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Confidence
Scripture: Isaiah 54:1-10; Philippians 1:1-18
Richard A. Rhem
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
January 18, 1998
Transcription of the spoken sermon
Confidence is a very common word used to describe the level of trust one has in
oneself, in another, in the truth of a claim or reality of a situation. The word, as so
many words in our English vocabulary, stems from the Latin: The prefix con,
meaning with and fidere meaning trust. To live with confidence is to live with
trust.
Trust in what?
A variety of answers are possible.
One may have self-confidence in regard to one’s ability to perform one’s task or to
negotiate some difficult feat. One may have confidence in one’s favorite team. In
Green Bay, confidence runs high in the Packers only one week away from
America’s Holy Sunday. One may have confidence in the people with whom one
works, one’s spouse, one’s family. Obviously, one may have confidence in the
goodness and mercy of God.
But I want us to think about confidence more generally today at the top of
another year. I want to think about confidence as a fundamental attitude over
against the whole of one’s life, life itself and the attitude we share together as a
faith community.
Those who study human development point to the critical importance of
fundamental trust as the foundation for a healthy adjustment to life. Trust not
with a specific object attached to it, but trust as a basic orientation to life and
reality. Studies in child development tell us nothing is more important for the
nurturing of an infant through the earliest experience than the creation of a
secure and loving environment in which the infant, the child, learns to trust.
We know it is so. We know it is true for ourselves and we see it borne out in those
around us. Healthy, whole, fruitful, productive people are marked by confidence;
they live with trust.
Where does it come from?
© Grand Valley State University
�Confidence
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
If one learns very early to trust or not, it must be passed on from generation to
generation. But, where did it begin and on what is it based?
Certainly trust in life’s goodness and ultimate meaningfulness is not obvious from
simple observation of the human experience. Life is fragile, full of peril, haunted
by tragedy. Experience is mixed. When one stops to think about it, trust cannot
rise from experience. Concrete experience can often be the acid that eats away at
trust. As I said at Christmas, children love fairy tales because, while filled with
danger and darkness, things turn out all right and the good folk live happily ever
after. But, it is not so in life - any honest appraisal will in the end reveal human
experience as mixed.
Still, there is something in us that goes on, picks up again, trusts again. And this
is true of religious people and those who practice no religious faith consciously.
Let me suggest that for the religious consciously and the non-religious
unconsciously, confidence is rooted in trust in the goodness and mercy of God that at the heart and center of reality is God Who is for us, for life.
Let me point you to the morning lessons which speak of confidence rooted in
God.
Second Isaiah, as we call the unknown prophet of chapters 40-55, sings of an
eternal covenant of peace to the exiles of Judah living in Babylon. They were on
the edge of despair thinking their God of covenant, Yahweh, had abandoned
them, or had been overruled by the gods of the mighty Babylonian Empire. But
the prophet begins to preach to them, interprets their experience and tells them
stories of their past and encourages them to trust that God will yet deliver them.
They will go home!
He begins the poem recorded in chapter 54 with a call to the barren one to sing;
she who was barren will birth many children. Therefore, the tent must be
enlarged, the curtains stretched out, the stakes strengthened, the cords
lengthened, for "You will spread out."
The allusion to the barren woman would not be lost on these exiles. Who was the
classic barren one in Israel’s past? Sarah, of course.
You have heard me claim many times that Genesis 11:30 is a critical watershed in
the biblical narrative. The first eleven chapters of Genesis record the repeated
failure of humankind to live into the intention of the Creator and then God tries a
new strategy - choosing one family in order to bless eventually all families of the
earth. And how does God begin?
With Sarah, who is barren.
© Grand Valley State University
�Confidence
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
And not only Sarah, but Rebekah and Rachel and Hannah. The prophet of the
exiles played on the memory of his people to remind them that precisely in
barrenness, God acts to effect fruitfulness.
And then, if that is not enough to trigger the rebirth of trust, he reminds them in
verse nine of Noah. Out of the devastation of the Flood, God placed a rainbow in
the sky as a sign of God’s promise that never again would the earth be destroyed.
God’s faithfulness to Creation was signed with the rainbow. The Covenant with
Noah preceded the covenant with Abraham and Sarah. With Abraham and Sarah,
God sealed a Covenant of Grace with a particular family with the intention of
reaching all families, but with Noah, the covenant promise embraced the whole
Creation.
Would not that story remind Israel that Yahweh was no tribal deity limited to
their homeland, but the One Eternal God, Creator of all?
Stories. They are the stuff of human confidence. When trust wears thin, we tell a
story of what God has done and we find our confidence renewed that God will
give us a future.
Stories of faith. Remember and trust; trust God.
Paul was a son of Israel and when he experienced the blinding vision on the Road
to Damascus, he came to believe Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the anointed one
through whom God was effecting that universal intention of the covenant of
Grace sealed with Abraham and Sarah.
We noted that last week; the secret hidden long ages with God was now being
manifest. Paul was amazed and transformed. Now there would be no longer, as
he wrote to the Galatians, Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, but all one
in Christ Jesus. And, he adds, if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
offspring, heirs according to the promise.
No more barriers dividing humankind;
No more hostility,
No more outsiders and insiders.
Thus transformed, the former persecutor of the people of the Way became the
passionate Apostle of grace, the grace of God that is as wide as the whole human
family.
One of the ancient cities to which he took the story of God’s grace was Philippi,
where a congregation was formed, a community with whom Paul had his most
intimate relationship. There was a deep love affair between Paul and the
Philippian congregation as is evident from his letter to that church.
