1 24 2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d0cbc4c2f0b9f7e6e1b19de7c6956fb8.pdf 6385cb79fef014fcf82e08e237e04668 PDF Text Text To Bring Joy From the series: Waiting For Messiah To Come – Text: Isaiah 65:18; Luke 2:10 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Advent, December 22, 1996 Transcription of the spoken sermon It is appropriate that twice a year the sanctuary is resplendent in beauty and we take a moment to remember those we've loved and lost a while, and to honor others whom we would value and affirm. It is appropriate that we do it on the two high feast days of the Christian Church. We do it, obviously, on Easter, because we celebrate the Resurrection and our confident affirmation that this is not all there is, that there is something more, and that those we've loved and lost a while are home in Eternal Light. But, it's appropriate that we do it also on Christmas, the Festival of the Incarnation, for if Easter declares that there is something more, the Incarnation declares that what is now is really good. It is the story of God's identification with the world; it is God's affirmation of creation; it is God's affirmation of the body, of material, of this life, of the human drama being played out in time and space - this present life, this present moment. Thus, the Christian faith makes two great affirmations. It says on Easter that this is not all there is, but there is something more; and it says on Christmas, what is now is very good. It is appropriate that we celebrate the Resurrection remembering those we've loved and lost, and that we celebrate Christmas as an affirmation of God with us, here and now. As we do that, we understand that this world is God's world and this life is a gift of God. What I've been trying to say in this Advent season is that there are some things that cannot be put off. I want to be very clear about my affirmation of that which lies beyond, but this morning I want to say that we ought not to wait for Messiah to come for the gift of joy, for joy is for now; it is for this present experience. To enter deeply into the experience of joy is the invitation of God and is that which enriches and deepens this present human experience. I've been suggesting during Advent that there is a tendency in the Christian Church to project into the future that which God intends for the here and now, that there has been a tendency in the Christian Church to miss this moment, throwing up our hands as though what is, is and cannot be altered and we simply endure this life, waiting for it to pass until we enter into that perfection, that © Grand Valley State University   �To Bring Joy Richard A. Rhem Page 2   bliss, that perfect state of righteousness and peace. I believe that if we are waiting for Messiah to come to do justice or to make peace, or to live with joy, we are missing God's intention for this moment, for this world, for this life. And so, at the risk of being misunderstood, let me be clear again - what I say detracts not at all from our Christian affirmation that this life is not all that there is. But, let me suggest to you that the way to live life fully with joy is to live as though this is the only life and this is the only day we'll ever have. Joy is not for the future. Joy is for now. I realize that to say that is simple enough, but I don't have some magic wand I can wave over you and send you on your way rejoicing. I also know that we're all programmed differently, our genetic makeup, the environment in which we've been raised - all of those things constitute the person that we are, and there are some of you that are sunny personalities. I can tell by looking at your face. And there are some of you that are grumps. I can tell that from your face, too. (No fair poking one another, now.) Well, it goes without saying that we do have a certain personality. And there are some of us that just live life in a happier mood than others. But, I'm not talking about happiness. Happiness is a surface thing. Happiness is having your Christmas list all fulfilled on Christmas morning; happiness is having the Detroit Lions win their final game on Monday Night Football; happiness is having Wayne Fontes back for another season or whatever it may be. Happiness is up and down; there are moments when things go well and we're happy and then everything falls apart and we're sad. I'm not talking about happiness. I'm talking about joy, which is something deeper. I'm talking about joy, which is a consistent perspective, a posture over against the whole of life and the whole of reality. I'm talking about a joy that sees through the surface, deep down in things, and has come to a kind of lightness of heart quite independent of the immediate circumstances of one's life. It is that posture of heart that keeps us steady, in sunshine and rain, in light and in darkness. Joy is a present possibility for those who get their thinking straight. And I do believe it is a matter of thinking correctly. We are shaped, finally, by our thinking and that's true of us as individuals, and it's true of us as a community of people. The Christian faith, the Christian Church was born out of the womb of Judaism, and somehow or other, Jewish people with that rich Hebrew scripture tradition, have been able to enter, I believe, more wholesomely into the celebration of this life than is often the case with Christian people. I believe that, in the Christian Church we have tended to project into another world God's intention for this world, and we have failed to celebrate Creation as God's creation, and we have often failed to enter fully into this present life with zest because we have tended to see it under a cloud. Oftentimes the impression I get from Christian preaching that I hear on occasion, or the expressions of Christian