of many of us. I went to the New York Times Book Review section of last Sunday and found out that the longest running bestsellers have to do with the spiritual dimension. The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck - 662 weeks. In fiction, that kind of "New Agey", interesting story, The Celestine Prophecy - 125 weeks. Embraced By the Light - 96 weeks. And Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul - 131 weeks. Dear God, folks! Our contemporary society is starving, hungry and thirsty and, if we could move back in time about 36 years and I was preaching to you on this text, I would now begin to beat you over the head with it. I would begin to say, "That's your problem. Your life is empty. You have forsaken God." And I would have two or three simple answers for you, all of which would be rather self-serving for myself in this congregation. But, it's very interesting to me that a Marxist, atheist commentator, sociologist, dead a few decades – (Modern atheism is the great critique of religion. If we don't hear the modern atheistic critique of the Church and of religion in general, we will miss the most profound insight into the problem of religion and the Church) – this particular man said, in his latter years, "The problem with the Church is that it has failed in its representation of God to present God as the all-bountiful Creator. It has failed to sense the yearning in the modern person's heart for the holy Other, and rather than presenting God as the all-bountiful Creator, it has rather used its dominance, it has been marked by an exploitation by the darker instincts of the human person to inflict cruelties, crusades, witch hunts, and all of that darker side of institutional religion." This atheist says the problem with us is that, in the face of the hunger of the human heart, we have failed to mediate this all-bountiful Creator, and so I recognize that I, in the past, have been part of that problem, too. Beating people on Sunday, that poor, struggling remnant that still come, decrying their godlessness, rather than all of us recognizing together that that which the world is hungry for, that which our brothers and sisters on the contemporary scene are longing for, whether consciously or unconsciously, is some sense that maybe there is an all-bountiful Creator. © Grand Valley State University �The God We Forsake Richard A. Rhem Page 6   This is the thing that Paul was so convinced of. That's why I speak of this series about God as, "If God Be With Us," or better translated "Since God is With Us." You see, everything is falling apart and there are lives everywhere that are meaningless, that are empty, and those most profound commentators of the human situation are telling us that that's what it is. That's not from a biblical text; that's from a contemporary analysis - meaninglessness, emptiness. And what do we offer? Well, I hear it all the time in the Church - Let's go back to the good old days. Let's go back home when it was safe. Let's turn back. Folks - you can't turn back. You can't go home. It's only the future we'll be entering into. It is the future uncharted. It is a future that is unfolding with a drama and with a rapidity and with a profound change never yet experienced in the human story! Now, how will you enter the future? Will you enter the future with hope in your heart, deeply trusting the God of the past, knowing that the future will not outrun the God Who beckons us from the future? Ironically, Jeremiah the prophet, who was the destabilizer and the dismantler, was also the great prophet of hope, because Jeremiah the prophet believed in God! Jeremiah believed in the God Who created and Who redeemed and Who sustained and Who would finally bring to consummation. Therefore, Jeremiah could say to the people of his day, "Will you let it go? Will you let the Temple go? Will you let the dynasty go? Will you let the whole social arrangement that's given you security go, and will you find your security the only place it can be, that is in the living God? If you will quench your thirst at the fountain of living waters, you will find, drinking deeply there, that you will be able to deal with all the symptoms out here." That's the task of the Church. The Care of the Soul is not pop psychology and it's not fluff, and Thomas More cannot believe that it has sold so broadly and has hung on so long, because he says to people, there is no quick fix, but would you pause long enough to experience your own depths? Would you listen to what your body is saying? Would you listen to your heart? Would you take time out, take a step back and find out what time it is? And then rest in God? Trust Creation, dare to move with hope into the future?" The God we forsake is not angry with us. The God we forsake pleads with us, "Drink deeply. You are a people with whom I contend, and I will contend with your children's children; I will be there for you; I will never abandon you; I will never give up on you. Return to me in your frantic chase, hewing out cisterns that can hold no water, leading to addictions and to emptiness and weariness in boredom. Come unto me and find rest for your soul. That's the all-bountiful Creator. You may have forsaken the fountain of living waters, but God has not turned the fountain off, and He invites us to embrace our neighbors, as well, and together to drink deeply of living waters and find peace, even in the midst of a world that's © Grand Valley State University �The God We Forsake Richard A. Rhem Page 7   blowing apart, trusting that there is something out there that is emerging, and it will be good, because God would have it so. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0b274fcc250d6e225cb436f8e13fbdf2.mp3 187c12f7d7a512a7b3b799f9ab268900 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost IX Series If God Be For Us Scripture Text Jeremiah 2:13 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-0-19960728 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-07-28 Title A name given to the resource The God We Forsake Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 28, 1996 entitled "The God We Forsake", as part of the series "If God Be For Us", on the occasion of Pentecost IX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 2:13. Hope Meaning Nature of God Prophetic Voice Spiritual Quest Trust https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8e9b8fcdf010c2da6c2bf5a32f3eae01.mp3 8f27b5b4482d542105d169d776946047 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXI Series Meeting God Again for the First Time Scripture Text Genesis 1:1, Psalm 139:7, Acts 17:28 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-0-19971012 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997-10-12 Title A name given to the resource The God We Never Knew Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 12, 1997 entitled "The God We Never Knew", as part of the series "Meeting God Again for the First Time", on the occasion of Pentecost XXI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 1:1, Psalm 139:7, Acts 17:28. https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bdf38aa651e02ac5c31c296b74937148.mp3 4b9335edc13c403d8822f523ab9edc9e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XV Series God Our Ally Scripture Text Deuteronomy 6:4-9 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-0-19850908 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-09-08 Title A name given to the resource The God Who Blesses Our Homes Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 8, 1985 entitled "The God Who Blesses Our Homes", as part of the series "God Our Ally", on the occasion of Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Deuteronomy 6:4-9. 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/b0648391d89252390d544cf18b9950f7.mp3 69d4b238d0181873c540c182b22f328b 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 Trinity Sunday Scripture Text Isaiah 11:1-2, II Corinthians 13:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19860525 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-05-25 Title A name given to the resource The God Who Blesses Us 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 May 25, 1986 entitled "The God Who Blesses Us", on the occasion of Trinity Sunday, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 11:1-2, II Corinthians 13:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/119cab40c8ace5c44f5ec182217df4b3.mp3 d96aaefcbdc4d7d1797a9ad5aef15577 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cbe72f6ebf61b1e64ee79a26ebfd3bc2.pdf 9cc3758d69dc66d8406053ed81a40908 PDF Text Text The God Who Cares From the sermon series: God, Our Ally Text: I Peter 5: 7, 10 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 18, 1985 Transcription of the spoken sermon Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. …The God of all Grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you. I Peter 5: 7, 10 God is our Ally; He is a God Who cares. He cares about you, a creature of His making, a child of His love. He cares about all that pertains to your life and touches your existence. He cares about you so much that that which affects you, affects Him. He is not an impersonal determiner of your fate nor an impassive observer of your pain or your pleasure. He cares about you. He cares about the whole creation. He cares about the twists and turns of human history. He cares about His Kingdom, His rule present and coming. God is engaged with us; He is engaged with the movement of history. In that engagement, He is for us, on our side, at our side. This has been emphasized from various angles in this series of messages. The focus today is on the personal dimension of God's relationship to us. The message is a personal address to you. God cares for you. He enters into healing closeness with His people. He is our Ally. The text is from the first letter of Peter - a simple, concise imperative with a beautiful promise Cast all your anxieties on him (the imperative); For he cares about you (the promise). Let us begin with the promise declared in the text: God cares about you. That simple declaration contains a whole world and life view of things. It is a faith statement. It affirms a total perspective on the cosmos, history and human © Grand Valley State University   �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 2   existence. It is a statement about the nature of God and the meaning of life. All of that is embraced in the promise of our text that God cares about you. Let me remind you of the place we left off in the last message - the watershed of faith decision - There is No one, or There is Someone. Both alternatives, as I indicated last week, are faith decisions. If you want to study the question in depth, I would refer you to Hans Küng's great study on the question of God in the thought of the last two centuries, Does God Exist? Küng cites one of the leading logicians and epistemologists of our time, Wolfgang Stegmuller, who asserts: The academic expert, concentrated on his special field (mathematics, history, natural science,) does not like to be told that basic assumptions of his thinking are metaphysical in character; the metaphysician does not like to be told that his mental activity rests en a prerational, premordial decision; philosophers of all types - apart from skeptics - do not like to be told that the kinds of skepticism that are to be taken seriously are irrefutable; and skeptics themselves, of all shades, do not like to admit that they cannot prove their standpoint. Such a complex assessment more or less provokes the indignant protest: "This cannot possibly be your last word. One way or another, there must be a solution of some kind." To which I can only reply: "The solution is in your hands, at any time. Make up your mind. Decide." (Metaphysik, Skepsis, Wissenschift, pp. 1-2) Without belaboring this point, I do think it