958 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/106d3f7cff4f815acdb186fc75008ca9.jpg 7c128d33a2fb7ca17bb5c1895e19ba9b 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 GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng 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. 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 GV058-01_2013W-A-Good-Person-of-Setzuan_041 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013 Title A name given to the resource The Good Person of Setzuan (theater production), 2013 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2013 production of "The Good Person of Setzuan." A woman in bright pink with a white veil on her head is sitting in a chair and she looks distressed. A man is crouching over her behind the chair. One of his hand is grabbing onto her and the other is in the air. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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 2013s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7605230899015f817ad9740698bf640f.jpg 1d1a146de928b598f7fc32532ba526c5 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 GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng 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. 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 GV058-01_2013W-A-Good-Person-of-Setzuan_049 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013 Title A name given to the resource The Good Person of Setzuan (theater production), 2013 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2013 production of "The Good Person of Setzuan." In this image two people sit drinking together. The person on the right gags and holds a bottle with amber liquid away from them in disgust. Behind them two men, one an exterminator with a hook for a right hand, stand and speak with a businessman in a pinstripe suit and comically large mustache. The performers wear exaggerated stage makeup. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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 2013s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ae9abe6ddcc41cc6e9ddd9c6631e9dd0.jpg b75e66a03575b41c13bff98755de8780 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 GVSU Theatre Photos Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Description An account of the resource Photographs of Grand Valley theater productions from the 1980s to the 2010s. Photos include shots of performances, backstage, casts and crewmembers. Included in the collection are Shakespeare Festival productions and small acts such as Bard to Go and the Greenshow. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Copyright Grand Valley State University Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV058-01 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-2017 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01) Subject The topic of the resource Theater Performances Plays Musicals College Students Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives. Allendale, MI 49401 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng 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. 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 GV058-01_2013W-A-Good-Person-of-Setzuan_061 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Theatre Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013 Title A name given to the resource The Good Person of Setzuan (theater production), 2013 Description An account of the resource Color photograph of Grand Valley's 2013 production of "The Good Person of Setzuan." In this image an old man and woman sit and smoke cigars together. They wear exaggerated stage makeup. They listen with skepticism to a businessman in a pinstripe suit and comically large mustache. Subject The topic of the resource Theater College students Plays Performances Acting Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/754">Theatre Department photographs (GV058-01)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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 2013s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4b2b3b0ec893e25b2a1eb8633bc26b54.mp3 ebad7c815f2f4577b67d56e0dd7317a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost V Series Trust in God Scripture Text Psalm 23:1, John 10:11 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19900708 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-07-08 Title A name given to the resource The Good Shepherd Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 8, 1990 entitled "The Good Shepherd", as part of the series "Trust in God", on the occasion of Pentecost V, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 23:1, John 10:11. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b79cab8a420f62d2741f89f44c37aa14.jpg 3cc47d5466a851b5319c947b29922457 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. PS1922.G67 1898 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_Bindings0323 Title A name given to the resource The Gospel of Freedom Description An account of the resource Binding of The Gospel of Greedom, by Robert Herrick, published by The Macmillan Company, 1898. 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 1898 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb8c6bec6cd294ef2ff65cc401ae050f.mp3 d62763b3e0846384eb0a3d1a0ed23894 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f22e932b2fed18f1ba8240114ebff78f.pdf 7b529091afad68a7c8811676da181a8d PDF Text Text The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention From the series: The One Covenant of Grace – The Salvation of the World Text: Galatians 1:11-12 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Music Ministry Sunday, October 18, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon …The gospel you heard me preach is no human invention… I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11-12 As the people of God, we are here to celebrate the radical grace of God. We come here week after week, not simply to fulfill the Sunday obligation; we come here week after week, not simply out of custom, or habit, or out of a sense of duty which has become onerous duty; we come here not begrudging the time or the effort that it takes; we come here week after week to celebrate the radical grace of God. We are a people who celebrate and now for many years we have had it printed on our Order of Worship - Worship is Celebration. Worship is singing and dancing and proclaiming joyfully the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a people who come here week by week in order to focus upon God, in order to have God in our minds and before our hearts. We are a people who come here week after week in order to lose ourselves in wonder, love and praise. We are a people who come here expecting that the pageantry of corporate worship will catch us up so that we will lose ourselves and so that we will be transported into the very presence of God, so that we will leave this place, if not with an intellectual proposition that we can repeat, nonetheless with an experience that we cannot deny. We come here to present our whole being before the being of God, to experience the Word of His grace, to hear again the joyful proclamation that God is for us, and together to lift our voices and to become joined through that union that the Spirit creates so that we know that we are the people of God and that God is for us, God is with us, God is on our side. We are a people for whom worship is celebration, and there are all kinds of worship. Sometimes the experience is one of silence when we are overcome with the sheer beauty of it all; sometimes the experience of worship is one of contemplation as we reflect quietly on the grace of God; and sometimes the experience of worship is one of such exuberance that we simply cannot be silent, © Grand Valley State University   �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 2   that we simply cannot sit still, for we are literally lifted out of ourselves experiencing the joy of the truth of the grace of God. I suppose that it is true that what I have just described is the ideal, and I suppose that the ideal at Christ Community only happens now and again, and I also believe that the ideal happens across the country in the Christian Church rarely, for it is true that the Christian Church has so often become terribly dull and boring and trivial. When you think of the wonder of the Gospel, when you think of the drama of the proclamation, when you think of the fundamental reality to which we point and to which we seek to enter, then for us to be so dull and so drab is a contradiction of the reality we claim. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of radical grace and that is the most fundamental truth of all the world. We come here to celebrate the truth. We come here to enter into reality. We come here in order to be in touch with that which is elemental, fundamental, basic reality. We come here to present ourselves in the presence of God and to worship because of that revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ which assures us that God is for us and God is with us and that we are the objects of His radical grace. The Gospel of radical grace is no human invention. Paul says that in so many words. Had I read the scripture lesson in the New English Bible translation, he would have protested against those who were against him. The Gospel you heard me preach is no human invention. I did not take it over from any man. No taught it me. I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. And then a little farther down he says, But then in his good pleasure God, Who had set me apart from my birth and called me through His grace, chose to reveal His Son to me and through me. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, strongly declared that the Gospel of radical grace is not a human invention, but is rather the revelation of God. And it is that Gospel, that good news, that reality that we celebrate when we come together for worship. That is why worship must never be boring, never be dull. It is the experience in which we, the people, together, corporately, lose ourselves in the praise of God, because the face of the matter is that God is gracious, God has reached out to us, God has embraced us. It is the bedrock, fundamental, elemental reality that that with which we have to do is the Gospel of radical grace which is no human invention, but the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in this Letter to the Galatians, as in no other place, rings the changes on the radical grace of God. It has been our theme at Christ Community Church. We have celebrated it over and over again over the years. It is, as I have admitted to you many times, the one string on my banjo and I will be happy to be buried © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 3   with the tombstone saying, "He believed; he lived; he preached radical grace." Because that is the heart of the matter. Over the centuries the Church has encrusted the Gospel with all kinds of subsidiary considerations; over the years, the Church has been tempted to move away from the Gospel of grace, institutionalizing itself, setting up structures and forms, degenerating into a kind of moralism that is nothing more than the Boy Scout motto of being good and kind and always prepared, as fine as those things are. The Church of Jesus Christ has degenerated into simply a social club that has celebrated the fact that we ought to be good people, decent people, moral people, and it has so often fallen off its one dramatic, marvelous proclamation that God is gracious, that He has intervened into our history, that He has penetrated into our lives with a message that transforms and frees us, a message of His grace. And when Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians, he was struggling against that which has proven to be the peril and the temptation of the Church down through the centuries – that is, to move the Gospel of Grace to a religion filled with obligation and duty and structure and form, failing thereby to live constantly in amazement at the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ that has set us free. Everywhere Paul went he proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and those who believed found their lives transformed, and those whose lives were transformed formed a community of faith. Paul would go on to another place and another and another. But every place he went there would be others who would come in and who would not deny that God is gracious, who would not deny that God had revealed Himself in Jesus the Messiah, but who would deny that all one needed was Jesus Christ for salvation, who would suggest to those who had come out of the darkness of paganism in that ancient world that God was gracious, that Jesus had come and died for them, but what they also needed beyond their faith in him was to submit, for example, to the Old Testament rite of circumcision, to follow the Old Testament dietary laws – in a word to add to Jesus, Moses. The critical issue in the first century was whether or not one had to become a Jew in order to become a Christian, whether the vestibule into the sanctuary of the people of God passed through Moses, whether or not all of the Old Testament legislation and ceremony had to be added on to one's faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said, "Absolutely not!" Christ alone. Jesus reveals the grace of God, and by faith in him we are redeemed. And in this letter to the Galatians, he claims in the very beginning that that gospel of radical grace is not a human invention, but was given to him by revelation. If you would go through that first chapter carefully you would find that Paul argued for the authority of his gospel on the basis of his call and the revelation that God gave to him. Paul argued for his authority for the Gospel that he preached on the basis that it came through no human consultation, not by discussing it with the Apostles, not as the result of some church ecclesiastical court, but simply as the revelation of God in Jesus Christ to him. And Paul submitted his Gospel to the Apostles; he met with Peter and he met with the other disciples 14 years later, and he checked the Gospel out with © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 4   them, and they gave him the right hand of fellowship and they confirmed that the Gospel that he preached was indeed the Gospel that they understood through Jesus Christ. The thing that Paul continued to maintain was that that which he preached was not the result of consultation, it was not a human commission, it was not data and information, it was a revelation from God through Jesus Christ himself. In his own experience he said, "Look. Look at me as one who has been changed by the Gospel. In the first place, I persecuted the Church. The record is there. And in the second place, I was zealous for the traditions of my fathers far beyond my contemporaries; I outstripped them all." Sometimes we make out as though Paul was a miserable, guilty, guilt-laden sinner. There's nothing in the New Testament to indicate that. Paul says, "I was zealous for the traditions of the fathers. I was so zealous for the tradition of my fathers, that I even persecuted the Church, but it pleased God to reveal His son to me." It is in that revelation of Jesus Christ that Paul learned the Gospel and experienced his call to proclaim it. The revelation of God in Jesus Christ is the revelation of radical grace, and Paul would have nothing added to it. Down through the centuries the Church has added to the Gospel, encrusted the Gospel with all kinds of secondary matters, domesticated the Gospel, but the reality of the situation is simply this – that God in Jesus Christ had provided for salvation to be received by us by faith, adding nothing to it. And that Gospel, Paul said, is a gospel for which I'll go to the stake. He wouldn't compromise it. It was not that Paul was hardnosed. Paul has gotten bad press, to be sure. Sometimes Paul comes off as not a very nice guy, and maybe he's not the kind of person you'd choose for a roommate, but at least he cared about something. At least he committed his life to something. He wasn't cool. He wasn't laid back. He wasn't nonchalant. But neither was he just another religious bigot and dogmatist for, if we look at his letters and his writing, we'll find, for example, when he wrote to the church at Corinth, he said, "When I deal with people who are under the law, I am as one under the law, and when I deal with people who are without the law, I am as one without the law. I am all things to all people, that by all means I might win some." There were all kinds of things about which Paul did not care. In his letter to the Romans, he deals with the question about which day of rest should be observed. Should it be the Sabbath Day, the seventh day, or should it be the first day, the Lord's Day? And Paul says, "Really, it doesn't matter. Would you like to worship on Monday?" Religious people have gotten all hung up on all kinds of things. Paul says it doesn't matter. The day doesn't matter. When he wrote to the Church at Corinth, there were some people who went to the butcher shop that was connected with the Temple and they bought a pot roast and the pot roast had, first of all, been offered to the pagan idol, and there were other Christians who saw them buying that pot roast that had been offered to the pagan idol and they said, "Oh, you can't eat something that's been offered to an idol." They said, "Well, let's ask Paul." Paul said, "Who cares? The idol isn't anything. Wave it in © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 5   front of the idol as often as you want to. It won't affect the meat. If it's US Prime, it'll be good!" But the point of it all was this – Paul was very flexible, very open; he was not an uptight religious person. Paul was not picayunish. Paul was not small and narrow and mean. Paul didn't go around excluding people from the Kingdom because they parted their hair differently. Paul says the freedom of the Christian person in Christ is grounded in the grace of God. Live it out how you will. Determine how you'll live it out and then do it out of faith, but don't denounce one another and judge one another and condemn one another. Be free in Christ and be of good heart, and then do as you will before the face of God. And so, Paul was not really a bigot, not a dogmatist, not a hard-nose, except on this one thing – he said if you want to turn the grace of God into a religious system full of obligations and duties thereby completing salvation, be accursed. Paul knew that everything was at stake on this pivot point. And this Gospel, he said, is the truth of God. It's not so popular today to talk about the truth. We live in an age in which we have learned to tolerate differences of opinion, and that's good. We live in an age which values tolerance and it is a value. But there are some things, my good friends, that are either true or false, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is either the expression of the radical grace of God Who is for us and in Jesus Christ has redeemed us, or it is something else, but it's not a gospel. Paul says they preach another gospel which is not another gospel because there is no other gospel. This I received by revelation of Jesus Christ. Now you say, well, that's all fine, Paul. If I were to be able to be smitten with a bright light on the way to Damascus, I would book passage tomorrow. But it wasn't just that. Paul didn't learn about Jesus Christ in the Damascus Road experience. First of all, remember he was battling the followers of Jesus. Brilliant as he was, don't you think that Paul learned about Jesus Christ more than those that he was battling? Don't you think that he had gotten himself well-briefed? Don't you think that he understood every fact about Jesus Christ, even when he was battling? The Damascus Road experience convinced him that Jesus was alive, that Jesus was the Son of God. It was the transforming moment. But when he wrote to the Church at Corinth, he said, "The tradition I received I pass along to you...." He also mentions the tradition when he speaks of the institution of the Lord's Supper in his letter to the Corinthians. He says, "I pass along to you the fact that has been passed alone to me." It wasn't as though he was some Lone Ranger that went off to Damascus and had a message in the sky. Paul was, in that sense, not so different from us who have had access to all of the data and all of the information. Do we not know the Gospel? Any one of you could stand up and you could announce the facts, that data of the Gospel. But what is the Gospel? It is more than the tradition. It is more than Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was raised on the third day. It is more than the hard facts that you get out of the book. When Paul © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 6   says “by revelation,” he says that all of that suddenly came into focus. "And in a moment I was transformed and I realized that all the data pointed to the stupendous truth - that God, in His grace, through Jesus Christ, loved me." And that the one solid, bedrock, fundamental, basic, elemental truth is that God is gracious, that God is a Saviour, that God has loved us, that all that has to be done has been done, that salvation is complete, that there is nothing we can do for it, nothing we can do to it, nothing we can do to merit it. There is nothing we can do to warrant it! It has been done! It has been done! It is done! Christ has died. Salvation is ours. We are a people loved and graced and all we can do is sing, "Alleluia!" That's why St. Augustine says that a Christian is a person who says, "Alleluia! from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot." And where do we get off with our dullness, with our boring worship, with our hohum attitude, with a strong song of praise that elicits nothing more than a yawn? Shame on us. Shame on us for living in the light of the one great reality, that which is true, and being so blasé about it! Ah, this, my friends, is a celebration in a world that is filled with claims and counterclaims about what is true and what is important and about what ought to have the priority, in a world that is sated with information and data and newscasts and news analysis. In a world like that, this is true – God is good, God is gracious, God loves us, God is the strong foundation of our life, God holds us in His hand and He'll never let us go. And all of His people said, Amen! © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XX Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Galatians 1:11-12 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871018 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-10-18 Title A name given to the resource The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 18, 1987 entitled "The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Pentecost XX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Galatians 1:11-12. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Faith Presence of God Radical Grace of God Tradition Transforming Love Worship https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d2cda18a68cdf014553b33740cbc5e2c.pdf 231fcc467fced1f581bd389864a7eb83 PDF Text Text + ·11 i~ TI I~ =I I: ~ I I; ;: I I~ =I I= =I I~ =I I; =I I; =I I; =I I= I I~ I= I I~ I I= =I I :, =I I=I I; =I I; ; I I= ~ I I= =I I- =I I; -I I= = I I; I I; =I I-I ;I ;I I=I I- = -I I - -I- =-I = I-= -I I= -I I-= -=I I- -I = I =I == I-= I I = •I I- =I = II i +" +11 1111--nn--nn 11 --1111 nn--1111--n 11 1111--1111--1111 nn--nn--1111 1111--1111--1111 1111 1111--1111--1111--1111 11,1--1111--1111 1111 1111 1111 1111-----1!11--1111--1111 nn 1111--1111 1111 1111--11t i 1111--nn--un--nn--11+ 1111--1111--1111 1111 1111 I; :I I; i J I; ;t I: ;I I= ~ I I; =I I; =I I~ ;; I I: :; I • .... ,... ,,,•.•-:.•-· , .. .-·-:·.:-:-.• ·-:.;.;.... -. ··•,•·-· ...... _ ,·,-. -· , ....... -. -, .. .. ·•.•,•,•-··-·-:::,::•,• _ _ ·'' •:;," -:: ·::• I: -I .- • • .. .. ~.•• : OPENING NUMBER 1922 z :s :II Grand Rap iris Boat & Canoe Club --1111--1111--1111--1111 1111 1111 II II 1111 1111 1u11--11i1--1111--1111--1111,--1111--1111--1111 llll--ll!l--llll .. w-•1111--1111 1111 11111--tt 11--1111--1111 1111--,11i--1111 1111 1111 1111 11111--1111--1111--1111 1111--1111--1111 1111 1111--1111 1111 I= =I I; =I I= =I I= =I I; =I I= =I I; =I I; i I I; ;I I: ;I I; i I I; i I I~ ;I I~ ;I I; ;I Ia ;I I; ;I Ii ;I Ii =I I~ :I I: ~ I Ii =I I: ;I I: :I I: g I I; ii I I: ;; I I~ =I I: 11+ ! 1111--n+ �• OG. OG. Page five ACTIVITIES TENNIS Befo1·e the yea1· of nineteen twenty-one had passed, the Board of Directors began planning to make ot1r te11nis department the most up-toclate and co111plete plant in Western l\fichigan. The >1ew court which was started last year will be completed and the old clay courts will be entirely rebuilt, placing them in better . condition than ever. The l\fichigan National Tournan1ent will be held at Muskegon this year. This is the first ti111e since it was first held, that this tournan1ent has come to Western Michigan. Play • ' To Club embers j • Tl1e President's letter in tl1is iss11e of ''Tl1e Log·'' will lJe a brief one. V,'i1y not adopt as a motto or slog·an for tl1e year tl1e follovving snappy suggestion. • ''USE YOUR CLUB'' 'J'l1is ·,vill n1ean tl1at )·ou vvill g·et a . •• g·reat cieal qut of yo11r me111lJersl1i1Jthe officers and directors vvill lJe encouraged in tl1eir efforts-and every1Jod vr · \vill be HAPPY. Tl1e com1ni ttee cl1air1ne11 vvill tell you in tl1is issue alJout tl1e plans for tl1e year. But, don't forget to • • ''USE YOUR CI.. UB'' at every opportunity. Yours truly, CHAS. S. DA VIES. • • ,vill begin .July 24th and the finals will be played off July 31st. The Western · Michig·an Tournament will be held on the Kent Country Club's cou1·ts beginnin.g August 7. What 111ore could our tennis players ask? The Michig·an National Tournament at the Muskegon Country Club, an hour's ride from Grand Rapids and the "\Vester11 Michigan Tournament right here at our own doors. Aren't these facts enoug·h to stir the ambitions of every man whether he plays tennis or not? No,,r come on, fel- •-.• ' lows, let's back up Ned Raiguel to the limit. Let's show him that the Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club is on the map when it comes to tennis. When he starts the Roun:J Robin tourna111ent for the Club's entrants for the above tournaments let's answer him with that SPIRIT of ''Let's Go," and do it 100 per cent. ~- ROWING Jack Corbett, the l\iaster Oarsn1an, al1·eady has begun his work to coach our cr·ews and get them into condition for the season's activities of our club on the water. He sure has met with an abundance of g·ood new material to work with and with the Old Timers out i11 force, what could be more encouraging for our club and to Mr.-01· should we say Jack Corbett. He is ,vorking as hard with the men who come out for sculling as with the eight or four-men crews .. Joe Kortlander, the chairman of the rowing co111mittee, is on the job to assist Corbett, and Charlie Mac is ever present to help any one he sees or knows needs assistance on the art of rowing. The biggest event for the water side of our club will, of course, be the Central States Amateur Rowing· Association Regatta at Peoria July 7 and 8. Crews will be sent to this regatta and if we are going to continue to bring home the bacon, as our club's crews- have in the past, it means every one must take an interest in this sport. If you can't come out and row, encourage those who do devote so 111uch of their valuable time to it . We can't all be oarsmen, but we ca11 all be BOOSTERS. Now men, you who do want to represent our club, support these men who are helping you by trying to follow their instructions and being prompt when �Page OG. OG. • S l X Page seven ' it's ti111e for worlcouts. There will l)e are 111ost valuable to the winners. are mo,s valuable to the winne1·s. These dates will be a11nounced later. CANOEING Perhaps there 111ay be some who are under the impression that a ca11oe is 111eant to be used for the pu1·pose of taking one's best girl to son1e quiet shady nook up the river· and then to partake of so111e wholesome food which the ''Dear One'' has worked so hard to prepare for the occasion and when the shade:c of night are beg·inning to fall to sit side by side and drift back to about ''Sweeney's place." Then arrange things, g·et back on your· percl1 and paddle like Sam Hills because you didn't hear when Bill fired the cannon at ten-thirty. No- that's not quite right. There is another canoeist more in den1and than the social canoeist. He is ~ real canoeist. Perhaps you wonder what sort of being he might be. Every yea1· the members of our club •, .- { I •, ✓ '-- . ' are invited to go on the different canoe trips held during the season. H.ow n1any of you make use of this p1·ivileg·e? If you want to get all there is in a canoe out of it, you s11rely must join in on so111e of these trips. Get out ·into the big out-of- doors a11d paddle for a few hours and you will feel the bette1· for it. On April 15 twenty-five fello\\- s made the first trip of the season Eron1 Rockford on the Rogue River. This is one of the most picturesque trips for a short trip any one ca11 1nake. It's scene1·y is beautiful and the river is chuck full of fast ra11ids, n1aking· it n1ost interesting·. On Saturday, the 6th of May, the Middleville trip on the Thorn:• lple "'·as taken. This is one trip the Olc1 Timers never ,vould n1iss and when they used to n1ake these trips, the advant.ag·es of shipping by truck were unheard of. Last year there were twenty-five boats 011 this triJ) , and this year· there were twenty The Lowell trip on Memorial Day i,, another one where one can enjoy the beauty of the Grand. Son1e years ago fifty canoes on this trip \\-'Ould be considered a small n11111ber, b11t last Memorial Day it had dwindled down to twenty. Now come on. Let's leave the old bus in the garag·e this year and have a real old tin1e canoe trip. Later on, the trip to Grand Haven is taken. Thi,; is the only trip where the canoes are shipped back instead of paddled If you have never paddled down to the n1ou th of the Grand you can't afford to miss this trip. This date · will be set in the near fut11re so you will have ample time to plan for it. No,v there is yet another canoeist. The fast paddler. His presence has not bee11 common enough of late. What's the matter? Surely he is needed. The annual Plainfield race! Gues·s I'll have to explain a little here. For years it was customary to bring the canoes, that is, tow them, up to Plainfield bridge. Then the crews of two men would race to the clubhouse. If you think you are a fast paddler get a partner and practice and when this race con1es arou11d you will be read}·. There is a record of time made. which i<s about fifty-six minutes, and this was made some years ago b~' old timers. Is this going to stand or are ,ve young· bucks going to beat it? Now the man who con1es out for these t1·ips and regattas is a Real, Social, Honest-to-Gosh Canoeist. • J~NTl~RTAINMENT This comn1ittee surely is hitting on all six. If any of you were out to the Get Together S•1 noker helil at the Pantlind the middle of March this fact stuck out like the J)roverbial ''sore thumb." 'T hen to • come along and on May third to back it up with the best Spor·t Party one could ever wish to attend. The Annual Smoker on May THE ~I~i\N AHEAD The n1an ahead believes in his 1)1·oposition, heart and soul. He dispels ill temper with cheerfulness, kills doubt with a st1·ong conviction and reduces active f1·iction with an agreeable personality. He 1nixes brains with efforts and uses efficient 1nethods in his work. He finds tin1e to do every needful thing, but never lets time find him c1oi11g nothing. He makes eve1·y hour bring dividends, increased knowledge or healthful recreation. He keeps his future unmortgaged with., debts;" he saves as well as earns. He steers clear of dissipation and guards his body and peace of 1nind. That's why he is the man ahead! . • CORRIGAN. HILLIKER & CORRIGAN JnJJestment Bankers and Brokers CITZ. ·'lill!IO· 'I.U53 • 15th, that is Monday. If }'OU don't v.ant to miss a real Boat Club Smoker, you'd better be on hand. Allen G. Miller for a toastmaster, with Coach Fielding Yost and our own Paul Goebel, and Rev. Charles MacKenzie, another very interesting speaker. What more could we cra1n into an evening's entertainment than this? Oh, yes, we'1·e not going to forget those films of Michig·an's athletic field and her football team in action. The regular Friday nig·ht dances will begin as soon as possible after the smoker and the opening party will most likely be May 19 or 2 6. There will be good 111.usic all through the season. Our clo.s ing partr will be better than ever. CROlJNO FLOOR M}CHIGAN TRUST BLDG BELL . CiRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN M ·ll900 · M ·65J Investment Counsel Xo matte1· how s1nall your interests mav be we we are glad to have you consult us rega,'ding the proper placen1ent of your available funds. Ou1· deliberate and unp1· ejudiced endorsem:e n;t accompa11ies every 1·ecomn1endation fo1· your consideration. '.Ve invite your nat1·011a ge and offer· vou a service that is unexcelled. - ''A stro1zg) co1iservative i11vest1nent ba1iki11g orga1iizatio1i.)) " �Page OG .. eight • A B11lleti11 of the Grand Rapids Bo,1t and Canoe ClulJ Cttlled THE LOG Dated ~lay 1st, Nineteen Twe11tJ'• t,vo. G1·and Rapi(ls E. Rohrbach .... Business Manag·er Lee Woodruff . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor John A. Tieterr1a .... Adv. Manag·er H. McMillan ........... Cartoonist Extra Copies at Clubhouse. • •, TO MY READERS: It surely is a pleasure to again serve you. No doubt n1a11y of yoll have beg·un to think I would not return, as it was son1e days earlie last year when n1y first efforts were made. It will be n1y purpose to act as a n1eans of keeping you in toucl1 v.:ith the current events of our clut,. My existence is possible by the r11en who have placed their ads 011 the different pag·es within 1ny covers. If you wish me to live yo11 1nu st hel11 the111 to live. Read what they have to offer you a11d when you are in need of their s ervices J)atronize them and tell them so-because if you do. it ..,loes n o t take ve1·y long· befo1·e I know it, Be sure and 111entio11 THE LOG \\hen EUJ)l)Orting· its adve1·tisers. THE I> i\ST ~!\ND THE FUTURE Probably ,vhen H. G. \Vells' sto11e age 111an stag·ed his first dug·011t reg·atta in what ~'&S then the• Mediterranean lak~, a lot of doubting J)lesiosauruses and other 1·eJ)t il es crawled up on the ba11k to sneer ancl 1·emark, ''That ain',t tl1e way "'·e did it back in the g·ood olLi slime age." However that n1ay be, the stone agers in the Boat Club ar·e standing on their hind feet and inEorn1ing the world that son1ething· is \vrong on the river front. And they are \VOrth hearing·. Away back in the days when the Boat Club was that little flat-roofecl bungalow down below the bridg·e, the,\' say it was a family institution. John Kanoo broug·ht his g·irl, and later his wife and fan1ily, out to the reg·attas:-which were hel~l as often as every t,vo weeks and ran t}1e whole gamut from the joust with the padded telephone J)Oles to the fifty-yard underwater one-armec1 sidestrok~ and the doul1le Annette Kellerman backflip. Better· yet, John Kanoo and Mrs. K. g·ot in anc1 pa1·ticipa ted. What was still 111ore i111po1·tantand this held true for so111e ti111e after the club had moved into one of the n1ost palat'al rowing proJ)erties in the country-the fan1ily•, all of the fa111ily, used the club. The result was that a good n1embership could be counted on every year, a substantial 1ne111be1·shi1) that didnt' vary n1uch, ancl knew how to run thing·s, and had g1·ow11 lJJ) with the club. No~·adays, say these stone ag·ers. the club has lost the fa111ily touch. It's just a gan~ of young· bucl~s: and ,vhen, after dancing· a11,.l swi111n1ing· and courting· all ove1· the place for a year or tw<). they marry themselves off an,l acquire Posterity, they forg·et the org·anizatio'1 that helJ) the111 into the state of n1at1·in1ony. The1·e is no great incentive-these old-tir11ers opine-for the womenfolk to hang a1·ound. or knit around. or afte1·r-oon tea aro11nd. or anything else. S0111e of the ancients declare-with fl wise puff on a choice ciga1·-that long· avo they advised the planting of shade trees along· the 1·iverbank; and lo')k at the s1111baked shoi·e now. One constructive soul. ma,\' heaven rest hin1, s11gp·ests the dig·?in~· of holes O'l the front lawn. in \,·hi.ch shall be inse1·tecl aJ)propri.- OG. ately striped awning parasols unde1· which family groups can len1onade of a sun1mer afternoon. All this may sound funny, but it's not-particularly. There is no question but that a shifting· 1nemtership which drops out and is followed by a new collection of youthful novices every few years is not the best type. We wa11t the stickers. This fa111ily club proposition cleserves to be studied. Furthe1·111ore, the club's specialties,-tennis and dancing·, whicl1 • have bee11 prime incenti,•es rjg·h t along and all of every summer-are on the hu111mer, and canoeing a close third. We ha,·en't been out, but this year it's to be hoped that out of the goodness of the directors' hea1·ts and the fatness of the treasury a few lazybacks and pillows fo1· the bird whose fa111ily objects to robbing· the couch will be on hand at the do:Jr. Outside of that, okeh. What this revelatio11 of the olclti111ers' ideas ai111s to do is not to criticise but to point out a general line of action-to,vard a family club and toward all-su111111er-long· athleti~s. the thing·s that 111ade the g·!ory of the past. Maybe thert> 11ever was any such anin1al as that r·lory, a.nd maybe the old-timers a1·e as oss·fied as the plesiosaurus at the ~1ugout · spree l)ut if you talked to cine of the said sto11e ag·e1·s, absorbi11g a puff of the s111oke fro111 his black cigar every four ~,ords an(l fettin~ an e1nphasizing poke in the 1·ihs every strong poi1°t or so, you'cl be as co~vinced as ,ve were. Then there's clt1b athletif'S • The big· i11terclub 1·0,ving· 1·eg·attas usecl 1o hold up shell i11terest well into A. 1 1g·11st, and the fortnightly' reg·atta~ kent it e·o'ng· the re,::t of the su111111e1·. When the last 1·eg·atta and the disbanding· of the crevv occurs in July. interest ,vanes. That n1eans that cobwebs ar·e collecting· on properties that oug·ht to l1e i11 continuous use. Cobwebs are also colle~ting on athletic ener,g·ies that vri th proper en co111·ag·e111en t '\\-'Ot1ld te rampant all su111111e1·. I ' • • • • Page n • 1 n e This is no howl at the present board of directors. Personally we think they're the bee's knees. The,\' ha~l bequeathed to them fro111 the \var period a sad disintegration of prope1·ties, with no sinking fund for· depreciation. Anybody who remembers a certain stormy nig·ht when the weekly dance ,vas held on a floor J)unctuated by pails, bucket:::·, coffee pots, hogsheads and pickle barrels to catch the rain from a leaking· roof, will know what we n1ean. This year they have a good roof.,. and George Fitch isn't worryi11g· about sinking· docks so far, ancl there's more canoe room, and some extra tennis courts started, an,:1 some r1ew shells bought, and Jack Corbett is on for the whole sur'l'ln1e1· so that oarsmanship is riding· for a new rise in popularity. LET'S GO Ag·ain the n1ove1nent of tin1e brings us to the resumption of ou1· activities after a sojourn of a few n1onths. During the time that out· Clt1 b has been closed up, due to th0 • • inclen1ency of the season, the sp1r1t which it fosters within us still runs high, All during the winter n1onths, how many have pas:ed by that clubhouse along the river and not recalled the joys and benefits we have derived from its existence a11cl ou1· friends who n1ake up its men1bership. To the city of Garnd Ra.J)ids it certainly is a mo1nument of t1·11e Americanisn1. Its influence is felt by every one, whether they are connectecl with i t novv or have been in the 11ast. ThP n1en who n1ade it possible can neve1· be repaid for their efforts and whe11 they began in their humble way they little realized the i'11portant r art it would play in the ti111e whicl, has come and to come. July 8th of la,:t year was 11101·e than a successf11l culmination of the Central States Regatta. It was the �• Page OG. ten happiness in the hearts of the founders of our Club, that thei1· efforts had not been in vain. Bec ause to bring to our Club the largest amateur regatta ever hel,1 was long their desire and to have it realized with the CUP OF' .S',UCCESS- full to the brirn · sure;v is • evidence of the standards on which they built. Are we going to let what ha.s l)een given us continue to prosper or are we to be selfish, unintentionally, and prevent its further prosperity? Ours is a club for men OG. and of men. surely we a1·e going to keep it so. To accomplish our aims we need a full 111embership, which can only be done by every n1-ember co-operating. A1nong your acquaintance there must be so1ne young fellow who should be one of us. Tell hi1n what we have to offe1· him, bring him to the smoker and introduce hi111 to all of the 1nen1bers you can and should he be interested in a real live club, no doubt you will have sold the proposition to him. Now co111e 011, gang, let's go. THE LOG JAM By K. C. CLAPP \VHAT THE Fl,AG ~IEANT Besidr- the bland, broad-breaste t'I <}rand, I glin1psed a flag ag·ainst the bll1e, Float _proud o'er green and watersheenThe pennant was of cri1nson hue. 'Twas quite by chance. Sig·nificance With wl1at I'd seen I did not link·No thoug·ht a11.ent to what it 1neant ' ' But now, I've ca use to think • Officers and Executive Committee CH,\S S. DAVIES ........... President .JOS. KORTLANDER, J1· .... Vice-Pres. CHARLES HI<JXT ........... S ec1·eta1·y A. WlvI. HONECKER ........ Treasurer For I have seen, o'er that same shee11 The speeding· shell and swift canoe, And as they sped, the white and re(l Marked ,vell each Boat Club crew. Committees for the Season of 1922 House: . ., Charles Foote, Chai1·n1an . C. D. La,,·son, G1·ounds George Fitch, House and Docl{s Geo1·ge Donke1·, Ral1)h B1·~ndau, Stan le~' Davies Te11nis: W. E. Raiguel, Chairn1an Geo1·ge O'Brien Eugene Mayer Walte1· Madigan Ro\\'ing: Jos. Ko1·tlande1·, Chair111an Russ Davis Herb Conlon Chas. lvicQue,van Publicity: Ernest Roh1·bach, Chai1·man J.,ee W ood1·uff Pat Sullivan John Tietema H. MacMillan Budget: A. W. Honecl-:e1·, Chairman Chairmen of Committees Tol11·s and :\laps: S. H. Ranck, Chai1·man • / • Canoe: Ray Ryan, Chai1·man W 'a lte1· Be1·gers Ha1·ry Rosenberg Cha1·les Antri111 Ma1·t Boe1·sma F1·ed All,erta Charles B1·and ' Those n1an-packed s·h ores have cheered the oars And flying, plying paddles, too. Though ,vhite and red has lagg·ed or led. l"olks KNEW that Boat Cl11l1 crew! Ente1·tainment: ,vm. Deve1·eaux, Chai1·man Char·les Hext Dick Tanis Dennis Van Ess B1·aton Quigley Fred De vT1·ies So no,v I know, since honors gro\v With each race of the Red a11d. White, That on the Grand's a battling bandThat flag I saw 111eant ''FIGHT!'' l\'lembe1·ship: Al Folge1·, Chairn1an Chas. McQue,van Albe1·t Davies * * * I \Ve wa1·n Admi1·al Cayvan tha·t even his aldermanic p1·opo1·tions (thanks to the National Biscuit Con111any) migl1t even fail to l{eeo him afloat in l1is beloved To1·ch Lal{e. Auditing·: vV. E. Raiguel, Chair111an C. Hoogestege1· * * * Pe1·manent Imp1·o"·ement: Chas. McQue,van, Chai1·man Georg·e Fitch A. vV. Honecker By-La,,·s: A. ,V. Honecl{e1·, Chai1·man Charles Hext Charles Foote At the Docl..:. . ' She,-Oh. sweetheart, won't yo11 come and take this canoe to the dor:k for n1e? He-Dea1·ie, you know I can't pacldle well enough to land 'er. She-Oh, all r·ig·ht, then, I'll let I<:ortl~1. n d er. Pag·e eleven • \Vonde1· if Coacl1 Yost 1·ealizes that · Goebel lea1·nedi all he knew about block and tackle at the Boat Club'! * * * This n1ay or may not be a new one On the faithful, hard-working· McQuewan. But they say on the side Of his head-HerpicideOh, you k11ow-he pretty near grew one! * * * Bill Devereaux makes auto trips to Detroit and Ann Arbor frequently. Whether it was to put more ''h ear ~ t'' or to load s01ne ''Crow'' into his Crow-Elkhart he refuses to disclose. * * * ,,·c_ ofte11 "'011der· wl1y Al. Hoolr {locs11 t tal,e his shell a11(l his 0 ·as eo1u11a11)· a11d 1110,·e rig·ht o,,e1· to Chicago: * * * vVould it not be permissible to suggest that the Boat and Canoe Club take a lease on the Rockford vicinity of Rogue River, build a nice · red structure and incorporate as ''The Fire Fighters. Con1panJ' specialists in youp.g-heroes-to-th e ~ rescue-of-burning-damsels.'' * * * Ou1· se11sation seeliet·. l\like Ryan In the Thorna11ple fell no use lyan ''Wate1·'s fine, booze 'is dead · But I'm glad,'' Ryan said ' ''Tl1at I'll ta.ke no canoe t1:ips with B1·ya11.'' * * * 0 vVill so111eone kindly Paio-e Rav 0 • Cla1·k? * * * You p1·obably felt it coming all along: but we simply can't wr·ite a last lino • * * * Without suggesting· that Knudson rhang·e n1erely the last letter in his last 11a111e,- '.l'o ' tn. '' * * * �• • Fag€ OG,, twelve Page . thirteen HELP JACK CORBETT LOCKER ROOM HUl\10R Leo Cook€-1\iy wife stayed up after one this morning. Quigley·- Well? Leo-I was the one. Oh Mee-Did you see where they found a woman's torso floating i11 the river where it had been thrown? Oh My'-Now wouldn't you think a woman would be 111ore careful of her things than that? The Club now boasts of an Ag·o11:,.