piety, is that this life and this world are something to be gotten through and endured in order that we © Grand Valley State University �To Bring Joy Richard A. Rhem Page 3   might enter into that final blessed state beyond. That is a denigration of this human existence in time and space, and quite illegitimately so, for this life, this creation, this human existence, these days have been affirmed by the Eternal God Who called it into being and in the Incarnation fully identified with it. We did not bring along with us out of our Hebrew past that celebration of this world, this life, this day. Now, it was not that the Hebrew Prophet did not know of the darkness and the pain of human existence. The 65th chapter of Isaiah indicates that the writer had experienced the darkness that is all too true. He says there's a day coming when they'll build houses and dwell in them, they'll plant gardens and eat the fruit thereof. No longer will they build houses and another dwell in them, or plant gardens and another eat. He says the day is coming when there will no infant die in infancy and everyone will live to a ripe old age. He's looking to those, to that future day when those things that are so painful in the present will be overcome. There was a future orientation in these prophets, to be sure, but it was a future within this world, it was a future within history. It was not projected into another world; it was not something about heaven out there. It was about here and now, this world, and it would come, the prophet said, because God would send a shoot out of the stump of Jesse. This one would judge according to righteousness and truth. There would be that day when one would come and they would beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and they would not learn war anymore. They would not hurt. There was a day, this prophet says, when they'll not hurt in all my holy mountain, when the lion and the lamb and the wolf, the whole of creation will live at peace. There will be Shalom. But, it was a this-worldly reality. So, they knew the darkness, but they knew something else, and this is where joy comes in. They knew that God was about something deep down in things. They knew that what was, the darkness they were experiencing, was not the intention of the Creator, because the intention of the Creator was for this life to be a sacrament, for this life to be a joy. God intended it as such, says the prophet. Listen to what he says: I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. I am about to create Jerusalem as the joy and its people as a delight. And God caused the people, in turn, to rejoice. The creator says, according to the Hebrew prophet, "I delight in you. I delight in my people." Creation's end is delight. I have a friend who threatens to write a theology book, "The Theology of Delight." He was a student of A. A. Van Ruler at Utrecht in The Netherlands. Van Ruler used to chide the Church for putting so much stress on salvation, redemption, sin, guilt and that stuff. He said that's almost an appendix to what God is about. God is about creation. God is about new creation; God is about this whole drama and the bringing to fullness the human experience before God's face. God says "I delight in my people. I create Jerusalem with joy, so rejoice, my people." © Grand Valley State University �To Bring Joy Richard A. Rhem Page 4   That was the vision that shaped the thinking of the Jewish people, to be able to celebrate this world rather than seeing this world as a vale of tears to be traversed, endured and delivered from in order that we might finally arrive home in heaven. No, that is to fail to live fully into the gift of now which is marked through the Incarnation with the presence of God, Immanuel, God with us, here and now. So, I want to suggest this morning that if we wait for Messiah to come for joy, we will have sadly missed God's intention for our present, which is to revel in creation, to live fully, to actualize our potential, to live lovingly, embracing one another, to savor this world. I was driving down Lakeshore in the middle of the week, and all the snow had just fallen freshly. It was cold and crisp and snowballs tufted the pine trees and laid the dunes with a coat of ermine. For a moment the sun broke through. It was a transforming magnificence, and I thought to myself, "Dear God, what a world! What a splendid garden in which to dwell. What a home in which to be at home and celebrate God, the Creator of it all, who would have the creature live with joy on tiptoe, celebrating this present gift." I cannot speak of joy this morning without acknowledging that that joy must transcend the darkness. We've had too much death around here in this community of faith. I have buried too many recently whose lives were too brief. I know the agony; I cannot preach on joy this morning, having walked through the week that I have just walked through, without having to face up to the fact that there is a full complement of pain and sadness. But, again, if I cannot this morning speak of joy now, then our gospel is hollow. Then we're just kidding ourselves; then it is true what we need is a rescue operation to release us from this present wicked world. Ah, but the Church has majored in bad news, casting aspersions on Creation and this present existence. Joy is something that sees down more deeply and is able, even in the present circumstance, to say neither sword, nor hunger, nor famine, nor peril - none of these things will separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus, who is Emmanuel, who is God with us here and now in this present moment. There is nothing in life or death or principality or power, or things in the heights or the depths or anything in all of creation that shall ever separate us from that God who