© Grand Valley State University
�Confidence
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
That letter begins with a rather extended thanksgiving - thanksgiving to God for
this people who had stayed in touch with him and provided for his needs. Now in
prison awaiting trial in the Imperial Court of Rome, Paul writes to express his
deep affection for this people who joined him in a partnership in the Gospel. And
in the midst of his expression of gratitude, he writes,
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you
will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Here the confidence has a specific object - that the work of grace begun among
this people by God will be brought to completion. That confidence is, however,
based on Paul’s fundamental trust in God - the God of the beginning is the God
Who will be at the ending.
Once again we find that Paul’s specific confidence is rooted in that basic
confidence in God. Paul’s confidence was not based on experience; he was in
prison. He would die for his faith. But, the particular circumstance did not
dislodge Paul’s confidence. Indeed, he writes, the circumstance of imprisonment
had actually resulted in an increase in the witness to the Gospel.
I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually
helped to spread the gospel.
The Imperial Guard received Paul’s witness; others gained confidence through
Paul’s imprisonment and bore their witness with greater boldness, and even,
what might have defeated a lesser person, some took advantage of Paul’s
imprisonment to further their own rival point of view. But, says Paul, so what?
Christ is preached.
I rejoice.
What lies behind this remarkable grace? Is it not Paul’s confidence that God is at
work in what seems the most adverse circumstances?
Confidence - a very great gift; a healthy way to live and engage life. Living with
such trust, Paul rested easily. This restless, passionate Apostle who traveled the
ancient world as a man with a mission of eternal significance found inner serenity
as he contemplated the turn of events because, through it all, he trusted God.
That was the bedrock of his life.
Telling Paul’s story does for me what the prophet telling the stories of Abraham
and Sarah and Noah did for the exiles in Babylon. Faith is renewed, trust restored
when we remember - remember the stories of those who have gone on before us.
There was a lovely celebration here last Sunday. There was joy. We have been
through deep waters, but can we not say with Paul that what has happened to us
has actually resulted in the furtherance of this work of grace? Is that not the
© Grand Valley State University
�Confidence
Richard A. Rhem
Page 5
wonder of it all - that the challenge and the struggle have positioned us with new
freedom and joy to find our way to the embodiment of God’s grace here for the
healing of persons?
I could go back over the years to the times this text has been used here watershed moments when we were challenged to move out in a new dimension of
faith. Always the ground was the God Who has begun a good work here and
surely will not let it languish, but will bring it to completion.
Confidence. It is a gift. It is the way to live freely, fruitfully, because it is a life
rooted in God and the trust that God is for us. God will go with us, will keep us
and will finally bring us home.
All will be well. You can trust that, not because things work out, but because God
is God.
© Grand Valley State University
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e6e1d45af7daf1bb63a3b1c79c73bee4.mp3
fd6f0e7425e6f59c316ff20f0466fc78
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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
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Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
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Rhem, Richard A.
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<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
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Kaufman Interfaith Institute
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English
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KII-01
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1981-2014
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audio/mp3
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Event
Epiphany II
Scripture Text
Isaiah 54:2-3, Philippians 1:6
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Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI
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1998-01-18
Title
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Confidence
Creator
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Richard A. Rhem
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Grand Valley State University
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
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Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Sermons
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Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
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Format
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audio/mp3
application/pdf
Description
An account of the resource
A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on January 18, 1998 entitled "Confidence", on the occasion of Epiphany II, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 54:2-3, Philippians 1:6.
All Will Be Well
Fundamental Trust
Grace
Love at the Core of the Universe
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3f0e0971dc365a40934d48443bf08740
PDF Text
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Disciples at Second Hand
Easter Sunday
Text: Luke 24:30-31
Richard A. Rhem
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
March 30, 1997
Transcription of the spoken sermon
Soren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian, philosopher and prophetic voice of the
19th century, speaks of disciples at second hand - those who live through an
experience only through second hand information. They are not really there; they
only hear about the moment, the wonder, the real thing.
And who are these disciples? They are Peter and James and John, Andrew,
Nathaniel, and the rest of the twelve - those who traveled with him, listened to
him, ate with him and finally abandoned him.
Well, you say, that is a strange twist. I would have thought they were the disciples
at first hand who encountered him in the flesh and witnessed to their experience
in order that subsequent generations, indeed we ourselves, reading their witness,
might become disciples at second hand.
And that, of course, is precisely the reaction Kierkegaard was hoping to elicit in
order to make his fascinating assertion that being a disciple at first hand has
nothing to do with historical or physical proximity, but rather with the insight of
faith that is the gift of the Spirit of God - an insight that was more likely to be the
experience of one who walked with him in the flesh in the first century than of
one who experienced him through the Spirit's fire in the twentieth century.
Let me ask you - if you could choose to have been present during the days of
Jesus’ flesh as opposed to the experience of him here and now through the Spirit
- which would you choose?
Not, would you choose to live in the first century as opposed to the twentieth just whether you would choose to have been present, on the scene, when he was
teaching and healing in the days of his human, historical existence, or to
experience him in a moment of revealing - a spiritual encounter, a burning
sensation of present grace and love and beauty. Which would you choose?
Unless freed to think deeply about this, I suspect the immediate response would
be for most of us that we would choose to have been there. And if so, it is not
© Grand Valley State University
�Disciples at Second Hand
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
surprising, for Christian piety has conditioned us thus. For example, take The Old
Hymnbook, #460 - "I Think When I Read That Sweet Story of Old," a children's
hymn, vs. 1: "I should like to have been with them then;" vs. 2, "I wish that His
hands had been placed on my head;" That, however, is not possible; however...,
vs. 3: "Yet still to His footstool in prayer I may go." That I can do now and, "If I
now earnestly serve Him below, I shall see Him and serve Him above."
Now do you see there are two golden ages, so to speak? The days of the flesh, now
out of the question, and Heaven, still in the future. And in the meantime, this inbetween time, prayer is a present possibility, but something less than past reality
of physical presence, or future reality in Heaven.
My experience tells me that has been a rather persistent and consistent Christian
perspective. To be a disciple at first hand requires either being present with Jesus
in the days of his flesh, or some day, "Face to Face," but now the best we can be is
Disciples at Second Hand, reliving the stories of the past - imagining the glory
that will be - but stuck in history's ongoing development with prayer our only
access.
Now, let me say clearly that is to miss the reality of Easter. Easter is to be
experienced here and now, ever anew in the community of faith that lives in the
Presence of the Spirit of God, which is the spirit of the Living Christ. That is the
message of the Easter Gospel Lesson - the story of the encounter with the risen
Christ on the Emmaus Road. Luke alone tells this resurrection story. Two
disciples are leaving Jerusalem on Easter afternoon. They are dejected,
discouraged, disappointed. Their world has collapsed, their hopes crushed, their
dreams dashed. As they walk along the road to their home village of Emmaus, the
Risen One joins them, but to them, he seems a stranger. He sees that they are sad
of heart and inquires as to the reason. They cannot believe anyone could be
ignorant of what has just transpired. They tell him of the death of the one they
had hoped would redeem Israel. The stranger chides them for their foolishness,
their slowness of heart to believe the Scriptures concerning the destiny of the
Messiah. They approach the village and the stranger appears to be going on, but
they invite him to join them as it is eventide and the day is far spent. The stranger
accepts, enters their home, joins them at table and then assumes the role of host.
He took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly their eyes were
opened and they recognized him; it was he, Jesus, alive and present. And just the
moment they recognized him, he vanished from their sight. Then, on reflection
they say to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he was talking to
us on the way! Evening or not, they left the evening meal which had become a
Eucharistic Feast, and returned to Jerusalem with the exciting news. The Lord
has risen indeed!
He was made known to us in the breaking of the bread. This is a beautiful Easter
story. Its meaning is that being a disciple at first hand has nothing to do with
historical, physical proximity to Jesus - whether the Pre-Easter Jesus, or the
© Grand Valley State University
�Disciples at Second Hand
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
Post-Easter Jesus. It has to do with recognition, with eyes opened by the Spirit,
with the experience of a Presence that makes the heart burn.
In a lecture at Oregon State University a year ago, the New Testament scholar,
Marcus Borg, host of a conference entitled "Jesus at 2000," quoted his colleague,
John Dominic Crossan, who claims "Emmaus never happened. Emmaus always
happens." Borg writes, "Emmaus happens again and again. Or, to echo the title of
one of my books, Emmaus is a story about meeting Jesus again for the first time.
Easter is about the Living Lord who journeys with us whether we recognize him
or not. But, there are moments when we become aware of a Presence. There are
moments when we know he is with us. That he lives. That we, too, are gripped
and grasped by life, the gift of the Living God who again and again shatters the
darkness, breaks the chains of oppression, overcomes the worst that evil can do.
The God Whose light broke forth on Easter morning and shines and will shine
until all is well."
The aisle down which you will walk to this table set with bread and cup is the
Emmaus Road. This moment, as every moment, is potentially the moment of fire
and recognition, of burning heart and sheer joy when suddenly we know, we
know a gracious presence enveloping us. We entered this Holy Season around the
Table that is at the center of the Christian worship experience. Table fellowship
was the hallmark of Jesus' ministry - the ministry of the Pre-Easter Jesus. All
were welcome. All sorts and conditions of persons came; open table fellowship
was the sign of the unbrokered Presence of God - the God Who is accessible to all
- in a sanctuary, or at the seaside, with or without a priest or rabbi.
On the night in which he was betrayed, he gathered his intimate friends around
the Table, took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
We entered this Holy Season around our Lord's Table and I suggested, in spite of
the architecture which does not lend itself to table fellowship, nevertheless, we
look at the Faces Around the Table - into the faces of one another - brothers and
sisters with whom we have joined in this pilgrimage of faith, in whose faces we
see God's Presence and experience God's grace.
I made the point then that the Kingdom of God is not "up above us" in some
heavenly realm, nor "out ahead of us" in some future age, but here and now.
God's Presence is present to us in present experience as we look into each other's
faces. In the intimacy of table fellowship, in the intimate connection with the
other, we experience God's Presence as the Other.
Have we not had such moments ... Can you not remember immediately such a
moment full of fire and the reality of recognition when you knew more deeply
than concept could contain or words explain - that God is - that Grace is - that all
will be well, all manner of things will be well - perhaps a sense of comfort in the
midst of deep grief, of calm in the midst of great danger, of overwhelming love in
© Grand Valley State University
�Disciples at Second Hand
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
the embrace of another, in a child's face, the peace of a craggy countenance of one
breathing her last.
Moments to remember because they are moments of recognition. Moments we
would grasp and freeze and hold forever, but moments only, not once for all, but
again and again, as grace breaks over us. That is Emmaus - that is Easter.
They recognized him in the breaking of the bread - at a kitchen table in a Judean
Village, and sad and faithless hearts leapt for joy in flames of deep knowing and
trust . No weariness can contain them - they run to the city to proclaim, The Lord
is risen!
© Grand Valley State University
�
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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
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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
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
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English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
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KII-01
Coverage
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1981-2014
Format
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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
Easter Sunday
Scripture Text
Luke 24:30-31
Location
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Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI
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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/.
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KII-01_RA-0-19970330
Date
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1997-03-30
Title
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Disciples at Second Hand
Creator
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Richard A. Rhem
Publisher
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Grand Valley State University
Rights
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<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 March 30, 1997 entitled "Disciples at Second Hand", on the occasion of Easter Sunday, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 24:30-31.
All Will Be Well
Easter
Grace
Presence of Spirit of God
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PDF Text
Text
One Church, One World – Always in Transition
World Wide Communion
Text: Jeremiah 1:9-10; Acts 5:39
Richard A. Rhem
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
Pentecost XVII, October 4, 1992
Transcription of the spoken sermon
...I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:910
...if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them - in that case you may even be found
fighting against God! Acts 5:39
Time Magazine comes to my rescue again. This is a special issue, fall of 1992 –
“Beyond the Year 2000 - What to Expect in the New Millennium.” It is a very
interesting issue, which deals with some futuring prognostication of where things
will be in century 21. It reminds us that we are in the stream of history. Our lives
are enmeshed in history, and there is no way we can extricate ourselves from it.
We are moving toward century 21 - one day at a time. And, as that hinge point of
history comes about, we will celebrate not only the entrance of a new year and a
new decade, but a new century and a new millennium. We are in the tide of
history and we will move with it - whether we wish to or not.
I remember a couple of decades ago a popular song that expresses our human
resistance to the inevitability of change and movement. The words went
something like this: Make the world go away. Take it off my shoulders. Say the
things you used to say, and make the world go away.” We imagine that the
Golden Age is behind us. We delude ourselves with the thought that in a former
day things were neater, finer, manageable, somehow together. In the midst of the
ambiguity and the chaos of our present existence, we long for someone to make
the “world go away.” For someone to “say the things they used to say.” But to no
avail, for we move in history - whether we wish to or not. And how does one keep
one’s balance? How does one keep a sense of who one is? And to whom one
belongs? And what one is called to be and to do? In this inexorable movement of
history, open-ended toward the future, how do you find your way?
Well, let me suggest that, because we are enmeshed in history, we must be
immersed in ritual. I have been hammering away at that - the sacramental
© Grand Valley State University
�One Church, One World, in Transition
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
character of the church. Last week I said that it is the experience of worship that
is the medium of traditioning. And don't you think I was excited to have my
prejudices confirmed when I read the article entitled “Kingdoms to Come,” by
Richard Osling? He is the Religious Editor of Time who prognosticates about the
future of religion 100 years hence. Of course, he is imagining, making a guess
how it will be. And we will probably not be around in order to see whether he was
right. But listen to this paragraph:
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy with their emphasis on ritual are well
suited to a world in which few people bother to read. Theology is a dying
art. School children are ignorant of the Bible and hence the rest of their
spiritual heritage. The Post Literate Era has been especially difficult for
Protestantism which depended so heavily on rationalism and reading.
Although old style Protestants are shrinking in numbers, they retain
outsized influence because so many of them remain book readers and are
thus, inevitably, leaders of the economic ruling class on all continents.
He is saying what I said last week that – in the case of the Roman Catholic
Church under oppression in Eastern Europe - it was that implicit faith, it was that
spiritual formation at the core of a person that only comes through immersion in
ritual, in the worship that becomes mindless because it is so much a part of our
depths. It is that that enables us to maintain the tradition and to keep the
tradition alive.
Now, I will qualify to say that I am not going to stop thinking or reading or
preaching. I don't think one has to do one or the other. I will acknowledge also
that ritual can become mindless in the sense of empty, thoughtless, meaningless,
and that it can be a manipulative tool. But I will come back to my thesis that I
have been sharing with you more and more over the last year or two, and
especially in the last months, that it is the sacramental character of the Church ritual – that acts out what we believe, that will allow us, in the midst of the rush
of history's inexorable movement, a sense of identity. It can enable us to know
who we are and give us a vehicle by which to tradition the rising generation in
their enmeshment in history. We need the immersion in ritual in order to
continue to be who we are.
Now I will also say that the only way that it is possible, in the stream of history, to
remain the same is to continue to change. To do the same things, we must do
things differently. The thing I love about this congregation is the openness to
make those changes as time moves and as history unfolds. In order to do the
same thing, a willingness to do things differently. There is more on the fork of
this congregation this morning than most churches could handle in a decade.
In a few moments we will ordain our Eucharistic celebrants, a new class that has
been called and trained and equipped to share the sacrament with you. I can
remember the day that the idea dawned on us (not knowing at the time that there
were other traditions that had been doing it for a long time!). Colette and I were
© Grand Valley State University
�One Church, One World, in Transition
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
talking about the children. We so wanted them to be receptive to the tradition of
weekly Eucharist. Yet the 8:30 a.m. service wasn't really doing it. Parents didn't
often attend that service with their children. There was a realization that if it was
really going to happen for them it needed to happen in their Worship Centers. In
order for that to happen, their teachers would need to be prepared. And suddenly
the idea just dawned in a moment of insight. Intuitively we knew that it was right.
The consistory approved it and we have tested it for a year. Now they have given
us unanimous approval to continue.
So again this morning we will ordain a new group of people whose life will be in a
special way committed to the sacraments of the church. And as the eucharist
liturgy is experienced this morning, the children remain here, in order that they
may connect what we do here with what they do in their Worship Centers weekly,
in order that when they come to their own years of discretion and adulthood and
responsibility, they will have been exposed there and here, to the power and
meaning of sacrament in the midst of worship. Traditioning them in the context
of worship where the heart, the being, is open to all and to the wonder of God.
Not a rational, intellectual, pedagogical, didactic attack on them week after week,
but the invitation to come and to worship. To hear the story, yes, but to hear the
story in a way that brings it into their present experience - moves them at their
deepest level.
If you want one more reason to congratulate yourselves on a morning like this
where we do these innovative things, come at 11:30 when a new form of
governance will be suggested to you. In order that this large and dynamic
institution may continue to do the same things it has always done, it is going to
have to do things differently. It is always incumbent upon us to move with
history's flow and in order to do the same thing we must keep on changing. We
hate it. Often we resist it. There is something in us which would love to have all
the loose ends tied up. The Word of God has always been addressed to those who
would absolutize that which is only relative. To make absolute something which
is only temporary is to fall into idolatry.
The prophets had always to come to Israel. God said to Jeremiah, “Speak to my
people.” Jeremiah said, “Not me.” God said, “Yes, you. I touch your lips. Now go
and uproot, pull down, destroy.” The Word of God destroy? The Word of God
uprooting? The Word of God pulling down? Yes. Pulling down our idols.
Shattering our systems, our comfortable ways of being and doing. The Word of
God always comes as a word of judgment in order that grace may come. In order
that that word may also plant and build. A classic instance of how God's people
always block themselves against the newness of God's spirit is the fact that the
Jewish authorities rejected the Messiah and crucified the Lord of Glory.
Oh I wish there had been enough Gamaliel's around. In the wake of the
resurrection Jerusalem was being turned upside down. With apostolic witness,
Gamaliel said to the Sanhedrin, “Look, why are you so overwrought? Why do you
© Grand Valley State University
�One Church, One World, in Transition
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
feel so self-important that the whole world is somehow or other in your hands?
Remember Thadeus? Well he was quite a number, but he didn't last long. Do you
remember Judas, the Galilean? He had a thing going but it came to nothing.”
Gamaliel said, “My friends, if this thing is of human origin it will fail, but if it is of
God, you'll not be able to overthrow it. And you might even find yourself fighting
God.” Oh, that there might have been more Gamaliel's in the history of the
Church when the Church fell into idolatry, making absolute what is only relative,
wanting something to be eternal which was only for a certain time. Oh that the
wisdom of Gamaliel might prevail in the Church as it negotiates the future and
moves toward century 21.
There is a way that we can remain faithful and solid and certain in the midst of all
the uncertainty. But it is not the risky word of the preacher. It is bread and cup,
and water and oil: concrete vehicles of Grace that will allow us to negotiate
uncharted waters, to take on any storm, to face any confusion, and to be able to
say, “Nevertheless, this bread and this cup speak to me of God's forever neverending love.” These sacraments nurture deep within us a fundamental trust, an
implicit trust - in God, in God's Grace, in God's presence with us, in God's Spirit,
shattering our forms and renewing our lives: bread, cup, water, oil: sacramental
signs which point to God's foundational love deep down in things. So that we can
know, come what may, that all will be well - and all will be well, and all manner of
things will be well. Trust God. Eat. Drink. Trust. All will be well.
© 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
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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
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
Contributor
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Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Rights
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
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English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
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KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Sound
A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds.
Event
Pentecost XVII
Series
Worldwide Communion
Scripture Text
Jeremiah 1:9-10, Acts 5: 39
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
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KII-01_RA-0-19921004
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1992-10-04
Title
A name given to the resource
One Church, One World - Always in Transition
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. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Sermons
Relation
A related resource
Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Description
An account of the resource
A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 4, 1992 entitled "One Church, One World - Always in Transition", as part of the series "Worldwide Communion", on the occasion of Pentecost XVII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 1:9-10, Acts 5: 39.
All Will Be Well
Church
Ritual
Sacrament
Tradition
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4eb16878619466fe1633e9624cfe0435.pdf
866401eb0300628e5e71a86925de0e15
PDF Text
Text
The Fairy Tale Is True
Text: Luke 2:7; Revelation 12:5
Richard A. Rhem
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
Christmastide, December 28, 1997
Transcription of the spoken sermon
Children love fairy tales.
I remember a fairy tale feast when I was a child of preschool age. I was ill with
scarlet fever. The family was moved out into the garage, the house put under
quarantine. But, of course, my mother couldn’t leave me. The shades were pulled
and I was kept in bed. There was nothing to do but read to me - the same stories
over and over, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks and the
Three Bears. Mother read until she was tired of it. On occasion she turned two
pages at once, hoping to abbreviate her task, but I always caught her at it; I knew
the stories by heart.
But it made no difference; each time it was like a first time adventure.
This Christmas the family gathered to watch a video produced by David with all
the children as his research assistants - 25 years of this family growing up and
then each with their own families. There were several photos of me holding one of
the grandchildren on my lap - reading to them. That was usually a Sunday after
dinner pleasure, although I remember well getting very sleepy after a big dinner
and wanting very much to get to a serious nap when the little one would say
"Read it one more time, Bumpa."
Why do you suppose children love fairy tales so much? Of course, they are great
stories, but I think there is something more They turn out right; just as they begin with the classic phrase, "Once upon a time
..." so they end with, "... and they lived happily ever after." When you think about
some of the most familiar fairy tales, they are not all sweetness and light - there is
high adventure, danger, darkness and evil woven into the plot. A good fairy tale
has moments of high tension; they can be scary which is part of their attraction.
But, in the end, good prevails, right emerges on top and nobility and truth are
vindicated.
In that sense, the fairy tale is reflective of a whole philosophy of life and reality
and, in turn, it is a teaching tool for the shaping of one’s perspective on life.
© Grand Valley State University
�The Fairy Tale Is True
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
Stories not only entertain, they form a philosophy of life. And the classic fairy tale
reflects the conviction that the good and true will triumph in the end.
Later on when the child develops the capacity for abstract thinking, one can
discuss values, right and wrong, truth and falsehood and their implications, but a
sense of ultimate value has already been richly laid in the child’s being by the
tapestry of stories heard and lived.
I was thinking about this because of a few conversations I’ve had with some of
you who have wondered how to receive the Christmas story - a story that begins,
"And it came to pass ...", and is laced with angelic announcements accompanied
by a heavenly choir, Magi from the East following a brilliant star that comes to
rest over a stable wherein lies a newborn child born to a virgin.
Although scholarly research has investigated the whole of the biblical tradition
for two hundred years, that research has only somewhat recently seeped into the
church. But in our day, such research makes the feature articles of popular news
magazines at Christmas and Easter, at least. So, how does one deal with the
growing recognition that the Gospels are storied accounts of something that
happened in the past?
The question is not so simple. For one thing, we are dealing with something that
happened; we are dealing with the story of an actual birth event, not of a makebelieve character, but of one whose historical existence is almost universally
acknowledged. On the other hand, the story is a story laced with the supernatural
- angels and stars and kings and a miraculous conception - aspects one finds
surrounding the birth of other ancient heroic figures. Consequently, the stories
have been scrutinized intensively in an attempt to ascertain facts from fantasy.
I suspect this is inevitable. We make a faith claim that is entangled with concrete
historical reality - the word became flesh and dwelt among us. There is no way
that claim will not be tested.
Nonetheless, such scholarly scrutiny of the historical event is the ruination of the
story because the truth of the story is not in the narrative details, but in the
meaning of the story - that which is "coming to pass" in the event - which is that
God visits God’s people to rescue them from darkness and death and secure them
in light and life.
The story is the vehicle of the truth about reality, about the nature of things,
about the meaning and end of life.
Do you remember our Advent question - How can we who are top dogs sing the
songs of liberation of underdogs? Well, I am not going to repeat that, only to say
once again that the songs Luke includes in the birth story are songs of liberation
sung by people who have borne the heavy load of oppression and domination and
© Grand Valley State University
�The Fairy Tale Is True
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
they celebrate God’s visitation in this child through whom God will reverse the
fortunes of the oppressed and their oppressors.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those dwelling in the
shadow of death have had the sun of righteousness dawn upon them with healing
in his wings.
I stressed during Advent the very concrete nature of the salvation referred to - its
social, political and economic dimension -This was good news of a different kind
of world for the poor and the marginalized. But now let me suggest that there is
another dimension spoken to, as well - the anxiety of being human. It is not easy
to be human and that is universally true for rich and poor, powerful and
powerless.
We are all afraid, insecure - We are subject to disaster, catastrophe, disease - and
we die and those we love die. Human existence is precarious, perilous, awesome,
wonderful, and fragile. Not only in our individual experience, but also globally.
The holocaust happened in the lifetime of many of us. Tyrants like Saddam
Hussein hold our world hostage.
In the ancient world of the birth story of Jesus, it was taken for granted that there
were powers behind the actors on history’s stage, Herod and Caesar and Pilate –
that the struggles on earth were reflective of cosmic conflict between the God of
light and life and the Prince of Darkness.
As you know, that time was an age of the expectation of the end of the age and the
literature that pointed to the end was called apocalyptic - a word meaning
"unveiling."
The curtain was drawn back and one was given a glimpse of the transcendent
world - the behind-the-scenes view of the powers of evil at work in the present and the sovereign God with whom the powers of darkness were in conflict.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John is such a work. John was given a vision of
what was going on in the cosmic drama. He was in exile for his testimony to
Jesus. The Christian community for which he wrote the vision was experiencing
severe persecution. Some were giving up their faith, returning to the imperial
cult. John writes to encourage them to be faithful, to hold on.
Chapters 12-14 are the center of the Revelation. A woman is pregnant. A dragon is
poised to consume the child. The woman gives birth and the child is snatched up
to heaven. There is war in heaven and Michael, God’s Angel Warrior, with the
heavenly hosts defeats the dragon who is thrown down to earth. Although the
victory is won in heaven there remains the mopping up on earth where the
defeated dragon is causing all the hell he can. The saints suffer greatly; yet they
sing of triumph because they know the ultimate victory is theirs because God has
© Grand Valley State University
�The Fairy Tale Is True
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
conquered - for 1250 days, 42 months, they suffer the ravages of the dragon, but
this is a brief period.
If you go to the Hebrew Scriptures, Numbers 33, you will find that Israel made 42
moves on the way to the Promised Land. Thus, the writer says -Hold fast; this
journey so full of suffering will end in the security of God’s Kingdom.
A story, a vision. It borrows images from the Hebrew Scriptures – the Exodus,
the wilderness wandering; the woman, Eve, Genesis 3:15, the seed of the woman
will bruise the head of the serpent; the woman - Mary, pregnant with child; the
child snatched up to heaven - but through death and resurrection by which
victory is achieved, the dragon falls.
Well, I cannot give you a full account of the rich imagery of this vision, but I think
you can see how the vision weaves together images from Israel’s history and the
event of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.
Out of historical happenings whose details we can never recover, a story is told to
convey a deeply held conviction that in the end God will reign, the God of life and
light having conquered the forces of darkness that threaten human existence and
bring death.
Now here is an interesting fact - In Greek mythology, Zeus was the chief god. His
consort, Leto, was with child. The dragon Python was determined to kill the child.
Leto fled to the island of Delos where Apollo was born in safety. Eventually
Apollo returned to the mainland and at the great shrine, Delphi, Apollo slew the
dragon.
When John, on the island of Patmos, not far from the island of Delos, told his
story in vision form, he borrowed not only from the Hebrew tradition, but also
from Greek mythology to convey the message - that the God of life and light will
finally overcome the forces of evil and darkness.
The biblical story as a whole is rooted in the conviction that finally God will
subdue the darkness. It is the same conviction that underlays the beloved fairy
tales of our childhood.
That is faith’s conviction. That is hope’s ground - God is love.
Love triumphs.
Truth triumphs.
Therefore, trust.
Now, that’s the story; that’s what we celebrate. Just to tell you that straight out
may get us into an intellectual discussion and you might say, "Well, the data is
© Grand Valley State University
�The Fairy Tale Is True
Richard A. Rhem
Page 5
ambiguous." You might end up not trusting; maybe you would become a cynic.
But, let me tell you a story - deeper than reason can probe. You might then feel it
and know it beyond knowing.
Don’t you see it - the baby a sign of hope, of a future, of life?
Don’t you hear the angels sing?
Haven’t you seen a special star?
Don’t you hold absolutely to much that you cannot rationally describe or defend?
If you have eyes to see, ears to hear ...You know it’s true. The fairy tale is true Trust
Hope
Be of good cheer,
All will be well.
© Grand Valley State University
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e7f38e808835dfc95e1c04cfcf536539.mp3
42babc195984ed26cb1f9067f3f65645
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard A. Rhem Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rhem, Richard A.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Sound
A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds.
Event
Christmastide I
Series
Songs of Liberation
Scripture Text
Luke 2:7, Revelation 12:5
Location
The location of the interview
Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01_RA-0-19971228
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1997-12-28
Title
A name given to the resource
The Fairy Tale Is True
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 December 28, 1997 entitled "The Fairy Tale Is True", as part of the series "Songs of Liberation", on the occasion of Christmastide I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 2:7, Revelation 12:5.
All Will Be Well
Apocalyptic
Story
Trust
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c3170370924a7b7d94fe83d67069f0bb.mp3
21bf86846056b14a4408855c095ad461
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/73b721679a30d2e3ddaedc1adb5a7fc0.pdf
8788c992dacd6a9a925d2828dc74e6e5
PDF Text
Text
The World Is Not Enough
From the series: The God Question
Text: Ecclesiastes 2:11; I Timothy 6:17; Luke 12:21
Richard A. Rhem
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
March 5, 2000
Transcription of the spoken sermon
In this interim between my return from vacation and the beginning of Lent, I
have been mulling over with you the question of God, the question of God that
will not go away, remarking about the fact that God is alive and well on planet
Earth, and rather surprisingly so, because, as I have indicated a time or two, it
would have seemed at mid-century that the obituary of God was in order and,
indeed, there were those radical theologians who spoke of the death of God. And,
in the dark horror of the Nazi prison camps, Dietrich Bonhoeffer had spoken of
man come of age, about edging God out of the world, and Harvey Cox wrote his
best-selling book, The Secular City, which celebrated secularity and life lived on a
horizontal plane, and as a theologian, tried to find traces of God, footprints of
God in the secular city. And now here, having entered into the 21st century, we
find that there is indication everywhere that religion is strong and vital and the
question of God simply will not go away. It is a surprise.
Sigmund Freud, to whom I referred last week, who may be the epitome of
modernity, modern scientific thinking, was convinced that science and religion
were mortal enemies and that religion had to be cleared out in order for the
human society to come into its maturity and live by its reason, by its intellect,
putting away its wishful thinking and its superstitions, the superstitions that
abound in all of the religions and that have been a big part of the origin of
religion. But, Freud was wrong. Not that religion had not fought for 300 years a
losing intellectual battle, but rather, that the human being can live out of his or
her mind alone, that intellect is enough, that if we could only rid ourselves of our
religion and our superstitious ways, we could live out of the intellect by reason,
and thus come to maturity.
That hasn't proven to be the case. The God question just simply doesn't go away
because, contrary to what Freud expected, our problem is not knowledge, but it is
something far deeper: the intuition of a deeper reality. We have knowledge. We
are awash in knowledge, and the super-information highway runs right to our
laptop and personal computers at our side. We have a command of knowledge of
© Grand Valley State University
�The World Is Not Enough
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
the modern world, of the universe, of society, and of our own human being far
surpassing the possibility of ever taking it in, and it's all right there at our
fingertips. But, knowledge in itself is not the answer. Simply to describe what is
doesn't deal with its meaning, its significance, those ultimate existential
questions about whence have I come and whither am I going, and is this all
there is, and what is the meaning of it all? Those are religious questions and they
are of another sort than the knowledge that is the consequence of the use of the
intellect, the rational processes of our mind.
Someone just gave $350 million to MIT for the study of the brain. Wonderful!
The brain is a great mystery and there's a tremendous amount of investigative
focus on the brain. But, once we have come to be able to describe the brain fully,
it's still not synonymous with understanding of that mental activity which is
touched with Spirit which probes a deeper layer than that which is available to
empirical investigation and research.
We have knowledge aplenty. We can know the whole world, but the world is not
enough, nor is the world that we can possess.
Aren't you somewhat amazed at the wealth that is around today? The wealth that
is everywhere, it seems, and even the least of us are among the wealthy of the
world, and who of us has to deny ourselves very much in the way of creature
comfort or pleasure or toys or globe-trotting to exotic places? We are bombarded,
day by day, with the seduction of saying that one more trip or one more toy will
make it all right. There was a study out last week that said 16 minutes and 43
seconds of every hour you watch television is given over to consumerism, making
of us materialists, acquisitors.