· Quintet-call Danker for appointn1ents. She,-I wish I knew the names of the g·irls you go out with. Beukema-I wish I did n1yself. Visitor (after playing tennis)Where are the players' quarte1·s? Ned Raiguel-In 1ny pocket-I just won 'em in a crap garne. Geo1·ge O'Brien ( gleefully )-She reminds me of a summer day. Rod Schopps-How come? George-Warm and 1nuggy. Plus-She s1nells strongly of perfume. Minus-How clo you tell? G1·ant Lor·ch (recently married) to store clerk-I want son1ething to put a chicken in. Hard Boiled Clerk-Yes, si1·, camisole or casserole? Minister-Do you keep the ten co111mandments? Bill Leece-No, but I l1ave something just as good. Thorndyke·-She's all the wo1·ld to me. What shall I do? Gang ( in chorus)-See a bit of the world. Ray R.-Hasn't rr1y dancing proved? She-Wonderfully·-it has ever}'thing skinn<id, even my ankles. • ., llTI- • Wise·-Is Mary a lovable gjrl? When nobody's Gazabo-Yeh! home. La1·ry-Does she dress well? Rosey I dunno. I 11eve1· watched her. When Burger and Hext hit t.he rock in Rogue River they were tipped out-but poor Quig-he got i)u1nped. Bunker How was the party last night? Ernie E. It was good while I ' lasted. Hartwick sez ''A sock on the foot ' is worth tvvo on the jaw." Roy M.-Wh8 t shall we c ') tonig·ht? Goil-I'1n will1r1g to c1o whatever you do. Roy-But we've only been acquainted two days. George D.-How was the show at the l\1ajestic? B:11 Dev.-I really couldn't tell you. George•-But you told me yo11 were thereBill-I was. but I went upstai1·s \vith n1y lady friend. • Hot-What kind of a girl lS Lizzie? Dog·-She is the kincl who asks ,vhy the locker roo1n windows art frosted. Street car conductor to Bt1s Davi0s Your fare? Bus,-I know it. • It certainly is good ..,,,,,,,,_, to have Jack Corbett back in our fold again. Jack, ''Dean of Oarsmen'' surely has a personality that has won him a host of friends, m a n y of \vhom are within our club. It is hoped that everyone will help him in his work as coach of our crews by gi,ring him our loyal SUPl)Ort. Should ou1· crew be able to make the tri1) to Culv·e1·, Ind., to 1·0,v a race with the Culver Military A caderny, it means good, hard effort. Culve1· is one of the largest military schools there is, ,·1hich means they have more men to pick their crew from than we. As the invitation f1·om ~ulve1· states May 20 or 27 as the day, 1n a ,11 J)1·obability it will be the latter date, as Coach Corbett will not be able _ . :•;,:. ' _::,;··-·- • to whip the crew into shape in the shorter period. This will be the first opportunity fo1· our crew to test their mettle and let's wish them and show them that our good wishes are for the best crew of the best club of the Central States Amateur Rowing Ass'n . ote oom • • • they've see Clem-I Colu1nbus' bones. Dinie-Gee ! · I c1idn't know the old boy was a gambler. r_feas, Lig-ht Lttnches, Ice C1-ea111, Soclas, Past1-y. Also a11 all 11ew li11e of Soft Di-inks. • The finest Tea Roo111 111 the Miclcl]e West, and the only all-An1e1-ican, afte1- thea te1- Tea Room i11 Weste1-n Michig-an. Pat Sullivan crept into the house, The cuckoo clock struck four, Then he crept up beside the clocl{ And cuckoo __, __: eight ti1nes more. The lig·htning bug is brilliant, But it hasn't any mind. It wanders through creation "\Vith its headlight on behind. .·. • • 01Jen £1-0111 4 P. M. to 11 :15. �• 'I Advertising Copy and Plans are tl1e chief factors in g-oocl advertising ancl l1ig results are obtainable with 1)ro1)er consultation. - P,,odit(:tive copy aizd p!a;z~, for Roo1<LETS · CIRCULARS FOLDERS NEWSPAPE~ a1zd lv1,\GAZINE ADVERTISING Jay M. Rathburn 30 2 l\:IURRA Y BLDG. GR.~Kl) l{.~PIDS, J\ll('.lI. - WESTERN MICH1GAN·s GREATES1 STORE eware of tl1e l1igl1er cost of the lowe1· J_)rice. Our Resources (::;ood pri11ti11g ancl eng·ravi11g- at a consistent pr1c:c. ' enable us to offe1· our 1)at1·ons unusual bank se1·vice. Our facilities are at your service and we co1·dially welcome you1· account. Our stocks were never 1nore complete . . P 1en t y of tweeds, gabardines and whipcords. . Grand Rapids National Bank • The Reed-Tandler Company ''The Ba11k With the lle11Jing Jlancl'' BRANCHES: Monroe · and Division Division and Hall Weal thy a.nd Division Michigan and Grand Burton Heights Broadway and Ninth Prescott Street Fuller Station Stocking and Fourth An extra pai1· of ti·ousers ,vith any suit if you wish. Come in and looli 'em ove1·. Grand Ra picl:s 1 l\,[ icl1igan ''S,,\ Y IT \VIT H FLOWERS'' Shank Fireproof Storage Co. Ema Says: . . ., ''REP r'\.IRING and Al. TERING CLOTHES, like ROWING, requires lots of training." A Our Business-MOVING, PACI(ING, STOR,i\GE ar1cl . HAULING C.ANOES AND BOATS Nice Bouquet for Your Sweetheart 19-25 LaGrave Ave., S. E., Grancl Rapids, Micl1. Citizens 64180, Bell Mai11 1483 ''The employes of the sl101) o f E M A a r e TRAINED to do each jol) according to the sta11clard set l)v EMA." • ' ' . P HO~ES,CITZ • . 64884, BELL,M.3003 Flo\\,ers for all occasions. \,\Te GJ.VANDE BUNTE MANAGER • or 51-59 Division ~t\ ve., S. • ., erpolsh.ei 11\er ~ deliver anywhere in the United States. - - . TRY THE .SHOP UTJTH A REPUT~4TION CHRIS J. EMA HENRY SMITH TAILOR Flori,,t EXPiiJRT REPAIRER AND REFIT'rE .R l\1onroe ancl Div'ision · 1505 Lake Drive, S. E. Citz • 21175 Opposite Car Barns , . �,.- ,...,,,,,.,,,,,,, .., -\IIIQI ' '. ci --.: 1 '1 l'-lfJII II~ llll1r ~111ndlm •••• ij ~ - - - 1 - - - 111111 .... . ,L _,. .. . ,.'.-ti . ~ / •• '. ' ~ i ~ l~ ij i C) • '' • A RARE : SWEET t ~ I 1:, 'I l \ I ~ , ...; ~ ;. ' • ,· I'' : .. ~ Il,1 ~ SMOKE // . I : ~ > , • ~ I > > i •· 1,~ '~ r .. ~ ,. r..~ i ,..._-~-'Ii .. - :· -· I I : ., . :c I •. I ~ I .. ... ~ . ~~) . ··--..: ,·- � 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 Rapids Boat and Canoe Club collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club Description An account of the resource Scrapbooks of newsclippings, photographs, postcards, and ephemera of the Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club. Photos were taken at regattas on Reeds Lake; the Grand River; Peoria, Illinois; and in Chicago of club members, and events. Historical articles, reports of regatta events, and articles featuring members Charles McQuewan and Jack Corbett are included. Programs include the First Grand Regatta on Great Salt Lake 1888, and Peoria Rowing Festival, and banquet and music programs and the GR Log, a publication of the Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club. Materials from the Central States Amater Rowing Association, and the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen are also included. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1980s to 1940s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/481">Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club scrapbooks, (RHC-54)</a> Subject The topic of the resource Grand Rapids (Mich.) Outdoor recreation Boats and boating Racing shells Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-54 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 RHC-54_Ephemera-GRRC_E07 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1922 Title A name given to the resource The GR Log: Opening Number 1922 Description An account of the resource Periodical pamphlet to Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club members detailing the season's activities, including tennis and canoeing, as well as short articles from the office, a joke section, and adverts on the back two pages, as well as the back cover. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Grand Rapids Rowing Club Subject The topic of the resource Grand Rapids (Mich.) Outdoor recreation Boats and boating Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/481">Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club scrapbooks (RHC-54)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/">No Known Copyright</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/6fd4ef89af77cff0482a45870bfdd8f7.mp3 e17b783ad80ade701de0df7a632beeca https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/317666d5c073b7eb886135e979808b1c.pdf 5688549704c5c610d5126701eb2023b6 PDF Text Text The Grace That Enables Us To View Ourselves Honestly Fourth sermon in the series: What the Church Has Forgotten, AA Remembers Text: Psalm 139 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 15, 1982 Transcription of the spoken sermon Thoreau said that all men live lives of quiet desperation, and I often believe that he was right. One evening this week the telephone rang and the person on the other end told me of a young man who had entered this sanctuary some months ago. Being in his 30th year and never being a part of the Church, he was amazed at what he heard and what he felt here and was one of the most sincere and serious seekers with whom I had ever dealt. In a number of sessions I developed a real fondness for him, the reality of his questions, his search, his struggle to find meaning, his reaching out after God. The voice on the other end of the telephone line informed me that last week he committed suicide. And so, one recognizes that Thoreau was right. All over this community churches gather, congregations assemble to worship very much as we have done here with our Sunday clothes, our respectability, and our cordiality. We meet one another, but we do not really meet. We manage to keep things on the surface and we major in trivialities. We major in trivialities because any deeper probing might unmask us and reveal the quiet desperation and the storm that rages within. Churches meet, people singing hymns and saying prayers and going forth from the sanctuary still bleeding and bruised and wondering what to make of it all. And not only in the churches, but also in the streets of the city, the throngs go to and fro, carrying within the raging storm. How can we penetrate the thick armor with which we shield our deepest hurts, our anxieties, our fears? How can we learn to live lives of health and wholeness? How can we come to an honest self-awareness that is the prelude to human wellbeing? Today we make a significant shift in our study of the parallels between the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous and biblical faith. In the terminology of the Church we begin at Step Four to speak of the Christian life. To use the doctrinal term, we begin now to speak of sanctification or the way of holiness, which I would like to translate as the way to wholeness. © Grand Valley State University   �The Grace that Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Step One was a step of diagnosis - Our lives had become unmanageable. Step Two took us beyond our misery to a Power beyond ourselves - We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Step Three was the watershed moment - We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. With those three steps we have admitted we have a problem - or better, we are a problem - and we are powerless to help ourselves and we have committed our lives, turned ourselves over to God. In biblical terms, we have entrusted our lives to God. Where do we go from here? I have entitled this series "What the Church Has Forgotten, AA Remembers" because AA is actually doing what too often for us in the Church is only a way of life acknowledged but too little lived. AA is responsible for the transformation of millions of lives that once were broken and miserable. Human transformation is what we in the Church are about. We must learn again our own faith in order again to be effective in changing human nature, bringing healing and creating wholeness. Step Four calls for a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. For the alcoholic, sobriety has been won through the admission of powerlessness and the commitment to the Power of God. But now that sobriety has been achieved, how can one go on to a new life? How does one appropriate the power of God on a day-by-day, moment-by-moment basis not only to stay sober but to find the fullness of life? Step Four calls for an honest self-appraisal - true self-knowledge as the way to a transformed life. Self-knowledge is not an end in itself. It is, however, a necessary first step toward the goal of accepting responsibility for our own lives and beginning to work at behavior modification. The Gospel too calls us to an honest appraisal of who we are and sets before us the model of Jesus Christ as that fully human existence to which we are called. My thesis in this message is that the Grace of God enables us to view ourselves honestly. Knowing that we are loved unconditionally and accepted just as we are gives us the courage to accept ourselves, own our own behavior and take responsibility for our lives. Let me suggest first of all that seeking self-knowledge takes courage. We must admit that we avoid self-knowledge both because we are proud and we are afraid. By self-knowledge, I mean a knowledge of who I am, an understanding of myself, why I react as I do, my strong points and my weak points, my deepest desires, my greatest fears. I mean a knowledge of how I react in given situations, how I affect © Grand Valley State University �The Grace that Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly Richard A. Rhem Page 3   people and how other persons affect me. By self-knowledge I mean understanding myself, understanding the past which has shaped me and the present which conditions me and the future which determines me. By selfknowledge I mean an honest appraisal of my strengths and my weaknesses. In a word, self-knowledge is knowing who I am. In the case of AA, it is obvious why the new life begins with a searching and fearless moral inventory. Alcoholism is a disease and for some persons there is an immediate chemical reaction, which leads to addiction. But for most people alcohol is first of all a way of escape from life and its realities. It is a cover for fears and anxieties, feelings of resentment or frustration, a compensation for feelings of inferiority. The first requirement was the admission of powerlessness and then the willingness to turn one's life over to the power of God. Thus sobriety is achieved. But the problems that lie behind the turning to drink in the first place remain. It is those problems that need to be named, owned and dealt with. But the alcoholic is not unique. He is not the only person with problems. We are all alike. Our problems differ. The way we handle our problems differs. But we all devise some method of coping with life. We may choose some escape mechanism that does not lead to an addiction such as alcohol, but we all have our ways. Some of us chain smoke. Some of us bite our fingernails. Some of us keep on a merry-go-round of activity. Some of us overeat. Some of us withdraw into ourselves. Some of us overwork. Some of us play too hard. Some of us know it. Some of us don't. Self-knowledge is painful, but living without self-knowledge is pitiable. AA is very serious about the moral inventory. As I have mentioned in each message, AA is a spiritual organization but it is not a religious organization. It is not precise in the definition of its terms. It leaves to each person to form his own conception of God and, in regard to the moral inventory; it leaves to the individual the freedom to define the problems of his own character. The biblical term would be sin. That term is expressed by several biblical words meaning missing the mark, or transgressing the bounds, something twisted or distorted; sometimes it refers to rebellion. Sin is not a popular word. If one prefers, as one approaches the inventory one can speak of character defects or maladjustments. However one speaks of it, what is being asked is to be completely candid about those attitudes and actions and behavior patterns in one's life which are the roots of the disruption one experiences within one's self and in one's relationships. AA is not only very serious about this process; it is very practical, as well. It calls for a written report. The inventory is very concrete and specific, naming the fault, © Grand Valley State University �The Grace that Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly Richard A. Rhem Page 4   how one behaved in light of the fault and the consequences of that behavior. For example, from the outstanding clinic for alcoholic recovery, Hazelden, comes this pamphlet, "A New Fourth Step Guide", which is an instrument to help one do the Fourth Step meaningfully. In the instructions it says: Step Four (like each of the Steps) marks the beginning of a new way of life. It says that today I will begin to take a realistic assessment of myself. We hope this guide will help you begin to learn to know yourself. Three attitudes are important: To be searching, fearless and moral. 1. Are you searching? Are you really digging into your own selfawareness and describing your behavior as it really is? 2. Are you fearless? It takes courage to face yourself in terms of what has really been going on in your life. 3. Are you moral? Take a good look at the "good-bad" implications of your behavior, your own values? How does it size up with your own values? Then there are some thirty pages, most of which are blank spaces for one to write in response to questions raised at the top of the page. Let me cite just a couple: FALSE PRIDE What we mean is excessive pride; being so thin-skinned that we have trouble admitting any human weaknesses at all. Another word for this kind of pride is grandiosity. Describe how your pride has kept you from looking at your own behavior. HUMILITY Now that you are learning that it is safe to admit your powerlessness and unmanageability, do you find it easier just to be human? Being humble doesn't mean being weak. It means accepting ourselves - our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Do you know something now about what humility really means? Are you able to be less defensive? To enjoy the peace that comes with genuine humility? Explain. SELF-PITY This is hard to recognize, and it's something no one likes to admit. It's a matter of feeling sorry for ourselves. Maybe because we feel people just don't understand us. Or maybe it's feeling that people don't respect us or don't love us enough. It means feeling hopeless, feeling like a victim of © Grand Valley State University �The Grace that Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly Richard A. Rhem Page 5   circumstances. Have you ever felt self-pity? Do you feel sorry for yourself right now? After each brief statement, it is your turn to respond. Sounds scary, does it not? That is why I began by saying that honestly to seek knowledge of ourselves takes courage. As I said earlier, self-knowledge is painful. Yet I also said to live without self-knowledge is pitiable. That brings me to the second point I want to make Self-knowledge is freeing. As much as our pride and our fear resist self-knowledge, there is nothing more freeing than the honest admission and acceptance of who we are. So many of us expend so much energy covering up who we are. We spend our days in selfjustifying behavior. We explain ourselves and excuse ourselves and when we are cornered, we strike out in defensiveness. To some degree we all play roles. We wear masks. We hide the person we are behind a cloak of respectability. The roles we play, the masks we wear depend on where we are and with whom we are. We tend to live up to others' expectations and so much of human relationship and human society occurs on a very superficial level. We have surface contact and we major in trivialities. What a relief it is to be able simply to be ourselves in the presence of someone with whom we feel safe, not worrying that we will be discovered for what we are rather than known for what we project as our facade. This brings me to the Old Testament lesson, Psalm 139. This magnificent poetry sings of the sovereign and gracious presence, power and knowledge of God. After reciting the completeness of God's knowing, His inescapable presence, His limitless power, the Psalmist concludes with a morning prayer for God to search his inmost being, to make him transparent and to lead him in the way of truth. I submit to you that only one who has found God to be gracious would dare to offer such a prayer. Obviously this is the prayer of one who knows God intimately and has been convinced of His steadfast love for he cries out, "How precious are Thy thoughts to me!" To be known completely, and to take comfort in that, is to know that God is gracious. But does the recovering alcoholic necessarily know God in the intimacy of His love and grace? Not necessarily. He may still be at the stage of speaking of an Anonymous Power. Whence, then, comes the Grace? © Grand Valley State University �The Grace that Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly Richard A. Rhem Page 6   In the AA experience it comes from another person, perhaps his sponsor, and from the AA group. The mediation of grace comes through persons who know where the recovering alcoholic is coming from and who reach out without judgment offering total acceptance. The AA fellowship provides the tangible expression of God’s grace to the person who has finally come to seek help much as Jesus mediated grace to the woman at the well. That fascinating narrative which John has written into his Gospel for his own purposes of telling the story and significance of Jesus is a beautiful instance of the Grace with which Jesus dealt with persons. Jesus, gracious Jesus, able to engage in conversation a woman of Samaria. Every word is loaded; for him to talk to a woman, for him to talk to a Samaritan woman - all of that immediately spoke volumes, which he did not have to say in so many words. Jesus, gracious Jesus, reaching out to a woman living in quiet desperation, communicated to her that kind of grace that enabled her to come to self-knowledge. It is an interesting little story. Starting out at Jacob's Well, a drink of water, Jesus moving directly to the point... "Bring your husband." "I have no husband." "You're right, you have no husband. You have had five husbands, and the one you are with now is not your husband." She says, "My, you must be a prophet. Let's talk about worship." But he had gotten to her. Not an unmasking that left her denuded, but a gracious peeling away of the facade that opened her up to the healing of his acceptance and unconditional love, enabling her to go back home to say, "Come, meet a man that told me everything that I ever did." Honesty can only happen in the context of grace. I wish the Church could learn that. The Church is the last place in the world you would want to be honest. A sinner wouldn't be caught dead in church, for the Church is for the righteous, for the religious, for those that need no physician. But Jesus said, "I came to call not the righteous, but sinners, sick people, people with problems, people with fears, with resentments, wallowing in self-pity, people with self-destructive tendencies. People who are poor bets and high risks, bleeding people, bruised people, people beaten in the game of life. I've come to help people say, "That's who I am, and God loves me anyway'" - the prelude to movement toward wholeness. © Grand Valley State University �The Grace that Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly Richard A. Rhem Page 7   It is grace that enables us honestly to look at ourselves. Apart from grace we keep our defenses up and go on our self-justifying way, expending tremendous energy to avoid the reality we would rather not face. Grace enables the courage of self-knowledge. Grace, enabling self-knowledge, creates the possibility of freedom. Grace alone provides the climate for healing and the fullness of human existence. When we have seen the Father in the face of Jesus and experienced His grace in the acceptance of another in whom the Word becomes flesh, we can view ourselves honestly, accept ourselves and take responsibility for our lives and find the flow of God's power, which moves toward wholeness. Thank God! Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Series What the Church Has Forgotten, AA Remembers Scripture Text Psalm 139 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-0-19820815 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1982-08-15 Title A name given to the resource The Grace That Enables Us To View Ourselves Honestly 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 15, 1982 entitled "The Grace That Enables Us To View Ourselves Honestly", as part of the series "What the Church Has Forgotten, AA Remembers", at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 139. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Alcoholics Anonymous Grace Humility Transformation https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/785d60e238a616825e4bb18f6b827fad.mp3 427a4c6e1ba7cddc45ce2deb9e64ab93 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 Human Transformation: The Gospel & AA Scripture Text Psalm 139: 23-24, John 4:29 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-0-19890806 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1989-08-06 Title A name given to the resource The Grace That Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly 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 6, 1989 entitled "The Grace That Enables Us to View Ourselves Honestly", as part of the series "Human Transformation: The Gospel & AA", on the occasion of Pentecost XII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 139: 23-24, John 4:29. 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/8e53b3c044a3f8c62d67947c02d9af59.mp3 3ff460b7301facb0e5b86bd7d3697889 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a62a7db3a3d44a4dea3123c7c37d6ca8.pdf 2127d5f6c35e435177d2f8487f260283 PDF Text Text The Grace to Embrace the Future Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 2:25-35 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Christmastide, December 28, 2003 Transcription of the spoken sermon I've been looking forward to this last Lord's Day of the year, this Christmastide Sunday. I knew a couple of months ago when I was trying to decide what the preaching would be that I would want to conclude the season with the story of Simeon, an old man with whom I can identify. I identify with him not because the description fits me. He was righteous and devout. But, I can identify with him in the sense that for all of his life he had been engaged in waiting and watching and praying and yearning for the realization of that realm of God, that rule of peace and shalom. It is a beautiful story that Luke relates to us. He begins his Gospel with a preface that parades before us some of the beautiful old saints who, in their quiet way, had been praying and watching and waiting for God's big move, and Simeon is one of those beautiful examples who comes in old age, nudged by the Holy Spirit, into the temple to find there a child. He takes the child in his arms and he sees the future, and he praises God, saying, "I'm ready for my discharge. Now let your servant depart in peace." The literal language is that Simeon had been in the role of a sentinel watching for the kingdom. Now as his eyes beheld this child, the intuition of the Holy Spirit said, "The future is now in your arms in this little one," and Simeon blessed God and with great grace, embraced the future. Grace is a word that we've used here over all these many years, thinking particularly of God's disposition to all people, that disposition of favor and kindness and mercy to all. But, I use grace with just a nuance of difference this morning in terms of the style of grace. Simeon manifests the style of grace in his ability to let go and to embrace the future in the child. Simeon is an example of the kind of style of grace that I think exemplifies the best in the religious life. He was one of those watching and waiting, had served faithfully, and finally was ready as the time came for his release and, casting his eyes upon the child, could embrace a future that he could not see, but in which he trusted because he believed in the God who was coming to expression in that child. Another example of the style of grace would be the Apostle Paul who wasn't always such a gracious fellow but, in his relationship with the congregation at © Grand Valley State University   �The Grace to Embrace the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Philippi, he had a special affectional relationship. Writing the letter from the prison in Rome as he was about himself to be executed anytime, knowing not just exactly what lie before him, he writes this affectional letter to them saying, "I thank God on every remembrance of you, praying for you constantly, convinced, confident that the God who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Jesus Christ." And on this last Sunday of the year 2003, in the midst of the Christmas season, I want to suggest to you that we are in the process of embracing the future, and it is my sense that, characteristically, we are embracing the future with the style of grace. The year before us is certainly a year of transition and that transition is a major kind of transition for any community. It reminds me of the fact that in that transition there is going to be both continuity and change. It was a few years ago, remember, when we had that beautiful New Testament scholar, Bishop Stendahl here who made such an impact in his visit, who taught me that tradition was not simply something that shaped us out of the past, but that tradition was actually an instrument for both continuity and change, continuity in the sense that tradition as a living tradition has shaped us, has given us a sense of identity, has enabled us to know who we are and what we are about. It has given us a life map; it has given us direction. But, that very tradition is also the instrument of change. If it is a living tradition, then it can never be frozen. It can never be set. It can never be absolutized. It is always in motion and those who have been shaped by a living tradition have found the grace and the freedom to continue to move, to continue to follow the whim and the wind of the spirit, mapping out uncharted ground and sailing into uncharted seas without fear, confident that the God of our past will be the God who will accompany us in the future. So, there is continuity and there is change. Ill never forget Krister Stendahl's example of the boa constrictor. He himself, having come from Sweden and having served ten years as Bishop of Stockholm, was very much in the native Swedish mode where life continues to move, but sometimes he would visit relatives in Minnesota, and there an immigrant Swedish population had tended to freeze the tradition at the point at which they had immigrated. That's a characteristic of every immigrant people (except the Dutch, I think.) But he told about going to Minnesota, and it was like going back to Sweden many years before. He used the example of the boa constrictor who slithers out of its skin and the taxidermist grabs that skin and stuffs it and puts it in a glass case and says, "There's the snake." But, as Krister says, that's not the snake. The snake has slithered off into the future. That's a museum piece. Part of the tension within the Church historically has been to find that proper balance between continuity and change. The temptation is always to freeze, to absolutize, to remain secure and safe with that which is known and that which is familiar. Perhaps you are aware of a current controversy in the country over the forthcoming film, The Passion of Jesus Christ, which has been bought and paid © Grand Valley State University �The Grace to Embrace the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 3   for by Mel Gibson. There was an article in the Grand Haven Tribune yesterday, a pretty good article for the Tribune, as a matter of fact. Actually I have a paper on this whole controversy. Some scholars have looked at this film and have despaired of the nature of this film because it has all of the old passion story as, for example, the old Oberammergau Passion stories which were instruments by which feelings were aroused and anti-Semitism arose causing, as James Carroll in his Constantine's Sword has pointed out, causing people over the years in many instances to go out of Good Friday services and to abuse and persecute Jewish people. This film, apparently, has that kind of feel about it and there have been those who have been trying to negotiate with Mel Gibson. But it turns out that Mel Gibson is a part of a traditional Catholic movement. His father is an outspoken advocate of that. This is a movement that rejects Vatican II, that very significant Council, which had been called by Pope John XXIII from 62 to 65, in which the Catholic Church said there is salvation beyond the Catholic Church and in which they specifically said the Jews collectively are not guilty of the death of Jesus. Very significant moves for that Church at that time. This traditionalist Catholic movement rejects Vatican II, rejects subsequent popes, is very suspicious of the Vatican, and they continue to say their mass in Latin; the priest continues to face the altar and all of that. That in itself is harmless enough. Let that be done and let that kind of mystery and aura flow over the people. But, when it becomes an aggressive movement that can create violence and discord, then that kind of traditionalism becomes a very bad thing. The Church is always in that tension, moving between continuity and change, and we have made that journey. We have been on that journey and I have such confidence for us in the future because we have come to know and to experience that our passage together is, indeed, a passage, and it is a journey. We know from whence we have come and we know that we are moving into a future which is uncharted but in which we are confident, because the eternal God continues with us in the future as in the past. And so, as I think about Christ Community, as I think about a story that will be written, I realize that when that story is written I will have been a transition figure. I will have been a bridge person between that wonderful congregation that invited me back in 1971 which was quite traditional, conservative, and evangelical. That congregation and that posture to this present congregation that has moved from the kind of traditional, conservative, supernaturalism moving toward a religious naturalism in which we see God coming to expression in the whole cosmic tapestry and particularly in the word made flesh, the infinite becoming finite, in the human, understanding ourselves as the voice of God and the consciousness of God and the awareness of God, the awareness of that splendid, grand drama of 13.7 billion years. We've made a radical move. It has been gradual. It has been slow. It has been cautious. It has been persistent. But, we have moved a long way as a community. But, there is continuity because in that new understanding of reality as we have come to understand it, we continue to find the clue to the mystery of the cosmos © Grand Valley State University �The Grace to Embrace the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 4   in the face of Jesus Christ. We continue to find our road map in that life of Jesus. Simeon said, holding the child, "My eyes have seen God's salvation," and we continue in continuity with that Christian understanding of Jesus as the way and the truth and the life. But, there is change, as well, because we have quite a different conception of reality. We have been trying to find a way to say God, to re-imagine faith, to translate it into ways that resonate with our common human experience in the contemporary situation, and that means that I am simply a bridge, a transition person. That also means that we haven't arrived. That means that we continue on a journey and we move into uncharted seas, but unafraid because we are confident, as Paul said, that the one who has begun a good work in our midst will bring it to completion in the day of Jesus Christ, because Paul expected at any day the curtain of history to come down. I would say we are confident because we believe the one who is at work within us will continue to be at work within us, moving us into the ongoing, unfolding of this cosmic journey, the contour of which we can not begin yet to conceive of, but with Simeon, our confidence is in God. With Paul, our confidence is in God. This congregation, having wallowed in grace, has learned the style of grace. I hope I'll hear you repeating back to me again and again and again - What would be the style of grace at this next juncture, and this juncture, and this juncture, unafraid, confident, positive, moving with a style of grace. Growing old is wonderful and it is really a lucky person who can say that. The down side of old age has been hugely exaggerated. I find that each decade of my life has been richer and more exciting than the one before and there are such advantages. On Thanksgiving we had all the kids over and I said to Nancy, "Do you thiink they would help me get that Christmas tree at least upstairs?" Well, no more said than done. The boys put the branches up and there were the granddaughters winding the lights around and when they all left, the tree was a fait accompli. Wonderful! Never had it so good. Then they were all over for Christmas and they said, "Bumpa, Grammy, do you think we should take the tree down?" And we said, "Oh, no, we can do that." Well, Saturday the phone rang and Lynn said, "We're coming over to take the tree down." I said, "Wonderful." And within an hour the whole thing was done and Christmas was over. It was just so beautiful. I hang out on Tuesdays at Duba's with Duncan Littlefair, age 91, and Lester DeKoster, age 88, and I'm always impressed with the perspective of many years, the wisdom, the equanimity with which the ongoing crises of the world are encompassed. I've seen in Duncan Littlefair, particularly, that zest for life that doesn't abate, that passion, that passionate engagement, and he often speaks of the grand privilege of such a long perspective in the human story. Wonderful! And I want to say with old Simeon, "Dear God, I've seen the future and it's good." © Grand Valley State University �The Grace to Embrace the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Do you know that in 1971 when you invited me back I was 35 years old? In February I turned 36 and began in March. Do you know that Ian Lawton is 35 years old, in February he will turn 36 and will begin in March? Do you suspect that the miracle will happen all over again? I do. I can't hold that boy in my arms and look at him, but my eyes will see the future. And we've not arrived. You will find that I've only been a person of transition, moving into a future that even I cannot conceive of, but a future into which I, with you, will move with confidence and joy. I know that transition has its wrenching dimensions, which is normal, natural and healthy. I learned personally something of that a few weeks ago with John and Brenda Fuchs. John was on the Operations Council and the Board of Trustees. He's been a dear friend; I've come to love him dearly. They moved to Florida. In the narthex before they left, I said, "John, I'm really going to miss you," and he said, "Oh, we're coming back. We're coming back." And from that moment I knew that he was putting me off. He wasn't allowing me to say, "I'm sad. I'm going to miss you here every week." And I learned something. And so, you can say, "I'm sad." You can say, "It's going to be different." You can say anything you want to. It's okay. And I won't say to you what I have been saying over and over again. "We're going to be here. We're not going anywhere." No, we have not-arrived, and with all of the continuity that will accompany us, there will be change and that is the way of life. This community will engage it with a style of grace. Say it after me - The Style of Grace. Once more - The Style of Grace. Aah, may we never betray it; may we never deny it; may we always embody it. Christmas Eve - wasn't it beautiful? It was so magical, mystical, meaningful, and I decided that what we needed was just a moment of silence with the lights down and only the candlelight as the Christ Candle was lighted. The silence was eloquent. The silence caused us to be awash with the presence of God. It was so magnificent. Yesterday, Lynn said to me, "Dad, did you stay down so long because you couldn't get up?" I said, "I was worried about getting up, but I stayed down so long because I didn't want the moment to end." It was so beautiful, so magical, so mystical, the presence of God was tangible, and it will continue to be as we find ever new ways to express it and experience it and, in it all, move into that future with the style of grace. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Christmastide Scripture Text Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 2:25-35 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-0-20031228 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2003-12-28 Title A name given to the resource The Grace to Embrace the Future Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 28, 2003 entitled "The Grace to Embrace the Future", on the occasion of Christmastide, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 2:25-35. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Change Continuity Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5ab2f777d564f1e68c498a65235ccfd5.pdf 98f39a3fa54ed9e2cdd0523f84bf4931 PDF Text Text The Grace to Let Go Celebration of the Life of Sally Hammond Psalm 23, Mark 15:34, John 19:28-30, Luke 23:46 Richard A. Rhem Sally’s Garden Grand Haven, Michigan July 25, 2009 Prepared text of sermon Being a pastor to the Hammond family for so many years, it was only natural that I should have been on the e-mail list Tom assembled from the first. The list grew as the shocking news of Sally’s condition spread, but hearing the news from the first, I e-mailed Tom to say I was ready whenever they requested to come to them. A week or so later Tom called. They were ready for a pastoral visit and that afternoon Nancy and I went to them – Tom, Sally and Emily were there. From the first hug at the door I was aware that this was the right time. Sally took me to the big leather chair, sat me down, moved the foot stool aside and sat on it – literally at my knee. It was one of those moments when one senses something very special was going on. You might suspect that would have been a difficult call to make but it wasn’t at all. The five of us spoke candidly, openly, easily of Sally’s situation. We remembered so many great times – Tom and Sally twice accompanied Nancy and me on tours – once to Europe, once a New England Canadian cruise. And, of course, many years, wonderful years of shared moments at Christ Community Church. But there was no awkward avoidance of Sally’s dire physical condition. We spoke of the diagnosis and the prognosis and the decision Sally made to take no measure to deal with the cancer, methods that may have prolonged her life a bit but also robbed her of real life. It is always unwise to say what one would do if one were in that circumstance when, as a matter of fact, one is not in that circumstance. I did, however say to Sally I affirmed her decision and that I hoped were I in that circumstance, I would choose as she did. There was total agreement in that family circle. It was obvious that they were together at peace with the decision Sally made – to live as fully and normally as possible every remaining day she had. And she did! © Grand Valley State University   �The Grace To Let Go Richard A. Rhem Page 2   I know of no finer expression of Sally’s last day than the beautiful description from Tom’s final e-mail. Subject: Sally Update Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:16:54 Hi Dear Friends, Today I am writing to tell you that Sally passed away late last evening, not quite four weeks after discovering the tumor. During that time she dealt with everything with amazing dignity, humor, and love. This past Sunday we had one of the most amazing days I've ever experienced. She told us that she had decided that this was her last day and was very much at peace with it. She joined us on the porch in a rolling chair, weak but ate a lot of food, laughed a lot, reminisced. She was radiant, obviously having made the decision herself. We had very warm, fulfilling goodbyes. Later that night she slipped into a deep sleep, spent Monday in a coma, and passed quietly about midnight. We will always remember Sunday and the way she was. It was a real gift to us. I'm so thankful for Abby, Emily, Susan, and Betsy being here. They have been a real blessing. I'm also so thankful for all of you who have been so concerned; your love and caring have been greatly felt. Attached is the obituary that I wrote, then had the four girls improve. If you can be here on Saturday between 2 and 4, we would love to see you. Thanks again. Tom It was a gift; Sally turned tragedy into triumph. That’s why we are here today to celebrate her life amidst the gardens she loved – to celebrate her life. Strangely enough, not with a heavy cloud of darkness hanging over us, not with weeping but with stories, memories, laughing and crying but in it all a sense of celebration of a life whose presence graced us for so many years. Don’t misunderstand me. This is no denial of deep grief, of sadness, of painful loss. The whole point of my reflections is to say there was no denial here – not at the first news, not in the ensuing month, not at the final good-byes. And there will certainly be grief through which to work for Tom, the girls, the family. But grief laced with remembering the way she was, grief through gratitude at the gift she gave, grief through joy at the remarkable manner of her departure. © Grand Valley State University �The Grace To Let Go Richard A. Rhem Page 3   I’ve entitled my reflections, “The Grace To Let go.” She approached her end with dignity and departed with grace. Quite amazing really! Thinking about these moments I thought of some of Jesus’ words from the cross – My intention is not in any way to make the situation comparable; they are not. It did strike me however, that the words from the cross reflect the human reality of facing and coming to terms with our mortality when it faces us suddenly. For Jesus, the expression “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” That “why” is inevitable in our human situation – the feeling of being alone, abandoned – “My God, Why….?” But then the normal human physical response – “I’m thirsty.” Her last day she ate with the family – was it the last supper, her final communion? But then, inevitably, the awareness of the end comes – For Jesus, “It is finished.” And then finally, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” Tom writes: She had decided that this was her last day and was very much at peace with it. We had very warm, fulfilling good-byes. She slipped into a deep sleep – and passed quietly. It is finished…Father into your hands… I submit to you that Sally has modeled for us all the grace to let go and it is as beautiful as it is amazing. In our visit with Sally and family a couple weeks ago I suggested we stand in a circle holding hands and I offered a prayer. At the conclusion we hugged. She said “I’ve been waiting for that.” I sensed deeply that was the final notch and it brought deep peace. It was one of those rare moments when I knew it was not just I but rather all my person symbolized and embodied for her – It was a beautiful and deeply moving moment. And I knew anew the truth of what was a mantra at Christ Community: All will be well All will be well All manner of things will be well © Grand Valley State University �The Grace To Let Go Richard A. Rhem Page 4   The words of the 11th century Nun, Mystic, Julian of Norwich and to you all, family, friends, community – All will be well. Prayer O God! Somehow that address, that cry to the Sacred Mystery of our lives, of all of life, issues forth from our depths – O God! We come consciously into your Presence, for we come to the limit of our ability to fathom meaning and purpose, life’s sweetness and its vulnerability – indeed the beauty and the terror of creation, life’s wonder and its fragility. We come as a community surrounding Tom, Emily and Puya, Abby and Sally’s family in these moments, offering our love and care and support. We come acknowledging shock and sadness at the loss of this one, so vivacious, so full of fun, of life; our Sally! We can hardly take it in. And then we run into a paradox: How is it that such a great loss of one so young, so vibrant with dreams yet to be fulfilled does not bring with it a sense of tragedy and the blackness of despair? We have been telling Sally stories, we have laughed about shared moments, as we have remembered her mischievousness, her laughter, her humor, her kindness and goodness. Somehow today we cannot feel heavy of spirit, depressed or simply down. A paradox indeed! We do know why that is the case when we take a moment to reflect on the gift she was and the gift she bestowed on her beloved – the gift of living fully to the end with love and grace and dignity. The gift of facing so honestly and courageously her imminent death. Dear God, she was magnificent, a beautiful model of how to die. Such courage, such strength were not recent add-ons to her being but rather the lovely flowering of her nature, indeed, her soul. We celebrate that. We are in awe of our beloved Sally, loving wife, mother, sister, friend. In the quietness of these moments, We remember the way she was Grateful that the luminosity of her being has irradiated our own Grateful for this gift we’ve shared © Grand Valley State University �The Grace To Let Go Richard A. Rhem The human encounter Which has been divine Our Sally, in whose face we’ve seen the face of God. Even as she saw God in the face of Jesus Jesus who taught us to pray saying: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory, for ever. The love of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. © Grand Valley State University Page 5   � 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 Memorial Service for Sally Hammond Scripture Text Psalm 23, Mark 15:34, John 19:28-30, Luke 23:46 Location The location of the interview Lakeshore Interfaith Center, Ganges 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-0-20090725 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-07-25 Title A name given to the resource The Grace to Let Go 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 25, 2009 entitled "The Grace to Let Go", on the occasion of Memorial Service for Sally Hammond, at Lakeshore Interfaith Center, Ganges. Scripture references: Psalm 23, Mark 15:34, John 19:28-30, Luke 23:46. 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 Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c3e890b804d15cee7e538af78c1bc8c0.pdf 3be9dd3ffcb8d8e6620a2f51c05f2e7c PDF Text Text The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches I Corinthians 15: 42-44, 50, 53-58 Luke 23:32-34, 44-46 Richard A. Rhem Funeral Meditation and Prayer for Richard J. Westhoff VBK Chapel, Grand Haven, Michigan Thursday, February 27, 2014 If I have the timing right, it was three weeks ago today that Rich and family met with the Hospice nurse. Three days later I stopped by to be with Rich and Mary – Kathy was there as well. As always with Rich and Mary, it was very easy, warm, relaxed. We spoke about the doctor’s report, the recognition that the cancer was raging, that Hospice had been engaged. The full seriousness of his failing health was in full view. At one point he looked at me, put his hand on my arm – we were sitting at the dining room table – and he said, “Will you do my funeral?” Our eyes met and I responded, “Of course; I wouldn’t let anyone else do it!” He smiled and I smiled. I’ve been with my people on numerous occasions at their dying. I’ve marveled at the mystery – one minute alive, breathing. Then no more. I’ve thought much about the mystery of life and life moving into death. And, frankly, I guess I would have to say I’m really quite comfortable in those situations. But I must say those moments with Rich were so rich, so honest. I left with that sense so strongly felt. I had affirmed the decisions he made along the way. An awful course of chemo which did not fully free him of the awful disease and his decision: no more! Let me live being myself as well as I can as long as I can. And he did. He found a period of a good quality of life. And then when the cancer came on in full force he had no regrets. When the time came, Hospice was called in. And then it was time to go to the nursing home. Nancy and I went to him when we learned he was there. At the door the nurse said, “First room on the left. We just got him resting. Try not to waken him.” Well, I just smiled at her and we made our way to the room. He was quiet, eyes closed, but I had a little business to do with him…. I took his hand. He opened his eyes and we were in touch; he was with me. © Grand Valley State University   �The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches Richard A. Rhem Page 2   “The Lord is my shepherd…. He responded at each phrase, affirming the beautiful expressions of trust in the Psalm. And the benediction “The Lord bless you and keep you,” my hand on his forehead and he fully receptive, aware, affirming. And then the words of Julian of Norwich, which have become a mantra for those of us who were Christ Community: All will be well, all will be well, All manner of things will be well. Those were very moving moments. As his pastor I knew I had had closure with this dear man – and there are no holier moments than when there is the grace to let go as death approaches. That is what struck me and I found so beautiful in Rich’s departing from all he loved and those who so dearly loved him. Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. I always loved that service. There was such honesty about it, such authenticity – The people came forward, knelt and, as I made the sign of the cross with the ashes on their foreheads, I would say, “Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return.” Those words come from Genesis 3 and the context is God’s judgment on the first human couple for their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. This, of course, is biblical myth – our stories of origin which had profound truths but also much we have moved beyond. As much as I love those words, “Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return,” I want to move them out of the context of death as the result of human disobedience. To do so, I must argue with St. Paul who was formed by that biblical story and perpetuated the idea that death was “the last enemy.” He states this in the context of his sense of history’s calendar. Paul thought he was living at the end of history. But, of course, two thousand years later we know he was wrong about history’s course and, I would maintain, about death as the last enemy. He believed death was God’s judgment on human transgression, believing as he did in the biblical story of “the Fall” of our first parents. Let me keep to the biblical story but go to Jesus. As I have said, we stand at the threshold of another Lent. We will follow Jesus to Calvary. Speaking truth to power, he is a threat to the Temple leadership and to Roman power. Condemned to die, he is crucified by the powers that be. How did he die in spite of injustice? Hear him on the Cross: Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” © Grand Valley State University �The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches Richard A. Rhem Page 3   In Luke’s telling of the story, Jesus then is appealed to by one of the criminals at his side and he offers him deep assurance – in a word, “All will be well.” And, as life ebbed, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” In the horror of crucifixion, Luke pictures for us a Jesus, full of grace, forgiving those who are executing him, full of compassion for his fellow sufferer, full of trust as he commends his spirit to God whom he conceived of as Father. Grace, compassion, trust – what a way to go! I bring that to your attention because we witnessed in Rich the grace to let go as death approached. Obviously the circumstances were totally different – Rich having lived fully until his death, surrounded by loved ones at home until less than two days in the hospice unit waiting, still hovered over by those he loved and who loved him. How does that happen? Let me suggest it was no accident, neither for Jesus nor for Rich. One does not suddenly come to one’s end and decide to die well full of grace, compassion and trust. Such a death is the result of a lifetime – a lifetime of love and care, faithfulness and devotion, loving and caring for family and friends – and look at his beautiful family – positive living in community, giving oneself in service and generosity, trust in the God of Grace. God and faithful devotion and commitment to the community of faith. That was Rich’s way. With him it was a steady, quiet way. As I sat with him that day when he asked if I would do his funeral, he told me the story of the snowball that went awry and his “punishment” from his Christian School teacher – memorize the 91st Psalm. He was amused to tell me that the key verse for the teacher was verse 8: “You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.” I suspect having to recite the Psalm before the class gave his classmates the opportunity to see his punishment. But, humorous as that is, the teacher’s sentence forced him to memorize the Psalm and I’m quite certain that Psalm shaped him – Did he not live “in the shelter of the Most High”? Did he not “abide in the shadow of the Almighty”? Did he not live with deep assurance? “Under his wings” he found refuge. © Grand Valley State University �The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches Richard A. Rhem Page 4   In a word, Psalm 91 formed him, shaped him. And being thus shaped and formed, he lived well, fully and, as death approached, he had the grace to let go. As I have indicated, our conversation at the dining room table was so easy. I said something about his obvious peace as he asked me to do his funeral. I can still see him look at me calmly and say, “I’ve been preparing for this all my life.” And he had and that’s why I entitle this meditation “The Grace To Let Go As Death Approaches” and insist it is not an end-of-life decision – it is a lifetime of preparation. I was moved by his quiet statement. He could let go not in futile resignation but in deep trust that the best is yet to be. Contrary to St. Paul’s contention that death is the last enemy, I sensed Rich entered into death’s shadow with full assurance and trust. St. Paul was really better than the “death is enemy” claim. He goes on in that 15th chapter of I Corinthians to speak of his resurrection faith and there, I sense, he too views death not as punishment, an enemy, but part of the natural process – birth, life, death – and death the gateway to life eternal: What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable… For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality…. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. To live with such hope and trust is not to deny the reality of death, not to deny loss, grief, and pain. And such hope and trust does not mean we would not choose rather to live on in health and fullness. It is rather simply to recognize life has its natural end in death and the sting of death, the fear in the face of death, is removed for those whose lives have been marked by trust and grace, love and hope. For such, there is a grace to let go as death approaches, in the assurance that as they have lived to the Lord, they die to the Lord, as St. Paul affirms, concluding, So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. It is for us to deal with the grief of loss even as we thank God for the gift we’ve shared in his life – but Rich is just fine, experiencing wonders he never dreamed of. Thanks be to God! Let us pray. © Grand Valley State University �The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches Richard A. Rhem Prayer For these few moments, O God, Sacred Mystery of our lives, Creative Source, Eternal Presence, and our Final Home, grace us with awareness that we are held in the embrace of Love as family and friends and the one we have loved and lost awhile. We remember him – larger than life – adored by family, loved and respected by a network of friends and a broad community. So much was he of Spring Lake, the Village, the school’s athletic association – a true Laker deep down. Quietly touching many lives with kindness and generosity, faithful in family, church and community – solid, one we could always count on. The stories that bring laughter and tears bespeak hidden humor, a delightful spirit. He loomed large in our lives, leaving an emptiness in our hearts. And yet, even in the pain of loss, remembering him, he brings us to laughter and delight. O God, we are grateful that he graced our lives, that he lived fully, choosing to live well until the end approached, which he met with deep assurance and grace. We are grateful, O great Mystery of life, that we have been graced with a fundamental trust, that this cosmic dance into which our lives are woven is not a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, but a universe whose grain is Love, Whose end is Life and Light © Grand Valley State University Page 5   �The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches Richard A. Rhem And in such a time as this, in such a place as this, Gracious God, we are grateful above all that the end is not broken health and dreams unfulfilled, swallowed up in death, but rather the confidence that to live is to live unto the Lord, and to die is to die unto the Lord, so then whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. You uphold us with everlasting arms. You overshadow us with a gracious Presence. You bear us up on eagle’s wings; beneath your sheltering wings we find refuge and peace. Sacred Mystery of all being, of our being, consciously aware of our lives in your light, we worship. We know that all will be well, all will be well, all manner of things will be well. Now, while our hearts are open, our spirits tender, mantle us with Your gentle grace. Assuage deep grief; cover our guilt; heal us, O God; heal us now. And now, as Jesus taught us, we pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. © Grand Valley State University Page 6   � 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 Funeral Meditation and Prayer for Richard J. Westhoff Scripture Text I Corinthians 15: 42-44, 50, 53-58, Luke 23:32-34, 44-46 Location The location of the interview VBK Chapel, Grand Haven, Michigan 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-0-20140227 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-02-27 Title A name given to the resource The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on February 27, 2014 entitled "The Grace to Let Go As Death Approaches", on the occasion of Funeral Meditation and Prayer for Richard J. Westhoff, at VBK Chapel, Grand Haven, Michigan. Scripture references: I Corinthians 15: 42-44, 50, 53-58, Luke 23:32-34, 44-46. 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 Community of Faith Funeral Grace Nature of Death https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/115831b290012fc260d978e1407e23e4.pdf 6d2a050495d3a48293ee62f21e4f8ec3 PDF Text Text The Grace to Recognize the Future Text: Luke 2:32 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Christmastide II, January 2, 1994 Transcription of the spoken sermon "…A light that will be a revelation to the nations and glory to thy people Israel.” It is the first Lord's Day of a new year, and the new year is a time for prognosticating - projecting the future. We have come through the old year and have taken inventory, and now it's the problem of trying to secure our future by strategizing and planning and figuring out what we want to do with our investments, with our business, with our profession, with our lives. As a community of God's people, this second Sunday in Christmastide allows us to return once more to the Christmas story, and on the first Lord's Day of a new year to ask ourselves what that story calls us to be as a people of God. I would like to suggest that we need grace. We need grace to recognize the future. The future is upon us whether we recognize it or not but, if God would give us grace, we might recognize and receive that future and become more closely identified with the purposes of God for the world and for us, God's people. We are a people who live by a vision. Stemming from the prophets, the whole Western World is a world that thinks in terms of a beginning and a consummation, in contrast to Eastern spirituality that lives in a kind of cyclical eternal return. We think more in terms of that linear movement, the drama of history. History had a beginning when God said, "Let there be," and that history will have a consummation when God says, "Time shall be no more." We have just celebrated and are celebrating the Good News that, in the meantime, in this historical drama of which we are a part, God is with us. God had visited God's people, and the "Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." So, we in Christmastide are a people who celebrate the presence of God with us as we move toward the future. We are a biblical people who live by that kind of vision. It is important for us to understand the contours of the future to the extent that is possible - to the extent that we can discern that from the word of God and the drama of salvation that is being played out in our midst. I call you this morning to seek the grace to recognize the future in order that we might be what God might have us be. In order to do that, it is always necessary to hear again the Gospel in a new way in terms of that concrete context in which we live, on the first Sunday of © Grand Valley State University   �Grace to Recognize the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 2   a new year, as we think about the future before us, set our goals and make our plans. In this concrete context, as those who would live by the Gospel, how ought we to fashion our lives and set our goals and make our plans? Simeon was a beautiful old man, and one of our favorite biblical characters, I suppose. Simeon was one who had the grace to recognize the future. Joseph and Mary brought the child to the temple to fulfill the legal requirements according to the Law of Moses for the child and for Mary. The Holy Spirit nudged old Simeon and said, "Go and look upon that child." He took that child in his arms and had the sense that now the future had been opened - that for which he had been watching and waiting was now present in this child. He had the grace to recognize the future as an old man who had lived righteously and devoutly; that is, he had lived with integrity in all his human relationships and he had been devout in that he worshipped God and trusted God. He is characterized as one of those who was watching and waiting, and trusting and hoping, and praying - and in the child he saw the fulfillment of his hopes, the realization that God was moving now in a significant way to effect God's purposes. So he sang a song. He sang a Psalm, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for the nations, and a glory for thy people Israel." The Song of Simeon, Nunc dimittis, coming from the first two words in Latin of a translation of a Psalm. Luke begins the story of Jesus with singers. He laces into the nativity narrative the song of Zechariah, the song of Mary, and the song of Simeon. Those songs are at the beginning of the story of Jesus for a very good reason. We have beautiful old Simeon, having lived well, ready now to die in peace. That would really be a wonderful way in which simply to close the Christmas season. In fact, I would suggest that if I had my "druthers" I would quit now, we would take the offering and go home. For after all, it is a wonderful story. The child in the arms of an old man, an old man who had lived righteously, worshiped faithfully, lived with hope and trust and found the realization of his dream, and would die in peace. That is a wonderful story! It would be worth the price of admission this morning. We could go home how. But that's not all Simeon had to say. So, if I would be faithful to the Gospel, I have to go on to tell you what more Simeon said about this child. He said, "This child will be for the fall and rising of many in Israel. He will be a sign spoken against." Then he looked at Mary and he said, "And a sword will pierce your heart." I suppose I could have entitled this message "The Shadow Side of Christmas," because Simeon was not only a beautiful model of living well and dying peacefully, he is also one who had the grace to recognize the future and to see in Jesus a future that would call people into the crisis of decision because Simeon recognized that the future of God was a future that pointed to the transformation of human society, the transformation of the human condition. © Grand Valley State University �Grace to Recognize the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 