at Christmas has come to identify with us, and who, through the Easter miracle, promises that this is not all there is. But, if we could only live as if this were the only day we had, if we could only live as if this were the only life we had, the only world we had, the only possibility we had if we could so live so fully, then we could throw ourselves with abandon into today - then, whatever else there is, is pure bonus. But already, this is pure gift, and so not when Messiah comes, but today. You see, today is the only day you'll ever have. If the gift of tomorrow comes, it will be today. So, if there are words of love to speak, speak them today. If there are those to embrace, embrace them today. If there are dreams brewing in your © Grand Valley State University �To Bring Joy Richard A. Rhem Page 5   heart, make work of them today. God delights in you and God calls you to delight in this present moment, in this present world, for it is a God-drenched world and it is made for your joy. So, enjoy and the rest will take care of itself. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c01dbe14d761e17da905328d9338ce97.mp3 246a81a530cc7d0e317bfefb5cc16979 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent IV Series Waiting for the Messiah to Come Scripture Text Isaiah 65:17-25, Luke 2:1-20 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-0-19961222 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-12-22 Title A name given to the resource To Bring Joy 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 22, 1996 entitled "To Bring Joy", as part of the series "Waiting for the Messiah to Come", on the occasion of Advent IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 65:17-25, Luke 2:1-20. Advent Divine Intention God of Love Incarnation Joy https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/522c00faa76359d3e335b5d60cf55745.mp3 a70fd9576c9181f907103cc7e0de0d92 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a15109431c6107731e66e49e8e538e64.pdf 5da2c0dd39decccba5353c320e7d5285 PDF Text Text He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! From the sermon series: The Human Face of God Text: John 14:19 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Easter Sunday, April 19, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon Because I live, you too shall live. John 14:19 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" This is the Lord's Day, the Lord's Day of which every first day of the week is a joyful celebration. This is Easter; Christ is risen from the dead. The word from the Gospel for our celebration today is Because I live, you too shall live. It is a simple text; just seven words. You can carry it home with you; you can take it with you through Eastertide; you can take it with you throughout all the seasons of your life; it will give you confidence in your youth, courage in life's middle years, peace at the end; you can take this text to your death, repeating it as you move through the valley of the shadow, into the momentary darkness and into the brightness of the light that will greet you, light streaming from his countenance who spoke this simple, straightforward word. Jesus said: Because I live, you too shall live. Today we focus sharply on the very center of our Christian faith and hope. On Easter we celebrate and rejoice in the final Truth, the last word of our faith: He lives, we live, Alleluia! Today we celebrate the center from which our every Christian celebration stems, the reason why there is any cause at all in this world, in our human condition, to celebrate. Let me set forth but two thoughts around which to center our Easter celebration: the foundation of our celebration, and the reality that we celebrate. © Grand Valley State University   �He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Richard A. Rhem Page 2   The Foundation The foundation of our Easter celebration is the truth clearly and simply set forth in our text, the claim of Jesus, "I live." That is the great Easter reality. Jesus lives. It is the proclamation of the Gospel story. It was the overwhelming revelation to Mary in the Garden when, in gentle grace, he called her by name. It is the declaration of St. Paul in perhaps the earliest Easter document, the first Corinthian letter, where he declares, ... the truth is, Christ was raised to life. In simplest, most concise terms, Jesus says, I live. Perhaps you were surprised to find the Easter text taken from the Last Discourse with its setting at the Last Supper. That discourse begins with the 13th chapter of John, the moving scene of last supper during which Jesus girded himself with a towel and washed his disciples' feet. Death was at the door; Judas was dismissed. John tells us movingly, "It was night." It was in such a setting that the words of our text were uttered. They appear in a paragraph where Jesus is preparing the disciples for his absence. He assures them that they will not be left desolate, bereft; rather, he will come back to them. Then we hear him say, Because I live, you too will live. How are we to understand these words placed by John in this solemn setting on the eve of crucifixion? Was Jesus aware of Easter before ever he endured Good Friday? Traditionally, the Church has attributed such foreknowledge to him but, I think, wrongly. One thing we can be quite certain of: Jesus knew the end had come; his "hour" had arrived. And further, we can be quite certain that he was confident that God would effect His purposes through life or death. And further, should it be death, still Jesus placed his trust in the Father. But if you ask why I choose a text from the Last Discourse as an Easter text, let me remind you that the whole Gospel and each of the four gospels are PostEaster texts in their entirety. If, as we assume, John's