is important for us who have decided to believe in God to know that one can also decide not to believe in God, but in both cases it is a faith decision. We are the people who have decided to believe in God. Thus we have Someone, not No one. That is a fundamental life decision. But having made that fundamental decision, we still have to determine the nature of the "Someone" to whom we look and before whom we bow. Stoicism appeared in Greece in the Fourth Century B.C. and continued to find expression into the Roman period into the Second Century A.D. At its center, it was Pantheistic, believing that God was the principle of Reason that permeated all reality. The Cosmos was a vast machine grinding on its way according to the Divine Logos, the Divine Rationality. The individual found his peace in bowing to his fate. At the heart of things was not a heart, but a principle of reason, impersonal, unfeeling, untouched by the pain and pleasure of humankind. We might call this view of things fatalistic because whatever will be, will be. The world was not seen as capricious and arbitrary; it was moving rationally, but without a Personal Center. Perhaps we could say there was Something, but not Someone. Stoicism produced strong persons. We still use the term "stoic" to describe someone who bears unflinchingly life's adversity. A dash of stoicism would do us © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 3   all good. However, we must recognize here a world and life view which teaches fortitude in the face of whatever happens because of a belief in a cosmic determinism, a universe permeated by a divine principle but wholly indifferent to the human cry, be it an anguished prayer or a joyful exclamation. Sometimes we understand a teaching best by setting it in contrast to another. Our text makes a great claim, which is quite different from the stoic view which says that at the heart of things is not Someone, but Something – an impersonal principle of Reason. Our text claims that at the heart of things is not Something, but Someone - a loving, gracious Presence. He cares about you. Care is an interesting word. Henri Nouwen in his meditation, Out Of Solitude, points out the ambivalence of the word. For example, if one says, "I will take care of him!" it is probably the announcement of an impending attack rather than an expression of tender compassion - but it could be either. The word "care" has also come to be used as an expression of apathy and indifference. "I don't care." Given various alternatives, one may simply shrug one's shoulders and say, "I don't care." That may mean all alternatives are equally satisfactory, but the "I don't care" usage has come to mean not infrequently "I'm really not interested in any alternative - it doesn't matter to me." But, as Nouwen points out, care in its original and deepest sense has nothing to do with indifference and apathy and certainly not with belligerence. The root of care is in the Gothic, Kara meaning “lament.” He writes: The basic meaning of care is: to grieve, to experience sorrow, to cry out with. (p. 340 Nouwen declares, I am very much struck by this background of the word care because we tend to look at caring as an attitude of the strong toward the weak, of the powerful toward the powerless ... we feel quite uncomfortable with an invitation to enter into someone's pain before doing something about it. (p. 34) Yet, he continues, who really helps us? What kinds of persons make a difference? Is it not, Nouwen asks, Those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 4   can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares. (Ibid.) Thus the friend who cares is not the one with the ready solution, the quick fix, the explanation for it all, but precisely the one who is present with us, present to us, owning his own powerlessness and lack of simple answers. To be present with another in their pain is often avoided and evaded by us. Nouwen is quite right when he says, Our tendency is to run away from the painful realities or to try to change them as soon as possible. But cure without care makes us into rulers, controllers, manipulators, and perverts a real community from taking shape. (p. 36) Nouwen is speaking about human community, human caring, but what he says of the horizontal relationship, person-to-person, sheds great light on the care of God for His people. Our text affirms, "He cares about you." That contains a whole world and life view; that claims there is Someone; that Someone cares. That care is the opposite of apathy and indifference. That care is not manipulative and controlling. That care is a loving, gracious Presence with us in the pain and pleasure of our human existence. Many times we might wish that the God Who cares about us would show His hand, intervene, demonstrably move things around to fix matters for us. We would like God to be a manipulator, controlling things from His throne room beyond the ambiguity of history's drama. A not infrequent cry of anguish is, "Why don't you do something?" The people to whom Peter wrote were enduring persecution and knew great suffering and hardship. I am sure they would not have been offended at God's moving in on their situation even if it did infringe on the arena of freedom He carved out for the drama of history. But just here the insight Nouwen shares on the nature of care illumines the care of God for His people. To cure without care is to do violence to the subject of the cure. That is not God's mode of operation. He cares; that means He grieves, experiences sorrow, cries out with. Speaking of Jesus who is the reflection of the heart of God, the writer to the Hebrews says, For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities… (4:15) Stated positively: He is touched. He is affected by that which affects us. © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Again, let me stress that our text contains a fundamental world and life view. There is not No