3   The song of Simeon like the songs of Zechariah and Mary is a song of revolution. These are revolutionary ballads. Luke puts them intentionally at the beginning of his gospel in order to say that God intends to do something in this old world through this child, and that this child will set in motion what God intends, that the world be changed, that the human condition be transformed. That means that this child will not simply be sweet little Jesus boy, but one who will face us with the crisis of decision and call us to follow in a way that will result in the transformation of human society. It will be a sign spoken against. He will not be taken lightly, not perceived readily. Mary will bury her child for the way he will go. For in this child was the beginning of a guerilla warfare on this world, whose end is the kingdom of God, the Shalom of the messianic age. Maybe for just a few moments we ought to think about Jesus and the implications of Christmas for our lives as individuals and as a community. We have been looking at a mission statement or an identity statement in which we have recognized the grace of God that embraces all and excludes none. I believe that is the intention of the gospel. We have failed, I think, to recognize the revolutionary ferment that the gospel of Jesus Christ injects into the human situation. As I said, the song of Zechariah, and the song of Mary, and the song of Simeon were songs that might be compared to a Joan Baez in the 60s. These were the ballads of the underside of society. These were the people of no account who saw in Jesus the possibility of the transformation of the human situation. What was the human situation? Well, the human situation was set forth by Luke when he says that Caesar Augustus made a decree that all the world should be taxed. Governments tax people. That's what they are about. In Imperial Rome, they were not asking what was just or fair, or good for the provinces. They were asking, "How much revenue do we need in order to support the apparatus of the Imperial government?" So the decree went out and Joseph could load his very pregnant wife onto a mule and head for Bethlehem whether it was convenient or not. There were masses of peasant people who were displaced and dispossessed. It was a society in which the masses were marginalized and living at a subsistence level. The country priests, of whom Zechariah was a model, sang the Benedictus, saying now God finally has redeemed and visited God's people. Mary was just an ordinary girl, just a peasant girl, and she sang the Magnificat, in which she spoke about how the mighty were thrown down and the lowly were lifted up. Simeon said, "This one will be a sign spoken of again because he will be for the fall and rise of many in Israel." These were the revolutionary ballads of a people who were oppressed and exploited, dispossessed and dominated. The world was in the control of a Caesar in Rome, who had his Herod in Jerusalem, who had his Caiaphas in the Church. And in that collusion of government power and ecclesiastical power— the poor, the masses, were dispossessed, exploited, abused, and their lot was a sorry one. The story of Jesus is called Gospel, which means literally good news. But was it good news for Caesar Augustus? You had better believe it wasn't. Was it good © Grand Valley State University �Grace to Recognize the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 4   news for Herod? Not at all! Herod was so "antsy" at the announcement of the possibility of the birth of royalty that he had all the innocents slaughtered: all male children, two years and under, were put to the sword lest there be any pretender to his throne and to his power. Those who are in power will do everything possible for the perpetuation of that power, for the insuring and the securing of a position of power and influence. The world is no different today than it was then. It was no different then than it is today. The gospel was good news - not to those who were in charge, but to those who were underdogs. The shadow side of Christmas is a shadow side to the rich and the powerful. It is good news to the poor. Richard Horsley has a book published this past year called The Liberation of Christmas, and when I saw the title I thought perhaps it was another one of those spiritual harangues about how we have commercialized and sentimentalized Christmas. But when I got to reading it, I found it is one of those intense New Testament studies which is going on so much in our day, where the gospel and the story of Jesus is being rooted in its concrete historical, social, political and economic context. Richard Horsley, in order to help the likes of us to understand the nature of the gospel, gives us an analogy out of our own day and our own situation in this nation (North America) over against Latin America. He tells the story about what has gone on over the last thirty or forty years in Guatemala and Nicaragua. I am embarrassed to tell you I know very little about it. I think from the hints I get that you and I would be horrified at the atrocities that have been perpetuated south of our border. We have our hands clean, but like Caesar we have had our Herods. We have buttressed the strong men with their secret police forces. The news has leaked out to us. We learn, for example, when Oscar Romero, the Archbishop in El Salvador, is gunned down at the altar in 1980 because he had gone to the side of the peasant and the poor. We hear about it in our newspapers when six nuns are gunned down by the secret police. We hear about it when the oppressor gets out of bounds and the situation becomes so atrocious that the world finally sits up and takes notice. But until such time, what we really care about is not someone who is in power, who is concerned about peace and justice. What we really care about and in a matter of national policy is that someone who is in control will keep the natives from being too restless, and who will, for God's sake, keep the communist threat from invading our hemisphere. That was the story for the last forty years. When Horsley gives the analogy of our involvement in the poverty and destitution and hopelessness of the masses of Latin America, he tells also of how in these base communities, little household groups are springing up all over the place down there. He tells how these poor folk begin to read these stories and they read those songs at the beginning of Luke's gospel and they say, "God cares about us. God is into liberation." It is not accidental that liberation theology has arisen in South America and Latin America, and that the model, the paradigm in the biblical © Grand Valley State University �Grace to Recognize the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 5   story that they have latched onto is the Exodus -when God with a mighty hand delivered a band of slaves out of Pharaoh's power. Now, the Christmas story is a story of radical revolution. In order not to hear it, we have successfully spiritualized it. For most of my ministry, and most of your experience, the message would have been stopped ten minutes ago with Simeon, an old man, hoping watching, praying, living well - dying in peace. Period! And to the likes of us, that's good news, and it doesn't reach into the dark corners of our community and national and ecclesiastical situations at all. It's comfortable. In fact, it's inspiring, and it's true. But it is not the whole story. With every returning Christmas it gets more difficult for me to figure out how in the world the likes of us can speak of Christmas as the Good News. It wasn't good news in Rome, it wasn't good news in Jerusalem, and it isn't really good news in the church. There is a guy I don't like very well. I am glad that it seems as though his sun is setting. His name is Jesse Jackson. But, I don't like him very well. In a presidential election or two ago when Jesse was running, he made a speech before the Democratic convention and there was one statement that struck me and has stayed with me. He was talking about his Rainbow Coalition. He was talking about race, poverty and the ghettos of the city, etc. Then he said, "Someone said to me, ‘Why do you meddle in these unpopular issues?'" (I suppose it's like someone saying to me, "Preacher, why don't you be user friendly?") "I deal with these issues," he said," because they are moral issues, and if they are moral issues, they will become political issues." I heard that and had to admit he was right. Do you want an example? South Africa (ten years ago, fifteen to twenty years ago). Didn't we wonder whether it would end in an explosion and a blood bath? Then events move along to a point at which someone like de Klerk comes along to see the inevitability of a sharing of power and, against great resistance, exercises leadership and moves it to a place where today there is the possibility of the first universal election and democratically elected government in their history. Chief Buthelezi, the black chieftain who wants to maintain his own power may yet undercut it. The white supremacists who want to maintain their own power and prestige and position may yet torpedo it. But, maybe it will happen. Sometimes it is easier to see the dynamics half a world away. All the dynamics were there - the same dynamics that operated with Caesar and Herod and Caiaphas when this child was born. Those in power would do everything possible to perpetuate power, even to the use of police force intimidation whatever it took. When you are in power, and when you have the wealth and the authority of the organization, you can hold the lid on for a long time. But - if it's a moral issue, it will become a political issue. You know why? Is it just because people finally will rise up? No, I will tell you why. Do you know why people will finally rise up? Because God loves people, and God is on the side of the poor and the oppressed and the exploited and the dominated, and the Good News of the Gospel was not about God sending a Savior into the world that I might be forgiven and go to © Grand Valley State University �Grace to Recognize the Future Richard A. Rhem Page 6   heaven. My goodness, haven't we domesticated the Gospel? Is that what it's about? Or is it about changing the world? Is it about changing society? Is it about facing up to the moral issues and using every bit of power we have in order to be on the side of justice and righteousness, leading toward peace? Will we have the grace to recognize the future? That's where the future is. Isaiah knew it. Micah knew it. Jesus knew it. Old Simeon knew it. And, therefore, they joined God's guerilla corps for the casting down of the mighty who held rule by intimidation, coercion and oppression, and joined the side of those who were looking for a humane existence. You know, even if we didn't believe in God, even if we didn't believe in the future that God intends, even if we didn't feel the call of the Gospel to be involved with God's spirit in the world. If we were just smart, we would try to wipe out every situation where there is inhumanity, where people live with less than human dignity, where they might come to the conclusion finally that "burn baby, burn, I've got nothing to lose anyway"—where there is violence in our streets, where people gun down people because, if my life doesn't mean anything to me, your life doesn't mean anything either because human existence has degenerated to that point. If we were nothing but smart, shrewd, clever we would recognize that we ought to be about the humanization of the human lot of every human being. But why not do it with God—with grace, with God's grace—recognizing that that is where God would have us go. If I had quit twenty minutes ago, it would have been one more wonderful Christmas at Christ Community—live well, die in peace. All of that is true, friends, but it is only half of the story. It is actually a distortion of the real story. Frankly, I would rather not preach this sermon, but I can't help it—it is true. Merry Christmas. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2392bbcbda31bdaa55f7ebc75ae7434b.mp3 7eecca40329aab002645d2cb8f8ac740 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Christmastide II Scripture Text Luke 2:32 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-0-19940102 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994-01-02 Title A name given to the resource The Grace To Recognize the Future Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on January 2, 1994 entitled "The Grace To Recognize the Future", on the occasion of Christmastide II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 2:32. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Grace Justice Liberation Theology Presence of God Prophetic Voice Transformation of the World https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/195819b1beab68a50298f2cbfaedf979.jpg 0c6c124d92b1d8379f15d3a951690428 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. PS 3505.05632 G73 1905 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_Bindings0375 Title A name given to the resource The Grapple Description An account of the resource Binding of The Grapple, by Grace MacGowan Cooke, published by L.C. Page and Company, 1905. 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 1905 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/e4d6c6ce1748cae9234574545c1aac7a.jpg ef08831ba924c0898acecdb4d1412fab 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. PS3539.R15 G7 1906 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_Bindings0155 Title A name given to the resource The Great Mogul Description An account of the resource Binding of The Great Mogul, by Louis Tracy, published by A. Wessels, 1906. 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 1906 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/d2285eb713e47017bc346a453af7e741.jpg 4d87bd50f8eee4cd158abc150659059d 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. PS2927 .G7 1898 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_Bindings0384 Title A name given to the resource The Great Stone of Sadris: A Novel Description An account of the resource Binding of The Great Stone of Sadris: A Novel, by Frank R. Stockton, published by Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1898. 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 1898 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/7b5bf4edd87cf8bcabf81b2886b35c31.jpg d458237db5ecf15af434b5831eb64b77 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. PR5089.M7 G74 1904 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_Bindings0370 Title A name given to the resource The Green Diamond Description An account of the resource Binding of The Green Diamond, by Arthur Morrison, published by L.C. Page and Company, 1904. 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 1904 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/2cb8bee2634fdd0c2a082b9b8b13221d.pdf 6b3ea8330abee2529dccac62bfefefcd PDF Text Text The Ground of Hope Article by Richard A. Rhem Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Published in The Church Herald The Magazine of the Reformed Church in America December 20, 1985, pp. 6-7 Our hope for the future is grounded in what God has done in the past We have kept Advent, the time of waiting, of expectation. We have rehearsed faith's vision in the midst of the puzzle of history. In this time between the times we live by the vision, trusting that the King will come and we will understand. The King will surely come; that is faith's vision, a vision grounded in the fact that the King has come. If Advent is the time of expectation, Christmas is the time of fulfillment. Into the puzzle of our history a child was born, and in that fully human existence a light penetrated our darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it. Our hope for the future is grounded in what God has done in the past. To celebrate Christmas is to discover the ground of our hope as we grope through the darkness which is the puzzle of history. The King who is coming is the King who has come. We are a people of hope, a hope grounded in the past enabling us already to appropriate the future that still lies before us, living in the assurance of things hoped for. Christian hope is hope in God. Stating what may seem obvious is an attempt to distinguish the Christian hope from today's cheapened hope, a worldly term for wishful thinking regarding a thousand matters from the ridiculous to the sublime: Will you win the game? I hope so. Will you have more sales in 1986 than in 1985? I hope so. Will your health improve? I hope so. Hope has become a catch-all word for all sorts of situations and conditions that we would like to see happen or become realized. Hope in this sense refers to an uncertain outcome. We do not know; we cannot tell; we “hope so.” That is not Christian hope. Christian hope is hope in God. It is certain. © Grand Valley State University   �The Ground of Hope Richard A. Rhem Page 2   There is another distinction. We use hope in its cheapened sense to express our wish that something happens but about which we are uncertain. We also are then using it to refer to a favorable outcome which lies within our capacity to bring about: Will you win the game? I hope so—but the outcome is uncertain. Yet, I do have it in my capacity to win the game if I play well, if I practice and am ready, if I do not make the big mistake. Will you have more sales in 1986 than 1985? I hope so—but I am not certain. Yet it is very possible, if I work hard; if I make sufficient calls; if production is there. Will your health improve? I hope so—but I cannot be sure. We enter a gray area because my health is not wholly within my power. Yet, if I eat properly, get proper rest, exercise, and avoid stress, I can certainly influence the outcome. Thus, in the cheapened sense of hope in contemporary usage, hope refers to that which is uncertain, but is within my power to effect. Biblical hope is something quite other. Biblical hope is in God; it is the present certainty of what will be a future possession; it is certain of that which is impossible in terms of human capacity. As far as the quality of certainty is concerned, I simply refer you to the testimony of Scripture. Biblical religion is a religion of certainty. I am not speaking now of dogmatism. Surely there has been far too much dogmatism and far too many dogmatic people in the history of the church. There is a lust for certainty in the human heart and certainty about things that remain veiled in mystery. The Bible is no answer book for all the questions of the less than serious curious ones. Too many religious people “know” too much. The Bible is, however, a book of certainty about the matters of ultimate concern: That God is. That God is gracious. That God's kingdom will fully come. Biblical religion in those ultimate matters is serious and certain. It is hope-full, not “hope so.” It is the present certainty of what will be a future possession. Further, it is certain of what is impossible in terms of human capacity. Let me raise some questions to demonstrate that biblical hope is fastened on that which lies beyond human capacity to effect. Will there be a new creation as spoken of by Isaiah and in the Revelation to John? Our Advent affirmation was yes. Will it come through human planning and ingenuity? Will it come through human goodwill and harmony? Will some president, king, or dictator arise who will effect it? Will it come through the progressive education of the race, some evolutionary development? Only the naive, the simple, the one ignorant of the human story could answer affirmatively or even “I hope so.” Will there be life after life? The biblical faith says yes. Will it come through medical research and the development of new technology? Will death be defeated by future breakthroughs in science? I need not go on. What all that conjured up is not only scarcely thinkable, it is not desirable. It is apparent that biblical hope is certitude about a future reality which © Grand Valley State University �The Ground of Hope Richard A. Rhem Page 3   lies beyond human capacity to achieve. Hope reaches beyond what is possible. Hope claims a future that can come only as the result of an act of God. Living in hope means living in the tension between now and then. There is a great difference between present experience and the future for which we hope. This gap between the vision and reality, between the ideal and the real, becomes understandable in terms of the hope of which Scripture teaches. That hope is grounded in the Christmas event. Life is difficult. Human experience is thoroughly laced with suffering. Many have had their faith in God shattered on the rocks of human suffering and evil in the world. Such people have never been taught the true biblical faith because biblical faith will not be eviscerated by suffering but is rather the means for understanding precisely the hard reality of human experience. Our life is caught in the tension. The darkness is not denied, but the darkness is not ultimate; the Light has come and the light shines in our darkness. Therefore we endure; we live in hope. Hope is grounded in the faithfulness of God which came to expression at Christmas. God has acted. Hope has been vindicated. God has visited his people; the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen the heart of God in the face of Jesus. Generations waited through long centuries and then—Mary had a baby. Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promise and in him redemption was accomplished—we have been saved. There is a history to look back upon and a dramatic intervention in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to remember and in which to trust. God did move in faithfulness to his promises, and that move at history’s midpoint proved the ground of a new promise, a new expectation, a new hope. God's redemptive plan has touched down. He has connected with our history. He has shown himself faithful in our past. Therefore our hope is grounded in history and we have an anchor to which to hold as we wait in expectation. As we celebrate another Christmas we acknowledge that we see only puzzling reflections in a mirror, but our hope is renewed as we remember his coming and we wait in hope for the day we will see him face to face. © 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 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 RA-4-19851220 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-12-20 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource The Ground of Hope Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Church School Herald Journal 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 Article created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 20, 1985 entitled "The Ground of Hope", it appeared in The Church Herald, pp. 6-7. Tags: Advent, Hope, God of Grace, Faithful. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Advent Faithful God of Grace Hope https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a4ec9202f4bb6074d67bc5961c6a241e.pdf b9e844b4e59c4ccc56959e4714d795eb PDF Text Text The Habit of God’s Heart Article by Richard A. Rhem Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Published in Perspectives A Journal of Reformed Thought September 1988, pp. 8-11 In 1985, Robert Bellah et al published an in-depth study of individualism and commitment in American life under the title Habits of the Heart lifting that phrase from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Bellah described the mores of the American people as he analyzed the relationship between character and society in the nation. I borrow the phrase to describe the eternal, redemptive intention of the God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, witnessed to in the Old and New Testaments. It is the habit of God’s heart to save. That is the thesis of this essay. The whole church will readily embrace such a thesis. The one story of the Bible is the story of the searching, seeking God whose intention is the salvation of people and nations and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. Raising the question of the scope of God’s redeeming action, however, elicits differing views. Will God save all persons or will God save only some, the others condemned to eternal damnation or to simple annihilation? The Reformed faith has historically held to the ultimate division of the saved and the lost, the distinction rooted in the mystery of God’s electing grace behind which it is impossible to inquire. The saving grace of God draws the elect ones irresistibly, the rest remaining in their lost estate of rebellion. The former demonstrate the mercy of God; the latter, God’s justice. Scripture passages can be cited pointing to what appears to be an eternal distinction between the saved and the lost. The parabolic language of Jesus in Matthew 25:46 and the straightforward words of John 5:29 clearly make that distinction. Yet the issue is not easily settled by scriptural citation. There are equally clear biblical statements that point in the direction of universal salvation, the conviction that God will finally not only renew the whole created order but will redeem and reconcile every person. The apostle Paul in the Adam-Christ discussion of Romans 5 indicates that God’s act of grace was out of proportion to Adam’s wrongdoing. Paul wrote, “Then as one man’s trespass led to © Grand Valley State University   �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 2   condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.” After wrestling with Israel’s rejection of the Messiah in Romans 9-11, Paul wrote, “For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.” He then broke out into a magnificent doxology, an eruption of praise called forth by the contemplation of the triumph of grace of the faithful covenant-keeping God (11:33-36). The universal reconciliation of all things is expressly stated in Colossians 1:19-20, reconciliation by God through Christ in whom by God’s choice the complete being of God came to dwell. And the Christ-hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 concludes with the confident assertion that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. These and other passages have been hotly debated and there has been no lack of wrenching of the plain sense of biblical passages on both sides of the issue. Exegesis alone will not likely settle the question since both particular and universal salvation come to expression within the canon of Scripture. This being the case, how may we come to some resolution of the question? It should be said, first of all, that we ought not to seek closure on questions that Scripture leaves open. We often desire a finality that our limited knowledge and understanding cannot produce. Not infrequently in the history of the Christian tradition we have claimed to know too much. A proper humility before the mystery of God and grace, of life and death and beyond, becomes us all. Nor should the question be settled by an anxious fear. Some Christians worry that the consequence of even contemplating the possibility of universal salvation would cut the nerve of evangelism and undercut the proclamation of the gospel. That simply need not follow; indeed, the very opposite could as well be the case, and the change in spirit and attitude with which Christ is offered might totally revolutionize the approach of the church to the world. With what contagious joy might not the gospel be proclaimed if the church executed its mission in light of a universal, redemptive intention and a certainty of the ultimate triumph of grace? Throughout Christian history some have understood God’s redemptive action in Jesus Christ to be universal in its scope. The early church was far more universalistic in its understanding of the radical renewal of reality, the radical alteration of the human situation through God’s action in Jesus Christ, than was the church of subsequent centuries. Among the fathers of the early church we find statements pointing to the final conquest of evil and rebellion, if not within history, then beyond, through some kind of purgation process. Clement of Alexandria wrote, Punishment is, in its operation, like medicine; it dissolves the hard heart, purges away the filth of uncleanness, and reduces the swellings of pride and haughtiness; thus restoring its subject to a sound and healthful state (Pedagog, 1.8). © Grand Valley State University �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 3   Clement’s more famous pupil, Origin, wrote, ...God is a consuming fire, what is it that is to be consumed by him? We say it is wickedness, and whatever proceeds from it, such as is figuratively called “wood, hay, and stubble” (1 Cor. iii), which denote the evil works of man. Our God is a consuming fire in this sense; and he shall come as a refiner’s fire to purify rational nature from the alloy of wickedness… (Contra Celsum. Lib. IV. 13). Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, declared, All evil, however, must at length be entirely removed from everything, so that it shall no more exist. For such being the nature of sin, that it cannot exist without a corrupt motive, it must, of course, be perfectly dissolved and wholly destroyed, so that nothing can remain a receptacle of it, when all motive and influence shall spring from God alone (De Anima et Resurrectione). Theodore of Mopsuestia held That sin is an unavoidable part of the development and education of man; that some carry it to a greater extent than others, but that God will finally overrule it for their final establishment in good. Among these early Christian thinkers there is no denial of evil and sin, but they seem to entertain no doubt that God will finally conquer the last vestige of evil and restore all things through remedial punishment. It was not until 544 A.D. at a local council called by Justinian that the teaching of universal salvation was condemned. John Murray is considered the father of Universalism in the United States. Born in England in 1741, he was a fervent Calvinist preacher who came under the influence of a Universalist preacher named James Relly. Murray became an ardent preacher of Universalist conviction, not forsaking the high Calvinism of his early training except to see in Christ’s death an atonement not only universal in its sufficiency, but also in its application. He rejected the Arminian position that Christ died for the whole race but that only those who believed on him, accepting the gospel, would be saved. Salvation was all of God and all of grace. Following Relly, Murray taught that Christ died for all and therefore all would be saved. He accepted the orthodox, evangelical premises regarding human sin and need of redemption available through Christ alone, but he drew from them universalistic conclusions. In 1899 Lyman Abbott, editor of The Outlook, representing Congregationalists, addressed the Universalist General Convention on the subject “Why I Am Not a Universalist.” Agreeing with the universalist’s position against eternal © Grand Valley State University �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 4   punishment, Abbott yet denied that all would be saved, not because Christ’s death did not provide the possibility of salvation for all. This he believed. However, he refused to go on to affirm that God would save all, for that would be to deny the creature’s freedom to refuse the gift. Abbott states bluntly: “I do not believe that some men are fore-ordained to everlasting death.” Yet he declares, “I am not a Universalist.” With precision, he states, “If I were a Calvinist, I should be a Universalist. If I believed that God could make all men righteous, I should be sure that he would make all men righteous; otherwise he would not be a righteous God.” In our century the question of universalism has surfaced in Reformed theology in the work of Karl Barth. Berkouwer’s early study of Barth was entitled The Triumph of Grace in the Theology of Karl Barth. Barth’s detractors labeled him a Universalist and wrote him off as dangerous. Yet the matter is not that simple. Barth resisted systematizing; he defied neat pigeonholing. In a lecture delivered to a Swiss Reformed minister’s association in 1956, he reflected on those early, heady days and the theological ferment he fomented. He entitled his remarks “The Humanity of God.” One consequence of the humanity of God, Barth maintains, is that the sense and sound of our word must be fundamentally positive. He writes: To open up again the abyss closed in Jesus Christ cannot be our task. Man is not good: that is indeed true and must once more be asserted. God does not turn towards him without uttering in inexorable sharpness a “No” to his transgression. Thus theology has no choice but to put this “No” into words within the framework of its theme. However, it must be the “No” which Jesus Christ has taken upon Himself for us men, in order that it may no longer affect us and that we may no longer place ourselves under it. What takes place in God’s humanity is, since it includes that “No” in itself, the affirmation of man (The Humanity of God, p. 58). After developing that notion, Barth raises the question, “Does this mean universalism?” He then makes three observations “in which one is to detect no position for or against that which passes among us under this term” (p. 59). Barth suggests one ought not surrender to the panic that that term seems to spread before informing oneself exactly concerning its sense or non-sense. One should, he contends, at least be stimulated by Colossians 1:19 and parallel passages to determine whether the concept could not perhaps have a good meaning. And he suggests finally that the “danger” with which universalism seems to be attended should be balanced by concern for an even greater danger: a theology that fosters suspicious questioning because of its own legalistic perspective and morose spirit. © Grand Valley State University �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Of this Barth is certain: we have no right to set limits to the loving-kindness of God which has appeared in Jesus Christ. Rather, he argues, it is our duty to see and to understand it as still greater than we have seen before. Barth declares that the Christian witness cannot allow people to remain entrenched in their darkness. Those whose eyes are not yet open to the truth of the gospel must be questioned, encountered, shaken, by addressing and treating them as those who are really and directly called already to a knowledge of what God has done for and to them and who therefore stand in the light of life even if they resist it or are unaware of it. The towering movement of the saving God in Jesus Christ effecting reconciliation and fulfilling the covenant with the human creature determines the outcome. The practical implication of such a conviction is that one can never view any person simply in the light of his or her sin, corruption, mode of life, perverted nature, and evil actions. All this must be taken seriously and will be true perhaps for a large majority of people, Barth acknowledges. To be indifferent to the unchristian state of those yet uncalled has always spelled the death of Christian responsibility in relation to others. But there is something else that has to be taken more seriously, and indeed infinitely more seriously from the qualitative standpoint, than their blatant non-Christianity. Their vocation is before them no less surely than that Jesus Christ has died and risen again for them. This is something of unconditional significance. Such a confidence will determine the Christian’s posture toward others, insuring an openness, an unlimited readiness to see in the aliens of today the brothers and sisters of tomorrow and to love them as such. Because every person stands in the light of life through what God accomplished through Jesus Christ, the called are free and responsible to address every person and all people in light of that reality; it is our obligation to do so. In being faithful to the call to witness, the one in whom the work of grace has been effectual experiences again and again the graciousness of God’s call. One cannot fail to be impressed with the grandeur of God’s grace, rooted eternally in the habit of God’s heart, the determination to reconcile all things, or with God’s gracious election in Jesus Christ, the alteration of reality through God’s action in history in Christ. One cannot fail to be impressed by the sense of awe and humility experienced by the one in whose life the miracle occurs, and by the spirit of openness, sensitivity, and confidence with which the church bears witness to the world. The nerve of evangelism is not only not severed, for the impulse to witness is grounded in and motivated by the magnificence of God’s saving intention and action. Rather than betraying an adversarial relationship, an over-againstness from which the witness is given, those consciously in Christ, the light of life, stand © Grand Valley State University �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 6   in solidarity with all brothers and sisters, witnessing to what is not yet apparent, but what is nonetheless the real situation—all of God, all of grace. It ought also to be clear that an openness to the possibility of universal salvation is posited on the triumph of the good and gracious God and not at all on human worthiness or human potential. Further, it must be recognized that a conviction about the universality of God’s saving grace in no way eliminates the wrath of God against all unrighteousness and the seriousness of the judgment of God. In reality the conviction of God’s determination to redeem all people is a catalyst to reckon honestly and freely with the righteous judgment of God before whom no untruth or injustice can stand. Hendrikus Berkhof gives a full discussion to the question before us in WellFounded Hope, the chapter entitled “The Double Image of the Future,” reprinted in Perspectives (January 1988, pp. 8-9). He deals seriously with the biblical witness but concludes, as was stated above, that Scripture leaves us with a double track. Countless attempts have been made to subsume one track of texts under the other by ingenious “exegetical tricks” but, Berkhof concludes, “we cannot smooth out this contradiction in the New Testament.” All that we read about the future, texts offering consolation and texts of warning, do not “fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.” In the case of the passages giving warning, these present the gospel in its nature as a call to decision; the passages offering consolation give hope and the promise of eventual salvation of all. We must hear both witnesses; we must not reduce one to the other. But we cannot simply allow them to stand with no link between them. Berkhof suggests we pronounce them “one after the other,” for “only the person who has learned to tremble at the possibility of rejection may speak about universal salvation.” It is the believing church, declares Berkhof, that can confess the last secret. In the end it is the power of God’s “yes” that triumphs over the recalcitrance of the human “no.” This is our last word but a last word that must be spoken if we believe God is ultimately not powerless or cruel or arbitrary, but rather infinite in mercy through Jesus Christ. Summarizing his conclusion on the issue in Christian Faith, Berkhof writes, We know that the covenant means that God’s faithfulness ever and again does battle with man’s unfaithfulness. What ultimately will be forced to yield: divine faithfulness or human unfaithfulness? Paul raised that question with respect to Israel, as the trial grounds of God’s relationship to man; and he ends with the confession: “God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32). These considerations compel us, not to detract from the gravity of the human “No” against God and its consequences, but to think just a little more of the divine “Yes” to recalcitrant humans. God is serious about the responsibility of our decision, but he is even more serious about the © Grand Valley State University �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 7   responsibility of his love. The darkness of rejection and God-forsakenness cannot and may not be argued away, but no more can and may it be eternalized. For God’s sake we hope that hell will be a form of purification (Rev. ed. p. 536). Gabriel Fackre comes to a similar conclusion. After surveying the various positions taken in the course of the Christian tradition, he sides with the position he calls “Light Overcoming Darkness,” which he says, “...is not a disclosure of what shall be, but a hoping for what might be. All our ruminations here about the destiny of the faithless and loveless must be put in this context of Christian hoping” (The Christian Story, p. 237). Fackre expresses his hope in these words: The judgment on that Day in which the sun of Shalom rises over all is one in which the fires of liberation and reconciliation refine and its light so burns away the shadows that the last darkness is overcome. The God whose “will it is that all men should find salvation and come to know the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) has the power of the Holy Spirit to keep that promise and accomplish that Dream. The agony of this final contest of light and darkness cannot be understated.... There is hell and judgment. But the last word in the Christian Story is not that of a half-accomplished purpose, but of a promise kept and a Vision that becomes Reality (p. 240). One would look far to find Calvinistic universalism set forth more clearly and winsomely than was described by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. in a Banner editorial entitled “Who Is Saved?” (Aug. 24, 1987). Plantinga acknowledges it is “a glorious picture.” Yet he settles finally for the traditional, orthodox position which he calls “a painful scheme.” He writes: In Calvinist orthodoxy God wants to save everybody (1 Timothy 2:4). And God can save everybody: God arranges for the death of Christ to radiate sufficient power for the salvation of all. God also orders the gospel preached to all. But, at the end of the day, God abandons some. God wants everybody saved but never intends to save all. God wants everybody saved but doesn’t plan on it. The reprobates are heartbreakingly, finally, disastrously lost. God could save them, but he doesn’t. And nobody knows why. The practical, existential fallout of such a system is brought home poignantly by Plantinga as he goes on. “Probably none of us needs reminding that this is a painful scheme. The awfulness of it comes home to us when we look at the spiritual rebellion of a son or daughter. Could it possibly be that God has never intended to save this precious person?” At the risk of presumption, I, as parent and theologian, must respond: No! That could not possibly be! © Grand Valley State University �The Habit of God’s Heart Richard A. Rhem Page 8   William Barclay, whose New Testament studies have opened the Scripture to so many, wrote near his life’s end a Testament of Faith. After confessing his belief in life after death, he writes, “But in one thing I would go beyond strict orthodoxy—I am a convinced universalist. I believe that in the end all men will be gathered into the love of God.” Barclay gives a fourfold basis for his conviction, the first being that there is enough evidence in the New Testament itself to justify it. He cites John 12:32, Romans 11:32, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 28, and 1 Timothy 2:4-6. Secondly, he argues against the eternalizing of punishment on the basis of the Greek word aionios. Thirdly, he denies the possibility of setting limits to the grace of God—in this world or any other world there may be. “I believe,” he declares, “that the grace of God is as wide as the universe.” Finally, Barclay believed “implicitly in the ultimate and complete triumph of God, the time when God will be everything to everyone” (1 Cor. 15:24-28). He contended, If God was no more than a King or judge, then it would be possible to speak of his triumph, if his enemies were agonizing in hell or were totally and completely obliterated and wiped out. But God is not only King and Judge, God is Father—he is indeed Father more than anything else...The only triumph a Father can know is to have all his family back home. The only victory love can enjoy is the day when its offer of love is answered by the return of love. The only possible final triumph is a universe loved by and in love with God (p. 60f.). In light of God’s gracious election in Jesus Christ, of God’s steadfast love and covenant faithfulness, of God’s infinite power and patience, we have good reason to trust and confidently hope that the habit of God’s heart will finally heal every wound, overcome all opposition, and gather all God’s children safely home. References: William Barclay. Testament of Faith. Mowbray, First edition, 1975. Karl Barth. The Humanity of God. Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. Hendrikus Berkhof. Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Study of the Faith. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979. Gabriel Fackre. The Christian Story: A Narrative Interpretation of Basic Christian Doctrine. Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1978, 1984. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., “Who Is Saved?”, The Banner, August 24, 1987. © 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 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. References William Barclay, Testament of Faith, 1975, Karl Barth, The Humanity of God, 1996, Hendrikus Berkhof, Christian Faith, 1979, Gabriel Fackre, The Christian Story, 1984, Cornelius Plantinga, "Who Is Saved?", 1987. 