Gospel is the latest of the Gospels to appear, then the Christian community had been living in the light of Easter for several decades. By this time the whole of Jesus' life and all the words remembered that he spoke were understood in the light of Easter. A study of the Last Discourse will show that it is really made up of several pieces of tradition. If, for example, you compare John 13:31 - 14:31 with John 16:4b-33, you will find that they are parallel passages, no doubt remembrances of the same © Grand Valley State University �He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Richard A. Rhem Page 3   discourse of Jesus stemming from different circles and different times in the developing tradition. There are commentators who go so far as to call these discourses Post-Easter conversations of the risen Christ with his disciples. That is probably not the case, but there is no doubt that these chapters contain various time perspectives and some of the statements appear to be made in the light of the Easter experience and the presence of the Spirit. They reflect the reality of the Post-Easter Christian community. The only point I wish to make out of all of this is that what in the chronology of the Gospel of John appears to be a pre-Easter statement is really a Gospel proclamation in the wake of the Easter experience. Raymond Brown, in his great commentary on John, writes, Although he speaks at the Last Supper, he is really speaking from heaven; although those who hear him are his disciples, his words are directed to Christians of all times. The last discourse is Jesus' last testament: it is meant to be read after he has left earth. Yet it is not like other last testaments, which are the recorded words of men who are dead and can speak no more; ... the Last Discourse has been transformed in the light of the resurrection and through the coming of the Paraclete into a living discourse delivered, not by a dead man, but by the one who has life ... (p. 582) C.H. Dodd writes: It is true that the dramatic setting is that of the night in which he was betrayed, with the crucifixion in prospect. Yet in a real sense, it is the risen and glorified Christ who spoke. Brown explains this rather strange mixture of present and future as follows: The Last Discourse explains the significance and implications of the greatest of Jesus' deeds, namely, his return to the Father; but it precedes what it explains. The reason ... is easy to see: it would be awkward to interrupt the action of the passion, death, and resurrection, and it would be anticlimactic to place so long a discourse after the resurrection. (p. 581) Having explained how such a statement as our text appears in a pre-Easter setting, I want now to examine the foundation of our celebration - Jesus' declaration, I Live. Who makes this claim? It is Jesus, the man of Nazareth whose passion we have traced in these past weeks of Lenten observance. It is Jesus our brother, flesh of © Grand Valley State University �He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Richard A. Rhem Page 4   our flesh and bone of our bone. It is Jesus, the human covenant partner of the faithful covenant-keeping God. It is Jesus whom Paul calls the last Adam in contrast to the first Adam. In sum: resurrection happened to a fully human person; it was God's mighty act, but the action was worked on Jesus, a human person who had been "made like these his brothers of his in every way," to quote the writer to the Hebrews from whom we took our text on Passion Sunday. Our Lenten pilgrimage began around the Table and the text affirmed the mystery of our salvation: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." God was in Christ. God was in this thing from the beginning, from eternity, in the conception and birth, in the life and in the death, but the one in whom God was fully present and active was the man Jesus. Our whole understanding of Jesus, of God's action in him, of the salvation accomplished through him comes from the New Testament, all of which was written a good while after that first Easter - a perspective from which the Early Church was fully convinced that God was in this thing. In order to witness to that Truth and to proclaim that Truth, Jesus was given every conceivable title of honor and dignity. There was no doubt that God was fully present to, active in, working through Jesus and when the creeds were formulated in the subsequent centuries, the way the Church gave expression to its understanding was to point to Jesus and say, True God, true man. And in the history of the Church, the "True God" soon overshadowed the true man. But we have followed a different tack these Lenten weeks. We have attempted to see him "from below" in the genuine human existence he lived out. We have attempted to see him as our brother - in fear and trembling before the "hour," determined fully to follow the will of the Father in costly obedience, setting us an example that we should follow in his steps. This Jesus: made in every way like us, the Jesus whom Mary did not know how to love, the Jesus who wrestled in anguish only finally to say, "Thy will be done," the Jesus who with disarming vulnerability faced down the alignment of worldly power determined to maintain its position by fear, coercion and intimidation. If we have done justice to the portrait of the man as the New Testament still portrays him, even through the overlay of deity ascribed to him, then Easter is really something to shout about because then a man has risen from the dead, then a human person has conquered death through the mighty power of God. Now, that's a miracle! © Grand Valley State University �He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Richard A. Rhem Page 5   This is no God-man with an ace up his sleeve who couldn't die anyway