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Don’t Do It For God’s Sake
A Response to 9-11
Jeremiah 29:4-13; Ephesians 3:14-21
Richard A. Rhem
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
September 16, 2001
Transcription of the spoken sermon
Defenseless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
W. H. Auden
I am aware that this week, while I was away, good things were happening in
this community. I always tell Peter Theune that when I am not here, it's up to
him, and he with the team, has had created for this community and the broader
community a significant week. Part of the celebration were the four candles
behind me that were symbols of those sites of devastation, and this morning we
lighted, as well, the paschal candle as a sign of our remembrance of those who
moved from life through death into eternal life. I want to express my
appreciation to the team for the fine way that all of you in significant numbers
have been here.
The lines of W. H. Auden's poem that so powerfully catch the mood and spirit of
our day were written September 1, 1939. Auden attended the theater and I believe
the Yorktown section of New York City that was heavily populated with German
people. He attended the theater and, in the midst of the showing, as was the
custom at that time, there was a newsreel that showed the Nazi invasion of
Poland, and when that news came on, the theater erupted in shouts of triumph
and applause. W. H. Auden left the theater thoroughly shaken at what he had
just experienced, that eruption of emotion and elation at the forthcoming
devastation that was wreaked by Hitler and his troops on the European
© Grand Valley State University
�Don’t Do It For God’s Sake
Richard A. Rhem
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continent. It so shook him concerning human nature, that he began a spiritual
pilgrimage that led him eventually to Christian faith.
Indeed. We, too, are in a time when suddenly we become aware of that potential
for evil that is part and parcel of our human condition.
The sermon subject this morning is titled, "Don't Do It For God's Sake." It
was intended to be a word spoken particularly to parents and to this community
about being serious about the nurture and the traditioning of our children, for
this is opening Sunday and I am well aware of the fact that parents today face
tremendous tensions and pressures. There is such a competition for the time and
the energy of our children and our youth. So many good things to do, so many
difficult choices to make, and the sermon was going to be,"Don't do it for God's
sake," for God doesn't need our children to be nurtured, but do it for our sake. Do
it for the sake of our children and our youth, and for the sake of their future.
I was going to put in a good word, not in the typical fashion of church where it is
for God's honor and God's glory and God's demand and God's requirement -I was
simply going to say to you, "Don't do it for God's sake. Do it for your sake. And for
the sake of your children." And then, of course, everything changed and I was in
touch with the office throughout the week and we made obviously some liturgical
alterations, but I thought that title can stand, with a bit of a different twist. I
would still speak to you this morning for just a few moments under the title,
"Don't Do It For God's Sake."
Don't do what for God's sake? Don't build human community for God's sake. Do
it for our sake and for the sake of the future of humanity. Don't be serious about
religious faith and vision that moves toward love and peace for God's sake, but for
our own sake, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the possibility of a human
and humane future.
Were you shocked at the darkness that erupted this week? Really, on reflection,
you ought not to have been. For if we are traditioned in the biblical story which
arises out of Israel's faith and finds expression in the faith through Jesus Christ
our Lord, then you would know that what has happened is that which is always
possible and always potentially on the horizon of the human situation. Whether
you take the story in Genesis 3 of the Fall, or whether, as I have suggested, we
write some new story that is more consistent with our knowledge of the human
situation, it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter the story we tell.
It is the fact, the message, the reality to which the biblical story points, and our
human experience has confirmed. The great church father and theologian, St.
Augustine, created the doctrine of Original Sin, and Original Sin was simply an
attempt to express that which is commonly true, that all of us are tainted with
that inward corruption that makes us always potentially on the threshold of some
fresh expression of the darkness. This is not a problem of a particular ethnic
group or racial group or religious tradition. This is the human condition. We are
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Richard A. Rhem
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born in sin, says the Psalmist, the human heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked, says the prophet. And in those early stories of Genesis,
God repents that he's ever created this human creature, given the darkness that
emerges from his behavior. No, we need not be shocked at what we have
experienced, nor can we separate ourselves from it, for it is the universal human
condition.