one, but Someone; not Something, but Someone; not a manipulative controller, but a loving, gracious Presence. M. Scott Peck is a psychiatrist. He wrote a book in 1978 entitled, The Road Less Traveled. In that book he speaks of God and of Grace, although at the time he was not consciously a Christian. The response to the book made him examine the Christian Faith and he received baptism. He begins his book with the straightforward statement, Life is difficult. He claims that most of us do not recognize this fact, but rather, ... moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. (p. 15) He writes about the disciplines by which the array of problems life presents can be handled. He writes about Love and Growth and Religion and then, in the final quarter of the book, he writes about Grace. His insights are so fascinating because he came to them from long experience as a psychotherapist. From his experience He came to believe in a powerful force originating outside of human consciousness which nurtures the spiritual growth of human beings. (p. 260) The religious, he explains, ascribe the origins of this grace to God. He calls the force love, but then asks where love comes from and his answer is from God. To explain the miracles of grace and evolution, we hypothesize the existence of a God who wants us to grow - a God who loves us. To many this hypothesis seems too simple, too easy, too much like fantasy; childlike and naive. But what else do we have? (p. 269) I cannot develop here the extended argument of Peck and his purpose is different from mine in this message. But his final word expresses vividly what I would express from our text and I find it fascinating that the truth of the text coincides with the data gathered by a contemporary psychiatrist prior to his conscious Christian commitment. He writes, The fact that there exists beyond ourselves and our conscious will a powerful force that nurtures our growth and evolution is enough to turn our notions of self-insignificance topsy-turvy. For the existence of this force (once we perceive it) indicates with incontrovertible certainty that our human spiritual growth is of the utmost to something greater than ourselves. This something we call God. The existence of grace is prima © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 6   facie evidence not only of the reality of God but also of the reality that God's will is devoted to the growth of the individual human spirit. What once seemed to be a fairy tale turns out to be the reality. We live our lives in the eye of God, and not at the periphery but at the center of His vision, His concern. It is probably that the universe as we know it is but a simple stepping-stone toward the entrance to the Kingdom of God. (p. 312) Again, Peck's purposes are different in his book than mine in this message, but his discovery of that positive, nurturing force from beyond ourselves – in a word, his discovery of grace – is the heart of that reality to which the text points. God cares about you. That means that Reality is benevolent. That means that in the human experience with joy and sorrow, victory and defeat, agony and ecstasy, there is a loving, gracious Presence that undergirds us, overshadows us, nurtures and sustains us. The text contains this promise: God cares about you. The text contains an imperative: Cast your anxieties upon him. We could translate this directive with the word "cares", thus achieving a beautiful parallelism, Cast your cares ... He cares... The words in the Greek language are not the same, however, just as their meanings are not the same in English. The "cares" of the first part of the text are anxieties, worries; it refers to anxious caring, the exercise in futility in which we all engage when we worry about things beyond our control. The Greek word Merimna comes from a verbal root which means "to divide." Anxiety distracts and divides the mind so that there can be no peace of mind, no wholeness. The instruction of the text then is to take those matters, which are eating away at us like an acid dissolving our peace and serenity, and handle them up and throw on God. The tense of the verb to cast is aorist in Greek, which speaks of a single decisive action. Clearly, Peter is pointing to a conscious, deliberate action. The problem with anxiety is that it is a vague dis-ease whose cause (or causes) are not always readily apparent. Peter would counsel us to set down and determine to the extent possible what it is that is jabbing away at our peace of mind, what it is that is "eating away" at us. Once determined, "pitch it," turn it over to God. Such an imperative is found elsewhere in Scripture. The Psalmist's word is perhaps being cited here by Peter: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. (Psalm 55:22) Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, taught us, © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 7   ... put away anxious thoughts ... ...do not be anxious about tomorrow ... (Matthew 6:25, 34) St. Paul wrote, …have no anxiety, but in everything make your requests known to God in prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Then the peace of God, which is beyond our utmost understanding will keep guard over your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 6-7) Of course, the fact that these biblical references can be lined up does not make the accomplishment of the action any easier. Indeed, just the bold imperative, "Stop worrying!" can increase anxiety and we must be sensitive when dealing with others caught up in anxious care that we do not add to the load of their care, guilt because they are worrying and not trusting. But this message has as its aim to point to the possibility of peace of mind and a restful heart not simply by offering the imperative, "Cast your anxiety on him," but by lifting up the promise that grounds the imperative, namely, "because He cares about you." The imperative calls for a conscious, deliberate