1 24 5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/568e3dd8a0c0084268b9babc93bad224.pdf d6427e543f6d736ebd2d700976dc7099 PDF Text Text A Family Christmas Prayer Richard A. Rhem Christmas, 2013 O God, Mystery beyond us, Mystery within us, Sacred Presence enveloping our lives in all that is good and true and beautiful, we are gathered here in this home we have loved for over 30 years as a family first formed forty-one years ago on Christmas. We remember the little church, the tree, the poinsettias, the reception at the Brysons in their warm and lovely home and can hardly believe we have shared forty-one Christmases as a family, grown from eight to twenty-six – a family we treasure, so warm, so caring – simply Love embodied. Today we welcome Robbie into the embrace of this family as he and Sarah dream a future together. And today Richard is in the circle, having been given a place in Dan and Susan’s family, welcomed by Dani, Sarah and Sam. Gathered here, we hold in our hearts those absent from us: Katie, Jonathan and Brenda, Joseph and family. How blessed we are. In these moments, O God, we know that the Christmas story is true. It goes to the heart of what is truly human, truly divine – Love and Joy and Peace, the Light that scatters the darkness, a vision of an alternative world that can find expression in nothing less than a choir of angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.” �Once a year this annual festival calls us to stop, to reflect, to penetrate the mists of our muddled thinking, so caught up with matters of only passing concern, to see what is truly ultimate, what truly matters, what is finally true – that vulnerability invites trust, that humility invites embrace, that love begets love. O God, we worship and adore in the Presence of the Christmas Babe. Amen. � 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. Event A Prayer at a Rhem Family Gathering 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-1-20131225 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-12-25 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource A Family Christmas Prayer 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 Prayer created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 25, 2013 entitled "A Family Christmas Prayer", on the occasion of A Prayer at a Rhem Family Gathering. Tags: Prayer, Christmas, Family, Presence of God, Love. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Christmas Family Love Prayer Presence of God https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bf2e9c7eddd36f3a759466abeeda2042.pdf d29f5472217d8a7f163a63900ed15773 PDF Text Text Prayer Offered at the Celebration of Dorothy Boelen’s Life Richard A. Rhem St. John’s Episcopal Church Grand Haven, Michigan August 1, 2013 In the spirit of quiet anticipation, we come consciously into your Presence, Sacred Mystery of Being, in Whom we live and move and have our being. We would be still and know that you are God, our Sustainer through this earthly pilgrimage and our eternal home. Hidden from us in a cloud of unknowing, yet so very present to us in life’s Grace moments, moments when Love becomes tangible because embodied in another, in a face, a smile, a touch. This one whose life we celebrate today was such an instrument of your Love, a channel of your Grace. What a gift we have shared! Loss is proportionate to love; pain is measured by what the one removed meant to us – and this one, our Dorothy, meant so much. There is no denying the loss. Yet, O God, there is no denying the wonder as well, wonder at the beauty of love she embodied, wonder at grace amazing, simplicity, humility, authenticity, indeed, an altogether lovely humanity. We remember the way she was. We remember and we give thanks that our lives were enriched living in the circle of light that shone through her. Good and Gracious God, we have gathered in worship to remember and to give thanks – to remember a wife, a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. We acknowledge our sadness as over the last years and months we witnessed that brilliant mind closed even as her eyesight dimmed. The strong and gracious presence was reduced to quiet desperation. We were heartbroken that we lost her long before she breathed her last. © Grand Valley State University   �Prayer in Memory of Dorothy Boelens Richard A. Rhem Gord’s loving care, family’s deep concern and love surrounded her. But that vibrant one we loved and admired was only a shadow of herself. Yet, amazingly, O God, these are bittersweet moments. There is no denying the loss but there is no denying the wonder as well – the wonder at the beauty of love, the meaning of life, the sacredness of human bonding. Things come into focus; we gain perspective, We know in tangible experience what we thought we knew before, but realize we didn’t know as deeply – That what really matters finally is the love we’ve known – love given, love received. Our hearts swell, eyes moisten as we contemplate it all – the gift we’ve known in this one who loved so deeply, so broadly. 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. Sacred Mystery of our lives, You are there to hear our borning cry, You are there when we are old. And when we shut our weary eyes you are there with just one more surprise. With such full faith we bid our loved one farewell, trusting in full assurance that All will be well, All will be well, All manner of things will be well. O God, our hearts are full, quite overwhelmed. We commend our loved one, full of love, into the abyss of Your Love, in the name of the Good Shepherd whose love she embodied, Jesus Christ our Lord. © Grand Valley State University Page 2   � 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. Event Funeral Service for Dorothy Kruizenga Boelens Location The location of the interview St. John's Episcopal Chruch, 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 RA-1-20130801 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-08-01 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource Prayer in Celebration of the Life of Dorothy Boelens 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 Prayer created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 1, 2013 entitled "Prayer in Celebration of the Life of Dorothy Boelens", on the occasion of Funeral Service for Dorothy Kruizenga Boelens, at St. John's Episcopal Chruch, Grand Haven, Michigan. Tags: Prayer, Mystery, Death, Profile in Love, Family. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Death Family Mystery Prayer Profile in Love https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/84c555339f9c96b8758b2ae2a35552ab.pdf 3ec32a474833692fbff0b44e83c674f6 PDF Text Text The Best is Yet To Be A Prayer in Celebration Of the Life of Louise Zevalkink Richard A. Rhem Fifth Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan July 3, 2012 Prepared text of prayer Let us be in the spirit of prayer in the presence of the Creative Source of all being, in whom we live and move and have our being – the Sacred Mystery hidden in a cloud of unknowing. Eternal God, Source, Guide and Goal of all that is, from You we receive life as a gift and to You our life returns. In the Psalmist’s poetic expression, You send forth your breath, your Spirit, and they are created. You take away their breath, they die. We find our comfort in life and in death that we are not our own but belong to You, a faithful God whose steadfast love embraces us on this fascinating and fragile human pilgrimage. And thus we find it most natural at such a time as this, in such a place as this, to lift up our hearts in worship, to bow in Your presence before the mystery of life and the reality of death. We worship for we are aware of the wonder of creation, its beauty and its terror, its loveliness and its pain. We turn to You, O God; we rest in You; we trust where we do not know. In You we hope, and to You we commend © Grand Valley State University �The Best is Yet To Be Richard A. Rhem Page 2 those we’ve loved and lost awhile. Good and Gracious God, we have gathered in worship to remember and to give thanks – to remember our mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. We remember the way she was – indeed an extraordinary person for whom there are not superlatives enough to describe her and to give expression to all she meant to us and the ways she made our lives come to life. Her physical beauty was the outward embodiment of the beauty of her soul, the instrument of a human spirit that transformed every situation into which she entered, creating joy, good humor, well being. She had an unaffected presence about her that made us confident that all would be well – not through what she did, but simply because her presence was a sweet aroma of grace and goodness that changed everything for the better. Our model, our inspiration – dear God, how we miss her and will miss her as weeks and months and years pass. But filling the cavern of our grief will be memories – so many memories of times and places, and through tears we will laugh as we remember her. Over these last years physical ailments took their toll and finally, slowly, her life ebbed away. The body gave way but not her mind, not her spirit, not her trust in You, good and gracious God. Her faith burned brightly. Scripture – favorite passages, old favorite hymns – these saturated her soul as life ebbed away. Enwrapped in a mantle of love from family and care givers, she breathed her last, awaiting “just one more surprise,” which for her was not a surprise at all for she has experienced that which in trust she anticipated. Face to face she has beheld him – © Grand Valley State University �The Best is Yet To Be Richard A. Rhem the blessed assurance with which she lived is now fully realized, even beyond her fondest dreams. O God, there is no denying our loss. Where love looms large, loss is large a well. Where bonds of love are tight, when broken, grief and loss are painful. All of that we own, we acknowledge, without denial. Yet we are overwhelmed by the beauty, the wonder of this life that has touched us so deeply – the amazing grace with which she lived and the deep trust with which she breathed her last. 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. Receive our thanksgiving, O God. Grant the comfort of Your Spirit, renew our hope and lead us on in the confidence that nothing can ever separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus our Lord, 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. Amen. © Grand Valley State University Page 3 � 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. Event Prayer for the Funeral of Louise Zevalkink Location The location of the interview Fifth Reformed Church, Grand Rapids Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RA-1-20120703 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource The Best Is Yet To Be Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Prayer created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 3, 2012 entitled "The Best Is Yet To Be", on the occasion of Prayer for the Funeral of Louise Zevalkink, at Fifth Reformed Church, Grand Rapids. Tags: Faithful God, Grace, Family. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-03 Faithful God Family Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0a5e74ab39ed767c9c2324ddc05eed25.pdf 5257a82ecff82ff95d205b4d527e54bc PDF Text Text On the Celebration of The Golden Wedding Anniversary Of Norm and Maureen Campbell Prayer offered by Richard A. Rhem September 2012 Oh God, Eternal One, in whom we live and move and have our being, in the midst of this happy celebration we pause consciously to experience and to acknowledge your Presence, present to us. We do so naturally at life’s critical junctures, life’s moments awash with meaning – those moments that cause our hearts to sing or to break, our minds to be radiant with light and illumination or numb in somber darkness. We pause; we are still. We are present to you who are present to us – the presence of Mystery in whom and before whom our lives are played out. In the quietness of this moment, we pause to give thanks for the fifty years of life together shared by Norm and Maureen – (two-thirds of their respective 75 years of life!) – for their love and faithfulness, for the richness of their experiences, for the model they are of strength and steadiness, of faith and devotion, of kindness and gentleness. We celebrate their years as lovers, partners, friends, and we give you thanks that, as children, grandchildren and a large circle of friends, we can share these moments with them. Memories wash over us of special times and seasons. The film of fifty years flashes through our minds – times when we laughed until the tears washed over our cheeks; �Anniversary Prayer Richard A. Rhem Page 2   times when the struggle was intense, and the goal far off; times when dreams came true, and times when dreams were shattered; times when joy burst the soul, and times when grief filled the heart; times of health and strength; times when health seemed threatened and the future put in question. Oh God, we remember with laughter and with tears, and we own it all, the whole long, wonderful, fragile, perilous, beautiful journey. For it is the tapestry of two lives lived well, lived fully, authentically, before your face – a tapestry with entwining threads of all the colors of the rainbow: brighter and more somber tones, light and shadow. And through it all your presence, your faithfulness, even your presence in absence. We give you thanks, O God, for your grace that has enabled them to be all they are, and we seek your benediction upon them as they move beyond this significant landmark. Fill their future years with the richness of harvest, enabling them to savor the fruits of their love and labor. Favor them with good health and even new adventure. Surround them with the loving care of their children, the happy exuberance of their grandchildren, and embrace of the circle of their friends. May your mercy be experienced with every breaking dawn and may peace mantle them with every golden sunset. And as they gaze on the grandeur of the night’s starry heaven, may they know themselves enwrapped together in the Mystery of the abyss of your steadfast love. With gratitude we gather around these tables, acknowledging the gifts of bread and wine. And in the midst of this joyous feast, we remember the one who broke bread and poured the cup, and has become for us the Bread of Life, the Wine of New Creation, Jesus Christ our Lord. �Anniversary Prayer Richard A. Rhem Page 3   It was my lucky day when Norm and Maureen showed up at CCC. Obviously they cared deeply about the church, about the faith, about compassion and justice. Intelligent, thoughtful, engaged, and just as nice as could be! With them we shared weddings, baptisms, funerals, and simply friendship. Nancy and I are blessed by them; to be their pastor a great privilege. Norm and Maureen, you have earned our respect and, more than that, our love. It is with great joy that we celebrate with you 75 years of life and 50 years of marriage. � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a9b7f30d7f2c7c615a316ef40295e1b8.wav 85525626d159b13a57dac6104b5b23da 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 Family Gathering 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-1-20120901 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf audio/wav Title A name given to the resource On the Celebration of the Golden Wedding Anniversary of the Campbells Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Prayer created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 1, 2012 entitled "On the Celebration of the Golden Wedding Anniversary of the Campbells", on the occasion of Family Gathering. Tags: Family, Faith, Life Journey, Grace of God, Celebration of Life, Anniversary, Prayer. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-09-01 Anniversary Celebration of Life Faith Family Grace of God Life Journey Prayer https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a6bf36b4538b54149b42fd49f4298ad3.pdf 4d732d4dd1660be98b9df3fdcc22b20b PDF Text Text LOVE That Loves Us Margaret Feldmann Kruizenga Memorial Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, 11, 13; I John 4: 7-8, 12, 16, 19; John 1:1-5, 14, 18 Richard A. Rhem Freedom Village, Holland, Michigan May 25, 2013 It is an honor and my privilege to conduct this service of worship and celebration of the life of Margaret Feldmann Kruizenga. I do so as family as much as pastor. When Margaret married Richard she married into a family of Mulders and Kruizengas who were, with a couple of other families, the core of the First Reformed Church of Spring Lake, Michigan. Dick’s parents were baptized on the same day in the First Reformed Church of Spring Lake and, I’m told, Dick’s father winked at his mother across the baptismal font and said, “She’s for me!” The tradition was also Margaret’s, coming, as she did, from Long Island and a Reformed congregation there which steered her to Hope College where she met her husband to be, a marriage of over 60 years. I mention my presence as family because, graduating from Western Seminary in 1960, I was extended a call to the Spring Lake congregation. In the first congregational meeting I ever conducted in the fall of 1960, Dick’s father, Richard J. Kruizenga, was elected once again an elder and proved an early formative influence on me. After a hiatus of seven years, having left for New Jersey and then Europe for post-graduate work, I returned for a visit with a very painful divorce ahead. Dick’s father, with consummate skill, succeeded in leading the congregation to extend a call to me even in the tenuous circumstances of my life at that time. In 1971 I began again in Spring Lake and from that time Dick’s father became a surrogate father to me. And in that almost impossible situation of assuming the pastorate of that fine congregation, divorcing with children 7, 9 and 11 for whom to care, it was primarily Dick’s sister Dorothy and her husband Gordon who “adopted” us and made it all possible. (Gordon is present with us; Dorothy died on the past New Year’s Day.) I relate this history because I want you to sense the personal meaning of this celebration to me. Over many years, Dick and Margaret would return to Spring Lake. I met them but didn’t really know them well until, in retirement, they were summer residents of Spring Lake and Grand Haven. Over these last years we have shared many happy occasions with them and were privileged to come to know their family. © Grand Valley State University   �LOVE That Loves Us Richard A. Rhem Page 2   From that history it is obvious that I did not know the Margaret Dick fell in love with, married and eventually traveled the world with. Even in retirement Margaret’s strength (She was no shrinking flower!), intelligence and acute engagement with current events were clear. She held strong opinions and was not reticent about expressing them. A time or two she straightened me out! But one comment in the Funeral Home Obituary Internet Site caught my eye and I determined I would share it with you because in brief, concise fashion I suspect Margaret could not receive a finer portrait. Her friend Nancy wrote: Margaret was a dear friend for many, many years – and remained so from all corners of the world. I met her when I was just out of college and she was a sophisticated New York wife, mother and world traveler. I always admired and looked up to her for her great taste, wit, intelligence and generosity. My love and thoughts are with her wonderful husband Dick and with Meg, Derek and families. Margaret will always have a special place in my heart. That is the one whose life we celebrate today – and yesterday – at the Ground Breaking for the Kruizenga Art Museum on Hope’s campus. My first serious encounter with Dick and Margaret was many years ago at the Spring Lake cemetery – a graveside service for their child Dwight, a special needs child. In her determined fashion, Margaret sought every possible means to give Dwight a normal childhood but ran into a wall; nothing in science, medicine or technology could bring her child to wholeness. I think it was at that critical juncture that she found in Christian Science spiritual resources that enabled her to cope with human impotence in face of deep human need. Her spiritual quest became her lifelong pursuit. She was serious, engaged and generous in her support of the Church of Christ, Scientist where she found a spiritual community. Through her leadership and support, the church in Irving, Texas, was transformed into a beautiful sacred space and she was very supportive of the church in Grand Haven as well. Margaret was seriously engaged in the spiritual quest for meaning, indeed, for the Sacred Mystery we call God. In the teaching of Christian Science she was pointed to God as Spirit, Mind, Love and the critical importance of prayer and meditation. The Scripture Lessons were chosen in light of Margaret’s spiritual quest. The familiar poetry of Ecclesiastes 3 moves to God has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. © Grand Valley State University �LOVE That Loves Us Richard A. Rhem Page 3   One whose knowledge of Hebrew far surpasses mine has rendered those lines thus: God has made everything beautiful in its own time and has put an eternal yearning in our hearts even as we live before the face of Mystery. An eternal yearning before the face of Mystery – my sense is that that might fit Margaret well. It is my sense that in her spiritual pursuit she came to rest in the God of Love – a central biblical teaching underscored in Christian Science – Divine Love come to expression in the life of Jesus. “No one has ever seen God,” declares the writer of the Fourth Gospel in his prologue to his story of Jesus decades after the event itself. But the eternal Word, Creation’s Agent, assumed flesh – humanity – and in that human face, the writer claims, God is revealed. Out of that Johannine Circle, also near the end of the first century as the early Christian community was trying to give expression to the Gospel, the writer of the First Letter of John picked up that statement from the Gospel – “No one has seen God.” For him as for the Gospel writer, the Mystery of God was revealed in Jesus. He opens his letter: We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. But then later in the letter he calls the community to love one another for “God is love.” He then repeats the acknowledgement of the Gospel – No one has ever seen God.” But he goes on to make a startling claim – If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. He moves beyond the Gospel’s claim that God is revealed in Jesus – the Word made flesh – to the amazing claim that God is revealed in our love one for another. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. God is Love, Love known and experienced in our human love. The Hebrew poet sensed an eternal yearning as he lived before the face of Mystery. The writer of the First Letter of John read off the story of Jesus that God is Love. But not only that; God/LOVE is known/experienced in the concreteness of human love – as we love one another. © Grand Valley State University �LOVE That Loves Us Richard A. Rhem Page 4   The human quest for meaning, for some understanding of the mystery of being human, our whence, our whither, and what it means in the meantime is both ancient and contemporary. One of the greatest film directors of our time is Terrence Malick. He produced The Thin Red Line and more recently a film entitled The Tree of Life – a deeply spiritual film starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. But last month To the Wonder came out, a film in which Malick reveals the deep human hunger and quest for what ultimately grounds us, forms us, calls us to communion. A reviewer writes, Ultimately, for Malick, the experience of falling in love grants us a glimpse of the divine – of a ‘LOVE that loves us.’ Humanity was made for God. And He is present all around us – in the transfiguring, wondrous joy of romantic love, in self-giving sacrifice, in our suffering and the suffering of others, in the charity we offer to those in pain, in the resplendent beauty of the natural world – if only we open our eyes to see Him. That, it seems, is Terrence Malick’s scandalous message….an ecstatic tribute to God. (Damon Linker) The film’s title says it all – “To the Wonder.” I find it fascinating that one of our contemporary film directors should with such artistry cause us to wonder – wonder about the Wonder that is God. In a three-way e-mail conversation in which I engage and, in this instance, about Malick’s “To the Wonder,” one wrote: In this context it makes a lot of sense to me that in wanting to speak redemptively about what grounds us in all that we are Malick wrestles with love as Love. In being Loved I know God and in loving I walk with God (Hendrick Hart) I entitled my meditation the LOVE that Loves Us – loves us into being, undergirds, overshadows ‘til finally we move through death to Eternal Light dwelling in the LOVE that loved us into being! God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Margaret believed that. In her final barely conscious moments she was bathed in it. I stood vigil with Dick. I witnessed his deep love in a final embrace and “I love you,” as well as the heavy grief he felt. Dick violated the Kruizenga canon against showing emotion! It was quite beautiful, moving. God is Love. LOVE loved her into being. Margaret believed that. Now she knows. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Meditation for Margaret Feldmann Kruizenga Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11, 13, I John 4:7-8, 12, 16, 19, John 1:1-5, 14 & 18 Location The location of the interview Freedom Village, Holland, 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-0-20130525 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-05-25 Title A name given to the resource The LOVE That Loves Us Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on May 25, 2013 entitled "The LOVE That Loves Us", on the occasion of Meditation for Margaret Feldmann Kruizenga, at Freedom Village, Holland, Michigan. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11, 13, I John 4:7-8, 12, 16, 19, John 1:1-5, 14 & 18. 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 Family Funeral Love Sacred Mystery Spiritual Quest