You may say, "Ah, but this was something special. This was something different,"
and I would say, "Dear friends, just look at our own history." I have not time this
morning to document it all for you, but let me simply remind you of Crusades in
which Christian forces put the Muslim to the sword until the blood ran thick in
the streets of Jerusalem. I have only to mention the word Inquisition to remind
you of that demand to deny one's native faith in order to confess Jesus or to be
burned at the stake. I have only to remind you that in the experience of some of
us who are older here, in our own lifetime, this world has seen the annihilation of
six million Jews perpetrated by a darkness that emerged amidst a people most
cultured, most educated and most Christianized in Western civilization. It is not
a matter of Islam. It is not a matter of Christianity or Judaism. It is a human
manifestation of darkness that is ever hovering in the wings the moment there
are those who become so obsessed with hate, anger, that they are willing to
perpetrate the holocaust of devastation.
We might ask the question, "What drives people to that kind of hatred?" I think
we have to distinguish here between the leadership of those who follow and are
recruited into this cruel business, leaders with calculating brilliance and full
resource, implementing this attack with devastating efficiency. Those who realize
a potential within all of us to become evil incarnate, and then they, in their wake,
gathering others who have nothing to lose, who need a cause, who need some call
to nobility with some promise of eternal reward, and wherever there is a world
where there are masses of such people, there is a potential for demonic
leadership to manipulate them and to move them to the kind of darkness that
we have experienced in this week past.
It ought not to shock us, but it ought to cause us to raise the question - What is
there in our world that would create the context for that kind of hatred, anger,
and violence? I could play for you the tape of the sermon of July 1 of this past
summer, "Beyond Nation, Ethnicity and Creed," in which I suggested at that time
that it was not really wise for us to be seeking to build a missile defense system
against some nuclear bomb of a rogue nation, but that we might better sit down
with those rogue nations and ask them, "What are your fears? What are your
hopes and your dreams? How can we, the world's one super power,
with seemingly limitless resource and giftedness, what can we do in order to
bring you into a global community in which we can dwell together in peace and
harmony?
© Grand Valley State University
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Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
It is incumbent upon us at a time like this to search our own souls and not miss
the symbolic value of the targets that were struck. The World Trade Center and
the Pentagon, the symbols of our wealth and of our military might by which in
self-serving interest, we perpetuate a world in which we can continue to enjoy the
ascendency. Those are the questions that we need to ask ourselves.
And how are we to respond?
With great care. We are not different than any other people. We stand in
solidarity with the world's darkness; we carry within us in our own hearts the
seeds of potential violence, but we have been nurtured in a tradition that has
taught us that the only hope of the world is the breaking of the cycle of violence.
Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. And if we haven't learned the lesson
by now, then certainly it is time for us to think again. We have heard calls for
retaliation and revenge. We all, being human, feel the anger. We experience the
emotion of needing to respond. Not so long ago, I saw the film, Pearl Harbor,
and reliving that day of infamy, I remembered as I saw the Japanese pilots
climbing into their Zero planes on the aircraft carrier, I remembered as a child at
school how with our doodling we would make pictures, war pictures, tanks and
planes, how the P-38s and our Mustangs would shoot down those Japanese
Zeroes, and as I saw in the film and relived again the emotion I felt as a child, I
hated the Japs! The enemy was demonized. And even now, we can so easily fall
into that trap, the consequence of which would simply escalate the cycle of
violence one more time. And in this world, with the technology and the
weaponry that is available in this world, if we don't break the cycle of violence, we
will destroy ourselves.
The rhetoric has to cease. Tell me how a Christian television evangelist named
Jerry Falwell, speaking on the TV evangelist program of Pat Robertson, can point
the finger at liberal civil rights groups and abortionists and gay and lesbian
people and say that all such are partially responsible for this devastation? Don't
they know that it was the anti-Semitic, hateful, anti-Jewish rhetoric of a Martin
Luther, no less, that flowered into the Holocaust? Don't we realize, at least in the
Christian Church that, unless we are touched by the gospel and the grace of God
so that we do not react naturally, we will become the instruments and the agents
of that movement that will cut out the possibility of a human and humane
future? Don't we know, don't we really know that it is finally, only in the
acknowledgment of our own involvement in the human situation and the
responsible response to that situation by which the world can be changed?
A friend called me last evening, and I said to him, "If you were preaching
tomorrow, what would you preach?" He said, "I'd preach on anger." And then he
said to me, "I am just amazed at how little the gospel has really sunk into us."