action - a decision. But it is not an act in isolation, but an action on the basis of a new vision of reality. That is why I began with the promise rather than the imperative even though that reverses the order of the text. If once the promise sinks into our minds and filters down to our hearts, then we begin to see reality as it is; then we gain a fundamental insight into the nature of God, of human existence, of the meaning of the world and history. Then we begin to glimpse the Truth that we are undergirded, overshadowed, loved and graced. Then we can realize that life is difficult but precisely in the difficulties of life we are being spiritually trained and disciplined, prepared for a fuller, richer existence here and now and for fullness of life in the presence of the Eternal God. The imperative then becomes a real possibility for all of us once we see the truth of our situation. Then we can act on the text and turn our cares into prayers. We are not alone. We are not shut up to our own resources and ingenuity. There is Someone. That Someone cares about us. His is a loving, gracious Presence. Communion is invited. Conversation is natural. Our cares become prayers and the consequence of prayer is peace. Prayer is not talking to one's self. It is conversation with Someone Who cares, that is, Who is present to us, present with us, in tune, in touch, feeling what we feel. © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 8   A Methodist Bishop of the last century, Bishop Quayle, tells of a time he sat up into the night worrying about the Church. There were so many cares that weighed down that he could not sleep, but simply sat there exhausted, full of anxiety. Then he says it was as if a voice spoke, the voice of God, saying, "You can go to bed now, Quayle, I'll sit up the rest of the night." Have you ever known such a moment when the load of care was suddenly lightened in the presence of God's loving, gracious presence? Such a moment can change one's life forever. We have heard the promise. We have heard the imperative. Let me close with the prelude to both. Peter enjoins those to whom he wrote who were in the heat of battle: Humble yourselves…under God’s mighty hand, and he will lift you up in due time. (I Peter 5: 6) That is the key. Have you humbled yourself under God's mighty hand? That is often where the battle lies. Life can be cruel and tragic and sometimes it is like swimming through asphalt, but we think we have to do it on our own. With Henley in his poem of defiant independence we may be "bloodied, but unbowed." We make it so difficult for ourselves. We fret and grow frustrated, struggle and complain and just when we think we have made it, the bottom falls out or it all goes up in smoke. Why do we fight the God Who is our Ally? Why do we flee that gracious Presence? Why do we resist yielding to Him Whose service is perfect freedom, Whose fellowship is perfect peace? Dorothea Day took Henley's poem and wrote its counterpoint: Out of the light that dazzles me, Bright as the sun from pole to pole, I thank the God I know to be For Christ - the Conqueror of my soul. Since His the sway of circumstance I would not wince, nor cry aloud. Under that rule which men call chance, My head, with joy, is humbly bowed. The outcome of such humbling of oneself beneath the mighty hand of God is a sense of freedom and release, a sense of being undergirded, overshadowed. Then one moves on taking life one day at a time, tending to those things that are within © Grand Valley State University �The God Who Cares Richard A. Rhem Page 9   one's competency and leaving to God the major issues which all the anxiety in the world cannot alter or control anyway. And you approach life with confidence, from a position of strength, knowing that the God of all grace, Who called you into His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself, after your brief suffering, restore, establish and strengthen you on a firm foundation. Therefore - To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Amen, indeed, so let it be. The Truth is simply this: God is our Ally. He cares about you! Therefore, humble yourself. Cast your anxieties on Him and rest in His loving, gracious Presence. References: Henri Nouwen. Out Of Solitude. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 1974. M. Scott Peck. The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth. Touchstone, 1978. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XII Series God Our Ally Scripture Text I Peter 5:7, 10 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude, 1974 M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled, 1978 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-0-19850818 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-08-18 Title A name given to the resource The God Who Cares 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 18, 1985 entitled "The God Who Cares", as part of the series "God Our Ally", on the occasion of Pentecost XII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: I Peter 5:7, 10. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Grace Faith Love Meaning Nature of God Peter Presence of God https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6ea56ee901d1803b22aff94ee3ee34d9.mp3 ef4785b21e05b004fb0d644b0dbc8c39 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 Series The Tradition That Shaped Us Scripture Text Genesis 2:8, Revelation 22:2 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-0-19910922 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-09-22 Title A name given to the resource The God Who Delights In Our Delight Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 22, 1991 entitled "The God Who Delights In Our Delight", as part of the series "The Tradition That Shaped Us", on the occasion of Pentecost XVIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 2:8, Revelation 22:2. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives