LaGrave Live, May 3, 2026

LaGrave Live, June 14, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Questions and Answers 6-14-26 About The Service: LaGrave member, Rev. Laurie TenHave-Chapman, will preach from Acts 8:26-40, a passage that reminds us that there are many who are looking for Jesus as the answer to their deepest questions. We will also celebrate the Lord's Supper together. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload... About Us: We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months) We'd love to hear from you: Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact Let us pray for you: Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/ Giving: https://www.elexiogiving.com/App/Givi... The June special offering is for Pine Rest Patient Assistance Fund: Part of Pine Rest Foundation Fund offering financial assistance for individuals, families and children who need care. Listen on the go: Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle Soundcloud: / lagravecrc Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT Follow us! Facebook: / lagravecrc Instagram: / lagravecrc Website: https://www.lagrave.org #LaGrave #LaGraveCRC Who Will Teach Me About Jesus? Questions, Witness, and the Spirit’s Unexpected Appointments A Service Framed by Mission and Worship This live evening worship service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church opens with worship language drawn from Psalm 96, calling the congregation to sing to the Lord, declare His glory among the nations, and worship in the splendor of His holiness. The service includes a welcome to those gathered in the sanctuary and online, and a warm introduction of Reverend Lori TeneHape Chapman, a LaGrave member, as the evening preacher. Because this is a worship-service transcript, the music portions appear heavily distorted by transcription and should be treated only as musical segments rather than reliable lyrical text. A Confession of Faith and a Prayer for Missionaries Before the sermon, the congregation reads from the contemporary testimony “Our World Belongs to God,” focusing on the church’s mission to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and free the prisoner. The pastoral prayer then expands that mission focus globally. The congregation prays for missionaries and ministries in North America, Haiti, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Africa, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, India, Peru, and other regions. The prayer asks God to bless those serving students, children, families, churches, special-needs communities, and unreached or difficult mission fields. Philip, the Ethiopian, and the Question That Opens the Door The Scripture reading comes from Acts 8:26–40, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The passage tells how an angel directs Philip to the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he encounters an Ethiopian official reading from Isaiah. When Philip asks whether the man understands what he is reading, the Ethiopian responds, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” Philip then begins with that passage and tells him the good news about Jesus. When they come to water, the Ethiopian asks what prevents him from being baptized, and Philip baptizes him. Searching for Truth in a Confusing Culture Reverend Chapman begins the sermon with a memory of seeing a billboard for a cannabis company using religious language: “church,” “cannabis,” and “baptism by fire.” She reflects on how jarring those words felt together and uses the example to raise a larger question about how Christians engage a pleasure-seeking culture filled with confusing messages. She connects this to Pilate’s question to Jesus, “What is truth?” and reminds listeners that Jesus is the one who called Himself the way, the truth, and the life. Ordinary Time and the Growth of the Church The sermon then places the congregation in the church season of Ordinary Time, represented by the color green and associated with growth. Reverend Chapman explains that after Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and the giving of the Holy Spirit, the disciples spread out like seeds, preaching, teaching, and planting churches. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian becomes a picture of that Spirit-led growth: not only through large crowds, but through one unexpected person in one unexpected moment. The Ethiopian as an Unlikely but Prepared Seeker Reverend Chapman describes the Ethiopian official as educated, wealthy, powerful, and spiritually curious. He had traveled a great distance to Jerusalem to worship, had access to Scripture, and was reading aloud from Isaiah. Yet he did not understand the passage about the suffering servant. Philip, freshly coming from fruitful ministry in Samaria, is sent not to another crowd but to one individual. The sermon emphasizes that Philip obeys, runs alongside the chariot, listens, and becomes available to explain Jesus. The Interruptions Are the Ministry A central theme of the sermon is that ministry often comes through interruptions. Philip does not treat the Ethiopian’s race, nationality, rank, or difference as a barrier. Instead, he recognizes that the Spirit has called him to be present. Reverend Chapman suggests that, just as Jesus often showed, the interruptions are the ministry. Philip’s readiness allows the Ethiopian to hear the gospel, understand Isaiah in light of Jesus, and receive baptism with joy. Jesus, Questions, and the Art of Opening Hearts Reverend Chapman reflects on the many questions Jesus asked during His ministry. She notes that Jesus often answered questions with questions, not to be evasive, but to open people to deeper understanding. Good questions, she says, can challenge, comfort, confront, and reveal love. The sermon quotes T.S. Eliot’s line about being prepared for the stranger who knows how to ask questions, connecting it to the Christian calling to ask questions that help people examine their lives, their assumptions, and their need for Christ. “Who Will Teach Me About Jesus?” The sermon then shifts into a personal story from Reverend Chapman’s chaplaincy work in a locked unit. After a man angrily left a spiritual-growth group, she followed him to apologize. Instead, he apologized and then asked, “Who will teach me about Jesus?” She learned that he had struggled with mental illness, addiction, the loss of his marriage and custody of his children, and a painful upbringing in which he was often blamed. Yet he also described moments when he believed God had rescued him and said he had sensed a prompting to “learn about Jesus.” Being Ready When the Spirit Has Already Been Working Reverend Chapman compares that man to the Ethiopian seeker. In both cases, the Holy Spirit was already at work before the teacher arrived. Her role, like Philip’s, was to listen, understand the person’s story, and explain Jesus in a way that could be received. She reminds the congregation that not everyone will say out loud, “Who will teach me about Jesus?” but many people are searching silently. Christians must be ready to listen well, ask honest questions, and speak clearly about the hope within them. Communion, Benediction, and the Assurance That Jesus Is Enough The service continues with prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, remembering Christ’s body given and blood shed. The transcript’s music sections after communion are again heavily garbled, but the service clearly includes responsive words from Psalm 103 and Revelation 5, praising the Lord who forgives, heals, redeems, and crowns His people with love and compassion. The final blessing sends the congregation out with confidence in the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. The central message of the service is that Jesus is the answer to the deepest questions, and the Spirit continues to place believers alongside those who are ready to hear.

LaGrave Live, June 14, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 06-14-2026 In the Hands of the Living God About The Service: We welcome Pastor Shawn England to our pulpit. Shawn is a commissioned pastor at Celebration Fellowship CRC and a regular LaGrave attender. He will preach on Hebrews 10:26-31 with the message "In the Hands of the Living God." Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-6-14-AM-Order-of-Worship.pdf About the Church: We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months) We'd love to hear from you: Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact Let us pray for you: Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/ Giving: https://www.elexiogiving.com/App/Giving/lagr107178 The June special offering is for Pine Rest Patient Assistance Fund: Part of Pine Rest Foundation Fund offering financial assistance for individuals, families and children who need care. Listen on the go: Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle Soundcloud: / lagravecrc https://soundcloud.com/lagravecrc Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT Follow us! Facebook: / lagravecrc https://www.facebook.com/lagravecrc Instagram: / lagravecrc https://www.instagram.com/lagravecrc Website: https://www.lagrave.org #LaGrave #LaGraveCRC When God Is Good but Not Safe: Grace, Judgment, and the Call to Faithful Living A Worship Service Rooted in Grace and Confession The service opens with music, welcome, and a call to worship at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church. The worship leader welcomes members, visitors, and delegates attending the Christian Reformed Church Synod, while also introducing Pastor Sean England as the morning preacher. The early portion of the service emphasizes God's grace, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the congregation's need for confession and forgiveness. New Members Welcomed into the Church Family The congregation welcomes new members Mark and Judy Mulan and Isaac Kerr. Mark and Judy are described as having discovered LaGrave through the livestream during COVID and as having a background in ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Isaac is introduced as a Calvin student who spent much of his life in Korea and is seeking to grow in faith and understand Christian life in the United States. Prayer for Healing, Grief, Renewal, and the World The congregational prayer draws on Psalm 145 and repeatedly returns to the theme that the Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in love. The prayer includes concerns for members facing surgery, recovery, grief, cancer treatment, and spiritual wandering. It also widens to include war, unrest, Christians in Iran, Ukraine, Sudan, Cuba, aid organizations, local ministries, missionaries, and the Christian Reformed Church Synod. A Children's Message on Sin and Forgiveness The children's message uses pencils with worn-down or missing erasers to explain sin, confession, and God's forgiveness. The worship leader contrasts ordinary erasers, which eventually wear out, with God's mercy, love, grace, and forgiveness, which never run out. The congregation then joins the children in singing "Jesus Loves Me" as a reminder that believers are weak but Christ is strong. A Hard Scripture from Hebrews The sermon begins with Hebrews 10:26-31, a difficult passage about deliberate sin, judgment, and falling into the hands of the living God. Pastor Sean England frames the passage through C. S. Lewis's image of Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia: not safe, but good. The sermon explains that Hebrews was written to early Jewish Christians tempted to return to a safer, more familiar religious life under pressure from the Roman world. The Living God Who Changes His People The sermon argues that faith in Christ cannot be reduced to comfort, safety, or cultural accommodation. The preacher warns against ignoring the Spirit, looking away from injustice, and choosing convenience over faithfulness. Yet the message does not end in despair; it emphasizes the great cloud of witnesses, the sustaining church community, Christ's once-for-all sacrifice, and the promise that God changes His people into who they were meant to be.

LaGrave Live, June 7, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Follow Me About The Service: Rev. Manion will preach from Matthew 9. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload... About Us: We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months) We'd love to hear from you: Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact Let us pray for you: Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/ Giving: https://www.elexiogiving.com/App/Givi... The June special offering is for Pine Rest Patient Assistance Fund: Part of Pine Rest Foundation Fund offering financial assistance for individuals, families and children who need care. Listen on the go: Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle Soundcloud: / lagravecrc Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT Follow us! Facebook: / lagravecrc Instagram: / lagravecrc Website: https://www.lagrave.org #LaGrave #LaGraveCRC Follow Me: Reverend Kristy Manion on Mercy, Discipleship, and Jesus’ Call to Matthew LaGrave Live Opens with Worship This LaGrave Live worship service, titled “Follow Me,” begins with music, a call to worship, and a greeting of grace and peace. The congregation is invited to worship God as light, salvation, and the stronghold of life. The service frames worship as a time to seek God’s ways, gather in community, and listen for the Lord’s guidance. Reverend Kristy Manion welcomes those gathered in person and those joining by livestream, noting the gift of worshiping together in the warmth of the evening. Deuteronomy 30 and the Choice of Life The first Scripture reading comes from Deuteronomy 30:11–20, where Moses speaks to Israel before they enter the promised land. The passage presents God’s command as near, not unreachable, and sets before the people life and prosperity, death and destruction, blessings and curses. The reading emphasizes that a good life is found in loving the Lord, listening to His voice, holding fast to Him, and walking in obedience. This theme prepares the congregation for the sermon’s later question: what does it mean to follow Jesus into a life shaped by mercy? Confession and Prayer for the Church and World The congregation then joins in a confession that salvation comes by God’s grace through Christ, while good works flow from gratitude, renewal, assurance of faith, and witness to neighbors. Reverend Manion leads a pastoral prayer thanking God for creation, community, and worship, while also confessing fear, impatience, self-centeredness, and the tendency to focus on what is wrong. The prayer includes intercession for people suffering from war, displacement, illness, grief, hospice care, surgery recovery, new babies, baptisms, church leaders, and the upcoming Christian Reformed Church Synod. Matthew’s Call and Jesus’ Table Fellowship The sermon Scripture comes from Matthew 9:9–13, with additional verses from Matthew 9:35–10:4. Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth and says, “Follow me.” Matthew gets up and follows Him. Jesus then eats at Matthew’s house with tax collectors and sinners, which leads the Pharisees to question why He would share a table with such people. Jesus answers that the sick, not the healthy, need a doctor, and quotes the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Why Matthew’s Profession Matters Reverend Manion highlights that Matthew stands out among the disciples because he is identified by his day job: Matthew the tax collector. She explains that tax collectors were despised because they often made money by overcharging others and were associated with corruption, dishonesty, and exploitation. Matthew may have had money, but his profession also meant loneliness, social rejection, and moral suspicion. Naming him as a tax collector shows the kind of person Jesus deliberately called and welcomed. The Pharisees’ Concern and the Tension of Jesus’ Ministry The sermon carefully explores the Pharisees’ question. Their concern was not random; Scripture warns against walking with the wicked or sitting with sinners, and parents often give similar advice to children about choosing good companions. Reverend Manion acknowledges that this tension is real. The question becomes how faithful people discern when Jesus is calling them toward “Matthew’s house,” into complicated spaces where wisdom, mercy, and holiness must all be held together. Piety, Doctrine, and Transformation Reverend Manion introduces three Reformed emphases for engaging the world: the pietist, doctrinalist, and transformationalist accents. The pietist emphasis focuses on the heart’s devotion to God through prayer, worship, reflection, and service. The doctrinalist emphasis focuses on right understanding, Scripture, and truth. The transformationalist emphasis focuses on participating in Christ’s redeeming work in creation and culture. She explains that healthy Christian faith needs all three: heart, head, and hands working together as believers follow Jesus into the world. Mercy, Not Sacrifice At the center of the sermon is Jesus’ response: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Reverend Manion explains that Jesus sees Matthew not only as a sinner or social outcast, but as someone who could become different under the mercy of Christ. Jesus does not catch Matthew’s corruption; rather, Jesus becomes the cure. The sermon emphasizes that both Matthew and the Pharisees need mercy, though they may differ in how aware they are of that need. Jesus’ goodness spreads to sinners, and His call creates a new story for Matthew’s life. Darryl Davis and the Practice of Costly Mercy To illustrate this kind of mercy, Reverend Manion tells the story of jazz pianist Darryl Davis, an African American Christian musician who spent decades speaking with members of the Ku Klux Klan. His approach was kind, respectful, persistent, and often dangerous. He asked how people could hate him without knowing him and built relationships that eventually led many Klan members to give him their robes. Reverend Manion uses Davis’s story as an example of costly, person-to-person engagement that some might call foolish, but others might recognize as grace. Following Jesus with Wisdom and Courage The sermon closes by calling the congregation to follow Jesus into the places and relationships God brings before them, with curiosity, respect, kindness, wisdom, and mercy. Reverend Manion reminds listeners that Jesus called Matthew just as surely as He called the more respectable disciples, and that if Jesus could use Matthew, He can use ordinary believers too. The service ends with prayer, blessing, and the reminder to go into the week under the Lord’s peace, ready to encounter the people God places in their path.

LaGrave Live, June 7, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 06-07-2026 The Way of Wisdom: The Way of Wisdom: Wisdom & Creation About The Service: We will continue our summer sermon series. Our sermon series is called The Way of Wisdom. We will look at the parts of the Bible that are considered Wisdom Literature. These are Bible books and Bible passages that address the practicalities of living in God's world. Pastor Jonker will continue the series with a sermon on Proverbs 3: 1-20. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-6-7-AM-Order-of-Worship.pdf About the Church: We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months) We'd love to hear from you: Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact Let us pray for you: Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/ Giving: https://www.elexiogiving.com/App/Giving/lagr107178 The June special offering is for Pine Rest Patient Assistance Fund: Part of Pine Rest Foundation Fund offering financial assistance for individuals, families and children who need care. Listen on the go: Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle Soundcloud: / lagravecrc https://soundcloud.com/lagravecrc Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT Follow us! Facebook: / lagravecrc https://www.facebook.com/lagravecrc Instagram: / lagravecrc https://www.instagram.com/lagravecrc Website: https://www.lagrave.org #LaGrave #LaGraveCRC Finding the Created Path: Wisdom, Boundaries, and Life in Christ Opening Worship and Congregational Prayer The service begins with music, congregational singing, and prayer. Much of the opening musical portion is difficult to recover from the automated transcript, but the clearer prayer section asks God to care for Blake and Tim in military service, bless Matt Bonzo’s teaching ministry and travel in southern Africa, and support Thomas and Dana in their mission work in India. The prayer also lifts up people struggling financially, the denomination’s upcoming Synod meeting, government leaders, global conflicts, disease, and the church’s calling to be faithful kingdom agents. A Children’s Lesson About Wisdom and Kindness During the children’s message, the speaker tells a story about Queen Wilhelmina visiting Frisian farmers in Iowa. At a formal dinner, the farmers mistakenly drink from finger bowls because they do not understand the custom, and the other guests quietly laugh. Queen Wilhelmina wisely chooses to drink from her own finger bowl too, leading the rest of the guests to follow her example and saving the farmers from embarrassment. The lesson presents wisdom as kindness, social awareness, humility, and the ability to preserve another person’s dignity. Wisdom Speaks Through Proverbs 8 The Scripture reading comes from Proverbs 8, where wisdom is personified as a voice calling out to people and