And he spoke of a friend with whom he enjoys a conversation, cultured, educated,
Christian, intelligent, who said, "We should round all the Islamic people up and
© Grand Valley State University
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Richard A. Rhem
Page 5
ship them out," reminding me of what we did during the wake of Pearl Harbor
when we incarcerated Japanese Americans, doing a terrible injustice.
Dear friends, we do not have the luxury of responding according to our own
animal nature. The cycle of violence must stop here. Not that we do not take
responsible action to root out that which threatens not only this nation, but the
whole of civilization. But, it is the function of good religion to enable us to
transcend those native responses and that is why we need a community like this.
That really is what our struggle has been all about. That is why we need to do it,
not for God's sake, but for our own sake. We cannot bring shalom to the earth, we
cannot bring in the kingdom of God universal, but this we can do - we can
love one another. We can act with compassion. We can seek justice. We can love
mercy, and we can walk humbly with God, arm in arm together. That is why we
need each other. That is why we need a faith community that will lift us, enable
us, who are part and parcel of the human scene, who in solidarity with all of those
across the globe would enable us to transcend our anger, and to be spared the
violence that will simply keep the trauma moving toward the darkness and final
doom.
One of the great things about the biblical tradition is the prophetic voice that
called upon the people of Israel to be self-critical. The prophets called Israel to
awareness of sin and corruption in their society. They were relentless in their
critique of the self-satisfied religious and political institutions. Jeremiah's famous
temple sermon in the seventh chapter condemned the presumption of a hollow
religious practice that failed to do justice and love mercy. At the Temple, he cried
out,
Do not trust in these deceptive words, "This is the Temple of the Lord, the
Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord."
Jeremiah excoriated the people of Judah for their lack of compassion and mercy
and justice, and the judgment that he promised came sure as his word, and
Babylon moved in and Jerusalem was devastated and the exiles were moved off
into Babylon and there there were voices of unrest. There were other voices there
counseling the exiles not to settle down, for surely they would soon be delivered.
But, Jeremiah wrote a letter saying, do not listen to these voices. You will be there
for a long time. Settle in. Build houses, plant gardens, and pray for Babylon's
welfare. And then, beautifully, this prophet whose stern warning had
been unheeded but whose word had become reality gave this wonderful word of
hope and comfort:
I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans of good and not for
evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah's God was the Lord of history who moved the nations in direct,
determining fashion. I no longer can conceive of God as the one who controls the
movement of history in such direct fashion, but I do believe that the grain of the
© Grand Valley State University
�Don’t Do It For God’s Sake
Richard A. Rhem
Page 6
universe moved by the Creator Spirit beckons to life and a hopeful future realized
in loving community.
It is to that beckoning Spirit that I point you, to respond to the lure of love
believing God's intention is to give us a future and a hope.
Television coverage this past week has been full of stories of heroism, of
kindness and gentleness, of the compassion of so many who have given of
themselves and some giving their lives in their effort to save others. Such dark
times reveal not only the worst, but the best of the human spirit. And in those
stories we see the hope and possibility of a future of human well-being.
We cannot effect the kingdom of God nor the condition of universal shalom
by ourselves. But, we can ensure that its small beginning is tasted here concretely ,in this loving community as we embrace one another, care one for
another, and together create here a free and gracious place for all who would
abide in love and peace.
We do it not for God's sake, but for our own sake, and the sake of a human and
humane future - surely the Divine intention.
© Grand Valley State University
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richard A. Rhem Collection
Description
An account of the resource
Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clergy--Michigan
Reformed Church in America
Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.)
Religion
Interfaith worship
Sermons
Sound Recordings
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rhem, Richard A.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a>
Publisher
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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
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1981-2014
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
text/pdf
Sound
A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds.
Event
After 9-11, Pentecost XV
Scripture Text
Jeremiah 29:4-13, Ephesians 3:14-21
Location
The location of the interview
Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KII-01_RA-0-20010916
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2001-09-16
Title
A name given to the resource
Don't Do It For God's Sake
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richard A. Rhem
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 September 16, 2001 entitled "Don't Do It For God's Sake", on the occasion of After 9-11, Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 29:4-13, Ephesians 3:14-21.
Divine Intention
Human community
Non-violence