because he was God. Don't tell me about a God-man whom death could not conquer. That would be no miracle. Then Jesus was only a masquerade. Then he seemed human, but was not really our brother. Then one can say God was here and death could not touch him, but one cannot say a fully human person was here and he conquered death by the power of God, Whose will he fully followed and to Whose care he trustingly committed himself. The glory of Easter is that God raised up one like ourselves, that in a fully human existence, death has been conquered. Jesus said, "I live." That is more than I exist; that is, "I am alive with the vitality of God, the source of life, and consequently, because I live, you, too, shall live!" The Reality We Celebrate The reality we celebrate today is that we, too, shall live. That is, that we are enlivened with the vitality of the resurrected Christ and that we now are alive with the life of God and we shall move through the moment of death into a fuller, richer dimension of life forevermore. The biblical term, the great theme of John's Gospel, is Eternal Life – life in a new dimension. Union with Jesus through faith was for John the union with God that was the source of life in a new dimension – eternal life – a present possession and an even more wonderful reality yet awaiting us beyond the terminus of death. You, too, shall live. That is the transforming consequence of the great Easter event. He lives, we live, Alleluia! Again, let me stress, we are not speaking of the mere perpetuation of life, the mere extension of some kind of biological existence. It is not simply to have more of living "at this poor dying rate." Although there is a strong, natural drive to live, to keep alive, it is also true that life can become a burden. Last evening my aunt told me of an uncle who said to her yesterday, "How I wish the Lord would take me home." That is not a rare desire. He, who was full of life and loved to travel and loved to have half a dozen children crawling over him at one time, has been wounded by a stroke. Emotions are out of sync, the mind goes out of focus, the motor skills are damaged, and he who always cared for others is now the object of care, handicapped, crippled, a bird with broken wing whose song is silenced. You, too, shall live! © Grand Valley State University �He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Richard A. Rhem Page 6   But not in the limitation, brokenness and tragedy of this present experience. We shall LIVE; that is, we are now and we shall be more so, alive with the very life of God, this vitality by which he powerfully raised Jesus from the dead. In the first letter of John, the wonder of what we are now and the anticipation of what we shall be is beautifully experienced. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God; and such we are now and we know not what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. Now! The present possession of life is the gift of the risen Lord and there is still more to come. In an Easter letter from prison, Bonhoeffer contrasts Socrates and Jesus. Socrates mastered the art of dying. Jesus conquered death. The first is within human capacity; the latter implies resurrection. The Easter message is a message of radical renewal. What we celebrate today is not just the return of a dead person to life, but the death of death, the conquest of death, the last evening and therefore the triumph of grace in the whole cosmos, the very victory of God over every obstacle, all darkness, every tragedy and all suffering. The resplendent strains of triumph reverberate down the post Easter decades of the Early Church. Paul writes nothing, nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. He breaks out in triumphant acclamation, Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Socrates mastered the art of dying. One of philosophical bent can come to terms with almost any situation or condition. One can, with discipline and concentration and contemplation, come to a measure of peace in any storm - at least some seem to; that was true of Socrates - he mastered the art of dying. But Jesus conquered death. Socrates calmly drank the hemlock. Jesus anguished before the moment of evil's assault. Jesus wept. Jesus cried for release. Jesus felt utter desolation. Socrates died; nothing changed. Jesus died and then God changed everything. Jesus conquered death through the mighty power of God and therefore it is he who addresses us on each recurring Lord's Day, each First Day of the Week, with the assuring words, © Grand Valley State University �He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Richard A. Rhem Page 7   Because I live you, too, shall live. We shall live, my friends - live beyond a mean and selfish extension of this present scene; live beyond the dis-ease, the restless anxiety, the broken down and disappointed hope; live beyond the gaping wounds of denial and betrayal; live beyond the weakness of our mortal bodies vulnerable to sickness and crippling disability. We shall live in love in communion with Jesus, in union with God in the eternal praise of His glory. © 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 Easter Sunday Series The Human Face of God Scripture Text John 14: 19 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-0-19870419 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-04-19 Title A name given to the resource He Lives, We Live, Alleluia! Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on April 19, 1987 entitled "He Lives, We Live, Alleluia!", as part of the series "The Human Face of God", on the occasion of Easter Sunday, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: John 14: 19. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Easter Followers of Jesus Joy Resurrection Transforming Love