inviting them to find life. The speaker explains that wisdom is not merely an abstract idea or a human invention. In the passage, wisdom is described as present with God from the beginning, before the mountains, seas, horizons, and foundations of the earth were set in place. This establishes the sermon’s central theme: wisdom is woven into creation itself. Creation, Boundaries, and the Path of Flourishing The sermon connects Proverbs 8 to Genesis 1, emphasizing that God created the world with order, boundaries, patterns, and limits. These boundaries are not presented as restrictions meant to harm people, but as the structure through which life flourishes. The speaker explains that just as people recognize physical limits such as food, exercise, and sleep, they must also learn the created patterns that guide relationships, work, speech, emotions, family life, and moral decision-making. Technology, Friction, and Real Relationships The sermon then applies the theme of wisdom to modern technology and relationships. Technology is described as useful when it serves God’s paths, but dangerous when it promises a frictionless life that avoids real human connection. The speaker uses examples such as texting instead of phone calls, AI-screened communication, and simulated life through screens to show how removing relational friction can also remove depth, growth, and love. Real relationships require boundaries, conflict, adjustment, and the patient work of learning another person. Jesus as Wisdom in the Flesh The sermon concludes by identifying Jesus as the embodiment of wisdom. The speaker connects Proverbs 8 and Ben Sirach’s appeal to wisdom with Jesus’ invitation in the New Testament: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rather than leaving people to discover wisdom alone, God sends Jesus, who walks with them, fills them with the Holy Spirit, and guides them along the path of life. The closing prayer asks God to open the congregation’s eyes and hearts so they may discern his ways and live a flourishing life.

LaGrave Live, May 31, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Paul and the Agnostics About The Service: Pastor Jonker will preach on Acts 17:16-34 Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload... About Us: We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months) We'd love to hear from you: Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact Let us pray for you: Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/ Listen on the go: Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle Soundcloud: / lagravecrc Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT Follow us! Facebook: / lagravecrc Instagram: / lagravecrc Website: https://www.lagrave.org #LaGrave #LaGraveCRC The Known God in an Age of Uncertainty: Paul, Athens, and the Truth Found in Christ Reverend Peter Jonker Opens the Evening Worship Service In this evening worship service from LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, the primary speaker, Reverend Peter Jonker, welcomes the congregation and begins with a brief correction to the bulletin regarding the opening hymn. The call to worship comes from Psalm 61, where the psalmist cries out to God for refuge, shelter, and stability when the heart grows faint. This sets the tone for the service: a worship gathering centered on finding spiritual shelter, clarity, and confidence in God amid uncertainty. Faith, Shelter, and Ancient Words of Truth After the opening worship, Reverend Jonker introduces the theme of truth and how Christians can find truth in a world filled with opinion and confusion. He reads from 1 Peter 1:3–9, describing the early church as an “exile church” surrounded by people who thought differently from them. He explains that Peter’s words helped anchor believers in living hope, resurrection, inheritance, faith, joy, and salvation even during trials. The congregation then recites the Nicene Creed, which Jonker frames as ancient words that have anchored Christian faith for more than 1,700 years. Prayer Beneath the Shadow of God’s Wings The service includes a pastoral prayer built around the image of living and singing beneath the shadow of God’s wings. Reverend Jonker prays for shelter amid global conflicts, including wars in Sudan, Iran, and Ukraine, as well as conflict and cynicism within the nation. He asks God to help the congregation become people of faith, hope, love, and truth rather than fear, anger, and cynicism. The prayer also lifts up church members facing surgery, recovery, hospice care, cancer, mission work, and grief, including the sudden loss of Lori Vanderhardt. Paul in Athens and the Marketplace of Ideas The sermon text is Acts 17:16–34, where Paul arrives in Athens and sees a city full of idols. Reverend Jonker imagines