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-4-19880901 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-09-01 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource The Habit of God's Heart Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought 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 Editorial created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 1, 1988 entitled "The Habit of God's Heart", it appeared in Perspectives, September 1988, p. 3. Tags: Nature of God, Universal Grace, Mystery of God, Judgment. Scripture references: William Barclay, Testament of Faith, 1975, Karl Barth, The Humanity of God, 1996, Hendrikus Berkhof, Christian Faith, 1979, Gabriel Fackre, The Christian Story, 1984, Cornelius Plantinga, "Who Is Saved?", 1987.. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Judgment Mystery of God Nature of God Universal Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d515bd35d766141e6e5f3e584f3711b1.jpg 390f588447efd371c53dd945c18b9b2a 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. PS1054.B3 H36 1909 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_Bindings0434 Title A name given to the resource The Hand-Made Gentleman: A Tale of the Battles of Peace Description An account of the resource Binding of The Hand-Made Gentleman: A Tale of the Battles of Peace, by Irving Bacheller, published by Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1909. 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 1909 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/ff44d03a33df3a99c2306d5e7c4f0a73.jpg fa778f67ea894bdd41a0999df16a0f14 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. 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_Bindings0446 Title A name given to the resource The Haunts of Familiar Characters in History and Literature Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Armstrong, Margret (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Haunts of Familiar Characters in History and Literature, by G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1898. 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 1898 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/e72ab21da0ec6e0e651681d02fca8b46.jpg 08a12c068811664595e050876c0ca800 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. PS3513.O5516 H42 1895 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_Bindings0409 Title A name given to the resource The Head of a Hundred Description An account of the resource Binding of The Head of a Hundred: Being an Account of Certain Passages in the Life of Humphrey Hunton, Esqr., Sometime an Officer in the Colony of Virgina, edited by Maud Wilder Goodwin, published by Little, Brown, & Company, 1895. 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 1895 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6b66c3dc050bc6326e0fe22f407b34d5.mp3 f4df687e321ceb0453c240d99b745a5f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent I Scripture Text Matthew 11:3, Luke 4:21 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19861130 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-11-30 Title A name given to the resource The Healing Presence of the Coming One Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 30, 1986 entitled "The Healing Presence of the Coming One", on the occasion of Advent I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 11:3, Luke 4:21. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a282073125ad06716d898081fd9342b9.pdf c9ef93ce3a4d2744c467cac32b437074 PDF Text Text The Heart Cannot Rest Where the Mind Cannot Follow From the series: Moving On To Maturity Text: Isaiah 44:18; Ephesians 4:13; Matthew 5:48 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Pentecost VIII, July 11, 1999 Transcription of the spoken sermon As the children leave the sanctuary, the words of the old Spiritual come to me, "Give me that old time religion; give me that old time religion; it was good enough for my mother; it was good enough for my sister; it was good enough for my brother, and it's good enough for me." Well, we've all sung it and I think we can understand and feel some of the emotion that is behind that old Spiritual, but I will say this morning quite clearly and straightforwardly that the old time religion isn't good enough for me. It's not really that it's not good enough for me; it's just simply that it no longer works for me. The old time religion can no longer resonate with my knowledge and my human experience, that manner in which it sought to express the reality of the living God and the embrace of God, of the cosmic reality of which we are a part. It no longer tracks with what I understand about myself, about the world, about history, about God. And so, the old time religion comes up short in my experience and I want to speak about that this morning as I begin a new series of messages on "Moving On to Maturity." Moving on to maturity, or growing up as people of faith. I have experienced a freedom to address these issues in the last year and a half, which is a freedom that I didn't know that I didn't have before. When people ask me, "How are you doing," I say, "Just great," and they say, "Really, how are you doing?" And if they really want to know, then I use the phrase which many of you have heard me say, "I have a freedom that I didn't know I didn't have." That's quite a remarkable experience, because I had always felt free in my thinking and in my preaching, and you as a congregation had always encouraged and affirmed that freedom to probe and to wrestle and to question and to wonder. But I now recognize, in retrospect, that I was not totally free because I was always trying to express my best understanding and insights within a certain box, within a certain confessional home. There were certain parameters against which I was always testing my struggle to understand, and, of course, that's not all bad. In fact, such freedom as I have now in this independent status in which we find ourselves has perils that go along with it. There is a real danger in the non-accountability of my © Grand Valley State University   �The Heart Cannot Rest … Richard A. Rhem Page 2   present situation. I am aware of that and you need to be aware of that, too. There is the voice of an old professor always ringing in my mind who used to say, "Beware of the perils of independency." I have always affirmed the importance of ecclesiastical connection, but I must say to you, for the time being at least, I am savoring the freedom and enjoying it very much. I got a visit from my computer son from Florida who got me the computer against any indication that I would ever be able to use it. It has sat moribund on my desk for a couple of years. But, since he was just here, once again he forced me to learn how to read my mail and, thinking that perhaps having just learned it anew, I probably ought to practice it a couple of times, last night in order to avoid working on the sermon, I punched the computer on and I read my mail, and I had this long letter from Pilgrim out east in Maine, a Congregational minister who said that you are a marvelous community of people, and he said, "For a year and a half now I've been taking your sermons off the Internet and while I don't agree with everything, they're always stimulating and provocative," and he went on to affirm us and then he went on to say, "And why I am now contacting you is that we were a congregation who forty years ago as a Congregational Church didn't go into the union with the Reformed, German Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ." And he says the Congregational churches that didn't go into that merger formed an alliance called the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and he said, "From what I sense on the Internet about Christ Community, it's a place where you could feel at home. It has great diversity of theological opinion, and the reason we didn't go into the merger was because we value congregational autonomy." Well, it's a very nice letter and I will respond to him. I will say to him, "Thank you very much, and it sounds as though you have the best offer going. But now, in the springtime of my senility, sliding toward summer, I am having the time of my life, and I have no right to determine the future of this congregation forever, but just for a little while I want to be free." Now, that's a kind of freedom that I didn't know that I didn't have, and I acknowledge its perils and its dangers because a person in my position can lead a people astray, can abuse, can exploit, and without a system of accountability, where might one go? The only thing that causes me not to worry too much about this congregation is the fact that nobody's going to lead you blindfolded anywhere. I wish you could all know all the stories of the people that joined this faith community today. You are people who are here very intentionally and very deliberately precisely because you want to think and wrestle and struggle and come to your own religious experience, your own Christian experience, and you have thrown off that mantle of authoritarianism that has marked the Church traditionally. You, I believe, are mature and maturing people, and I think it's time for us to move on to maturity altogether, and in doing that very deliberately and very self-consciously, moving on. © Grand Valley State University �The Heart Cannot Rest … Richard A. Rhem Page 3   The title of this first sermon in the series indicates what I want to say and that is that the heart cannot rest where the mind cannot follow. The heart in terms of the whole being, our whole being, our intuitive sense of what is and what is true and what is real - that heart cannot dwell or rest where the mind cannot follow. I put the title in quite a long time ago and I was remembering the statement that I read in a book a lot longer time ago and I thought I was quoting the statement correctly. Last night I pulled the old book off the shelf and paged through to see if I could find that statement again. I found it and I found out I had misquoted it. The statement really is, "The heart cannot finally find true what the mind finds false." That's a better statement; that's sharper and that says precisely what I want to say to you this morning as we think about moving on to maturity. The heart, the being, our total being cannot finally find true what our minds find false. And that's the problem with religion. It's the problem of the Church. It's the problem of every religious institution and every world religion. It is endemic to the religious experience, that tension between what the heart finds true and what the mind knows. The mind deals with the stuff of everyday reality and there has been an explosion of knowledge and a cumulative human learning by this time in the cosmic journey. It is just fantastic and it continues to float all over the place. And the mind takes all that in, but then, also plays it off against the faith structure, the creedal condition, the confessional statements, and there is conflict. And what I want to say to you this morning as an expression of the freedom that I am sensing is that I delight to address these things, not in some manner in which I would imply that I have grasped all the facets of truth or that I sort of have a handle on this thing, but this morning I want to say to you that I will never preach to you what my heart cannot finally find true. And my heart will not be able, finally, to find true what my mind finds false. Now, it's taken me 39 years to say that. All of the past time trying always to translate that Gospel message within certain parameters and then suddenly to come to this giddy experience of saying, "What do I really believe?" and daring to share it, hoping to encourage you, maybe even inspire you, stimulate you, to be provocative in your own experience, but not as an authority. Ah, you say, "You're an authority figure and you can't get away from it." I refuse the office. I'm a pilgrim with you. I will not be your authority. I'm going to think with you; I'm going to share with you the best insights I have, but you can listen and you can filter and I hope that you will be stimulated in your own pilgrimage to move from secondhand religion to firsthand experience. That's the problem with religion, of course. It begins with an explosion, with a fire. Someone has a vision. God knocks someone off their horse, prostrate on the ground, a burning bush, whatever it may be. A word made flesh, and that explosion, that fire, that flame engulfs and sweeps, but eventually the initial fire begins to dampen, to be banked, to die down, and then those who have been caught in the explosion begin to wonder what in the world happened, and the © Grand Valley State University �The Heart Cannot Rest … Richard A. Rhem Page 4   experience, then, begins to be distilled for certain truths that can be stated rationally, reasonably. So now, we have an experience that cannot really be communicated, but, having to be communicated, having to be told, shared, and so we do the best we can to distill what we can from the explosion and say this and that and so forth. There is a real tension in the beginning, differing opinions, alternative systems. There's a conflict going on, but eventually, some party or some person gets the upper hand and the truth is defined. That's what we call orthodoxy. You know what orthodoxy is. Well, you know what orthodontists do? They straighten your teeth. You know what orthopedic surgeons do? They realign a cracked bone. You know what an orthodox preacher does? He keeps you thinking right. Ortho - straight or correct. Doxa - from dokein, to think. The orthodox church is a church in which people are nurtured, trained, schooled and controlled to think right. Orthodoxy has the truth defined rationally. This explosion, this experience that burst forth gets domesticated to a creedal statement, a confessional statement, and there is a right way to believe or to think. That is orthodoxy, and it is the inevitable movement of every religious movement. It is the necessity of every institutionalization of a religious movement and, to the extent that the distilled truth of the experience is clear and concise, to that extent it can be passed along and it will be successful and it will build a community of people, followers, and it will be a means for many for the stimulus of fresh experience. But, it will be the case with many, many more that it will simply be the second-hand creed that one received, that one inherited that was passed along to one and which one passes along. The problem with orthodoxy is the problem with secondhand religious experience that shuts off the possibility of continuing thought and growth and new adventure. Oh, there have been instances of movement. For example, the Genesis stories. If you have an Old King James Bible around, look in the column between the columns and you will see there 4004 B.C.. Bishop Usher, an English Bishop, went back and added up all the years of all the genealogies and he concluded that creation had to be 4004 B.C. And it was really a matter of creedal conviction for generations, and when Darwin came along in the 19th century and the whole evolutionary hypothesis was set forth, there was this intense struggle between science and religion. In fact, orthodoxy has had a tremendous problem in the whole modern period in the last four to five hundred years because orthodoxy is a rational statement of what is. It's no longer simply the experience, the fire, that which is deeper than the rational. It is a rational statement of what is. Now you have the whole advent of the natural sciences whose principle of verification is able to determine what is, empirically through experimentation. Religion and science have been in conflict and science will win every time as long as you are dealing on the rational basis, as long as you are dealing on propositional truths, claiming what is, what is reality, what is the human person, what has happened in history, etc., etc. © Grand Valley State University �The Heart Cannot Rest … Richard A. Rhem Page 5   The Church has made some progress because we have come to see the symbolic nature of those Genesis creation stories, and the roof hasn't caved in. Yet, here in 1999, there's a whole fundamentalist Christian movement that would have Creationism taught in the public schools. It seems impossible that that discussion could still be going on, but it is. In terms of the apocalypticism of the New Testament in several of its expressions, expecting the soon return of Jesus Christ - well, we've had to make adjustments to that because nothing has happened. But, here we are on the threshold of the third millennium and there are those who are still talking about the second coming of Christ in terms of this millennial turn. So, we are able to continue, to perpetuate anachronistic understandings and outmoded manners of faith to a remarkable degree in a world that is as open as ours where there is as much information around. This has been the ongoing problem of the orthodox Church, the orthodox expression of any religion. Correct thinking. But the world doesn't stop; history doesn't stop; human experience continues to go on and there is an accumulation of knowledge and experience, which finally has to shatter that little box of faith that has been given to us. And when that happens, one either leaves and drops out, and that's happened en masse, or one shuts off the mind, or one says, as I am saying to you this morning, my heart cannot dwell and affirm as true that which my mind finds to be false. But, if my experience, if the reality to which my whole being is drawn, in which it is grounded, embraced, if that total experience transcends my rational understanding, then I have to try to find a new way to say reasonably, understandably what that deeper experience is. That's my hope for all of us - that we will move on to maturity, that we will come to a deeper expression of our faith in order that we need not jettison that deep religious experience of the grace of God, nor live with our heads in the sand, failing to acknowledge that the old paradigms and stories are simply shot out of the water with everything that is coming to light in what we know about our world, about our history, about our person. Maturity, moving on with fresh experience and fresh faith expression - that's the goal. There is precedent for doing this. Jesus said, "It has been said, but I say unto you ...," and he called the people in the culminating point to that portion of the Sermon on the Mount where he calls for the loving even of enemies, saying, "Be ye therefore perfect..." a terrible translation filled with all the moralism that has been oppressive throughout all the centuries, "Be ye therefore perfect, as God is perfect?" No, that's not it. Telios is the Greek word. Be therefore mature, be ye therefore complete, as God is mature. Jesus is talking about a new being - a kingdom person in that Sermon on the Mount. He comes to this culminating point and says, "Be inclusive, not exclusive. No more tribalism, no more drawing circles around my little people, no more over-againstness, no more 'us and them.' For God's sake, love your enemies, as God loves all, for the rain falls on the just © Grand Valley State University �The Heart Cannot Rest … Richard A. Rhem Page 6   and the unjust and the sun shines on the good and the evil because there are no good and evil, just and unjust, but all human beings in various states of disarray who are embraced by the eternal God who created us." Jesus says love your enemies, embrace, be inclusive. Paul uses the same word, Telios. Jesus says be like God, be complete, be mature. Paul says in the 13th verse of Ephesians 4, "Come to maturity." Grow up. No more children blown about by every wind of doctrine. Grow up! Think! Because the passion of Paul, the vision of Paul came to expression in that third chapter, the 14th verse following where he says, "I pray for you that you be rooted and grounded in love, that you'll come to know the length and the breadth and the height and the depth of the love of God, that you will come to know all the fullness of God. That's what I want for you." He recognizes that it is a process, but he says, "Move on to maturity; be mature in Christ Jesus." I don't know, but I wonder how long – even with the institutional structures and the momentum that they create and the power they possess and the control they have over many – many people can go on. Can the heart find truth where the mind finds falsehood? Do we not have to enter this world of ours and open our eyes and take it all in and then know that, beneath it all, above it all, and beyond it all is the eternal God whose grace is an experience of the heart far beyond a set of rational propositions? If I were to put it in sum this morning, I would say, on the basis of what Jesus says, and what Paul says in our text – "Be open-minded." “It has been said, I say to you ...” – to make that transition you have to have an open mind. Don't tell me it was Jesus, the son of God and therefore, it doesn't apply to the rest of us. Jesus, with all of the limitations of his humanity, had the courage to give expression to something new. "It has been said, I say unto you ..." Be of broad and liberal spirit, embrace, do not exclude, love your enemies, be done with tight tribalism, narrow ethnicism, destructive nationalism. Stop drawing lines unless the circle embraces the whole human family. And, trust deeply. Trust deeply. Let it wash through your mind and over your heart that you are rooted and grounded in love, that love is the ultimate reality. The French thinker, Pascal, said it better than I can say it. "If one subjects everything to reason, our religion will lose its mystery. If one offends the principles of reason, our religion will be absurd and ridiculous. There are two equally dangerous extremes - to shut reason out and to let nothing else in." Let us go on to maturity. No more studied ambiguity; no more word games; just plain-speaking, because the deepest truth of this place, for better or for worse, because it is the deepest truth of this preacher is that the heart cannot finally find true what the mind finds false. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/efa3f6cd9f7580faa58c1ffe4278378d.mp3 2140889e936e676e5c7e71bde19602d8 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 Series Moving On To Maturity Scripture Text Isaish 44:18: Ephesians 4:13, Matthew 5:48 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-0-19990711 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1999-07-11 Title A name given to the resource The Heart Cannot Rest Where the Mind Cannot Follow 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 11, 1999 entitled "The Heart Cannot Rest Where the Mind Cannot Follow", as part of the series "Moving On To Maturity", on the occasion of Pentecost VIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaish 44:18: Ephesians 4:13, Matthew 5:48. Critical Thinking Inclusive Grace Orthodoxy