Robert Bellah, the American sociologist, wrote something that I jotted down the
moment my eye fell on it, something to the effect that to secure happiness by
material acquisition is denied by every religion and philosophy known to
humankind, and yet it is preached on every American television set. Pleasure.
Toys. Adventures. Wasn't that second chapter of Ecclesiastes taken as a script
from our own contemporary life? The king who indulged himself without limits,
denied himself nothing that his heart set itself upon, who ended up with his
famous phrase, "Vanity, all is vanity," which has been translated also "Absurdity,
all is absurdity," or emptiness, chasing the wind, because you can have it all and
have nothing, because the world is not enough.
The writer of the letter to Timothy says the same thing, warning those of us who
are rich in this world not to be haughty or to set our hope on uncertain riches, but
rather, on God.
We find the same point being made in the Gospel lesson where one comes to
Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute. Jesus declines and then tells a story about
the farmer who prospered so greatly that he tore down his barns and built bigger
ones, laying up enough store so he could relax and pursue his pleasure.
© Grand Valley State University
�The World Is Not Enough
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
If Jesus had been in Naples this winter, he might have spoken not of barns, but of
homes with a view. All along South Gulf Shore Blvd., houses are being torn down
in order to build great, palatial residences. Obvious prosperity is everywhere, yet
I get the impression we are more driven, more frenzied and under greater stress
than ever.
My Sony stock took a big hike this week. It's wonderful. I thought of how much
more I could give to Christ Community. Twenty-three points, I think, and I
wondered why until on the world news last night I noticed that Play Station Two
is coming out. I didn't know there was Play Station One. I hadn't gotten beyond
my grandchildren's Gameboys, but apparently there was Play Station One and
now coming out in Japan is Play Station Two. Thousands of people sat up all
night in the bone-chilling cold in Japan in order to be in line to get one of the two
million Play Stations available on opening day. Stores had signs that they were
sold out before they could open the doors. There was a frenzy of activity, and I
watched as the people were playing these things. They were absolutely out of this
world, playing with such intensity. This is not just a game. I don't understand it,
but it apparently is like having in the palm of your hand a connection to
everything you'd ever want to be connected to in the whole world. They
interviewed one young lady who had a smile on her face and said, "Oh, I just love
it. I couldn't live without it." And all the Play Stations in the world won't fill the
hole in the soul or give one a peaceful heart.
The question of God won't go away, and in our day we have such possibilities,
endless learning, limitless pleasure, toys galore, the whole world to travel, but the
scriptures which are ancient sound like they were written yesterday when they
remind us that a life not built on God is a life that will ultimately unravel and
come apart.
It used to be easier to preach about this kind of stuff. I don't do this very much.
Probably because it's more difficult now because God isn't some super-human
person just above the sky. God isn't some King Almighty who is turning the gears
of the universe and pulling the strings of people. God is not that external deity
that runs things and rules things. When God was that for me, I knew how to tell
you how to please and appease that God. And, with a sermon like this,
particularly if you just bought a new lot with a view and planned to tear down the
house on it and build a new one, you'd go out of here with guilt so heavy it would
probably take you another seven days to recover.
The pulpit traditionally in the church has been wonderfully eloquent in the
imposition of guilt, crabby about people who have done well, who are successful,
who are having a good time in life. That's not the point. I don't quite know how to
do it with a conception of God so radically altered, as it is for me, and I think for
many of you. It's not to please or appease some external ruler who holds us
accountable and is ready to call in our guilt, but, how do we live with a God that is
not outside, but inside? How do we live in harmony with a God who is the
© Grand Valley State University
�The World Is Not Enough
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
inexhaustible ground and source of all being, that creative Spirit within the
process, this process, this cosmic process of 15 billion years that has been
unfolding and developing and emerging, of which we are a part, out of which we
have emerged, we who are the outposts of Spirit, as it were, we who have come to
consciousness and awareness, who are the containers of Spirit, who allow Spirit
voice, who are able to be conscious of the wonder of it all, the amazement of this
whole fantastic drama, and we are a part of it? How do we live with a Godconsciousness of the God who is not threatening just beyond the blue, but who is
part and parcel of the process itself within us, the Spirit that would come to
expression through us?
Isn't it a matter of becoming comfortable in our own skin? Isn't it a matter of
being at home in the world? Isn't it to find delight in being a part of the whole,
wonderful process?
Knowledge isn't the problem; it's just not the answer. And wealth isn't the
problem, except if we've set our heart on it. But, all things are ours to enjoy if we
come to the consciousness of God who is, once again, the inexhaustible ground of
all being, that present Spirit that energizes all and enlivens all, that God who calls
us to know ourselves, and I wonder, finally, if I would come to know myself,
would that be to know God? And I don't know how to tell you to do it; some of
you would do it, perhaps, with me, in a class where we'd go at it in an intellectual
fever. Some of you could better walk the Labyrinth with Toni. All of us need to
pause now and again and hear the questions of our existence which are the
questions that are the voice of God, to be still and know that God is God, and if
God is God and I live in that awareness, then all will be well. All manner of things
will be well.
© Grand Valley State University
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard A. Rhem Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rhem, Richard A.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kaufman Interfaith Institute
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Sound
A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds.
Event
Epiphany IX
Series
The God Question
Scripture Text
Eclesiastes 2:11, I Timothy 6:17, Luke 12:21
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-0-20000305
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2000-03-05
Title
A name given to the resource
The World Is Not Enough
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. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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 March 5, 2000 entitled "The World Is Not Enough", as part of the series "The God Question", on the occasion of Epiphany IX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Eclesiastes 2:11, I Timothy 6:17, Luke 12:21.
All Will Be Well
Consciousness
Presence of God