the Athenian marketplace as both a literal market and a “marketplace of ideas,” filled with philosophers debating, gesturing, criticizing, and chasing the latest intellectual trends. He describes Athens as the Cambridge, Oxford, or Harvard of its day, but also as a place marked by intellectual boredom and weariness. The people were always looking for something new, not necessarily because they were open-hearted, but because they were tired of hearing the same old arguments. Epicureans, Stoics, and Modern Echoes Reverend Jonker explains that Paul encountered Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. He describes the Epicureans as materialists who believed the gods had created the world but no longer cared much about it, leaving people to pursue modest happiness and avoid excess. Jonker compares this to many modern Americans who may vaguely believe in God but mostly seek comfort, amusement, and personal happiness. He describes the Stoics as more pantheistic, believing in a divine life force within and urging people to go inward to find truth and stability. He connects this to modern self-focused spiritual language such as “live your truth” or “follow your dreams.” The Altar to the Unknown God A central image in the sermon is the Athenian altar “to an unknown God,” or agnosto theo, from which Jonker notes we get the word agnostic. He considers several possible meanings: perhaps the Athenians sensed their gods were insufficient, perhaps the altar was a kind of religious insurance policy, or perhaps it represented an altar to unknowability itself. Jonker leans toward the third possibility, describing the altar as a philosophical shoulder shrug from educated people who had heard every argument and no longer knew what to believe. Modern Idols to Agnosticism Jonker then connects Athens to the present day, arguing that modern people still build idols to agnosticism. He points to the rise of the religious “nones,” the influence of postmodernism, and the belief that truth is unknowable or merely a power game. He also uses popular culture examples, including Seinfeld as a “show about nothing” and the song “Some Nights” by the band Fun, whose lyrics ask, “What do I stand for?” For Jonker, these examples reveal a culture that often shrugs at truth, meaning, and conviction. Paul Proclaims the Known God Into this weary and cynical environment, Paul announces that the God they call unknown can be made known. Reverend Jonker explains that Paul’s speech is brilliant because it speaks to both Epicureans and Stoics. Paul agrees that God does not live in temples made by human hands and does not need human service, which would appeal to Epicureans. But Paul also says God is not far from anyone, and that in Him “we live and move and have our being,” which would resonate with Stoic thought. Yet Paul ultimately moves beyond both systems by proclaiming repentance, judgment, resurrection, and the man God raised from the dead: Jesus Christ. Truth Is Not Merely an Idea, but a Person The heart of the sermon is Jonker’s claim that Paul does not simply offer the Athenians another teaching or philosophy. Instead, he points them to a person. Jonker connects this with John 1, explaining that the Greek word logos had meaning within Stoic philosophy as an organizing principle of the universe, but John declares that the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us. Truth, Jonker says, is ultimately found not in winning arguments, mastering systems, or collecting ideas, but in Jesus Christ, the living Lord who calls people into relationship. Three Responses to the Gospel Jonker notes that Acts 17 records three responses to Paul’s message. Some people sneer and dismiss him as a babbler. Others say they would like to hear more, though Jonker wonders whether they still want to keep the conversation at the level of ideas rather than surrender to Christ. A few believe, including Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and Damaris, along with others. Jonker presents this as the choice before hearers today as well: cynicism, endless debate, or faith in the risen Christ. Closing Prayer and Blessing The sermon closes with Reverend Jonker acknowledging that believers will always face gaps in understanding, disagreement, uncertainty, and fog because human beings are fallen and limited. Yet when he feels overwhelmed by uncertainty, he says he turns not first to ideas, but to the person of Jesus Christ, the one who shelters him and knows his name. He closes in prayer, thanking Christ for the shelter of His wings and asking that believers become truth-seeking people who point others to relationship with Him. The service ends with a blessing: that the Lord would bless, keep, shine upon, be gracious to, and fill His people with peace.