LaGrave Live, May 10, 2026

LaGrave Live, May 31, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 05-31-2026 The Way of Wisdom: The Beginning of Wisdom About The Service: We will start our summer sermon series. This summer our sermons will all be drawn from 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 begin the series with a sermon on Proverbs 1:1-7 where the teacher of Proverbs shares with us the place where wisdom starts. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload... 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/Givi... The April special offering is for Family Promise. Family Promise partners with local congregations, individuals, families, foundations and corporations to provide emergency shelter and case management for families with children facing a housing crisis. 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 The Way of Wisdom: The Beginning of Wisdom Opening Welcome and a New Summer Focus The service opens with a greeting centered on Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, followed by a warm welcome to the congregation, online worshipers, and visitors attending for the baptism service. Announcements include hospitality details, coffee fellowship, and an invitation for visitors and new members to gather in the parlor after worship. The congregation is also introduced to the church’s summer sermon series, The Way of Wisdom, which will focus on biblical wisdom literature and its guidance for life in God’s world. Confession, Assurance, and the Theme of Wisdom The liturgical opening turns toward confession by connecting wisdom with surrendering control to God, drawing on Proverbs 16:9 and a responsive prayer from Psalm 119. The congregation prays for understanding, delight in God’s commands, and hearts turned away from selfishness and toward God’s statutes. After this corporate confession, the congregation hears an assurance from Psalm 37, reminding worshipers to commit their way to the Lord and trust him. This moment establishes wisdom not merely as intelligence or strategy, but as a life ordered under God’s care and direction. Baptism as Covenant, Family, and Promise A major part of the service is devoted to the baptism of three children: Grace, Arlo, and Joni. The presiding pastor explains baptism as participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, cleansing from sin, and entry into the covenant family of God. He places baptism within the larger biblical story, moving from God’s covenant with Abraham and the sign of circumcision to baptism as the New Testament sign of belonging to God’s people. The parents make vows to raise their children in the faith, and the congregation vows to receive, pray for, and nurture them, underscoring the shared responsibility of the Christian community. Prayer, Congregational Life, and Care for the Church Family The pastoral prayer reflects the life of the congregation by giving thanks for the newly baptized children, milestone birthdays, missionary service, and the birth of Catherine Marie VanEerden. It also lifts up members recovering from surgery, receiving rehabilitation or hospice care, and families facing grief after the death of Lori Vanderarc. Throughout the prayer, the church’s needs are framed through the language of walking faithfully with God and asking the Holy Spirit for courage, wisdom, openness, service, and gratitude. The prayer portrays the church as a community that celebrates, intercedes, and grieves together. Children’s Message and the Incarnation of Christ In the children’s message, the pastor reflects on the fragile nature of babies and uses the morning’s baptisms to help children imagine the humility of Christ. He explains how carefully one must hold a baby, especially the neck and head, and then observes that Jesus, who is mighty and powerful, willingly became that small and vulnerable. This becomes a simple but powerful lesson in the incarnation: Jesus became weak in order to be with humanity and save humanity. The message emphasizes that Christ fully entered human life, from infancy onward, out of love for his people. The Beginning of Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord The sermon begins the new series by asking what biblical wisdom is and distinguishing it from both moral law and abstract knowledge. Wisdom is described as practical, embodied, decision-making knowledge that operates in the complexity of real life, where rules alone are often not enough. The pastor then focuses on Proverbs 1:7 and explains “the fear of the Lord” as the beginning of wisdom, distinguishing punishment-based fear from affection-based fear. He argues that the fear Scripture commends is rooted not in terror, but in love, admiration, reverence, and the desire not to disappoint God. The sermon concludes by grounding this fear in grace, especially in the saving work of Jesus Christ, and presenting biblical wisdom as something that becomes life-giving only when it begins in humble relationship with God.

LaGrave Live, May 24, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 05-24-2026 Portraits of Pentecost May 24 is Pentecost Sunday! Pastor Jonker will preach on Ephesians 4: 17-31. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-5-24-AM-Order-of-Worship1.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 April special offering is for Family Promise. Family Promise partners with local congregations, individuals, families, foundations and corporations to provide emergency shelter and case management for families with children facing a housing crisis. 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 Portraits of Pentecost: The Spirit Who Breathes New Life Into Ordinary Places Pentecost Welcome and the Gift of the Spirit This LaGrave Live service opens on Pentecost Sunday with a welcome to in-person and livestream worshipers, a summer schedule reminder, fellowship invitations, and an explanation that Pentecost is the day when the church remembers and gives thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The liturgist frames the Spirit as the helper and advocate promised by Jesus, emphasizing that the Spirit still lives, moves, breathes, and transforms believers each day. Dry Bones, Confession, and New Life The call to confession draws from Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, inviting worshipers to recognize the ways sin can make people rigid, dry, selfish, and bitter. The congregation prays for the Holy Spirit to wash away sin, kindle the fire of God’s love, bend rigidity, and guide wandering feet into paths of peace. The assurance of grace then turns to the risen Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit on his disciples and saying, “Peace be with you.” Pentecost Prayer and Congregational Care The prayer portion of the service gives thanks for the Spirit’s presence, the long-range planning work connected to the community and service center, city leaders, and servicemen and women. The congregation also prays for members recovering from surgery, those receiving rehab or hospice care, families grieving loss, local ministries serving people in crisis or seeking employment, people affected by evacuations and a chemical explosion in California, and world leaders involved in peace talks. The prayer repeatedly asks the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into people, communities, and the world. Ephesians and Life Under the Spirit The Scripture reading comes from Ephesians 4:17–32, where Paul contrasts the old self with the new self created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. The passage calls believers to put off falsehood, speak truthfully, refuse to let anger become sin, avoid unwholesome talk, and be kind, compassionate, and forgiving. The sermon presents this reading as a portrait of what life looks like under the influence of God’s Holy Spirit. Grand Landscapes and Small Portraits of Pentecost The sermon explains that the Holy Spirit’s work can be painted in two ways: as a grand landscape of redemptive history or as a small domestic portrait of ordinary life. The preacher compares the first half of Ephesians to broad, dramatic landscape paintings and the second half to intimate Vermeer-like scenes. Pentecost can be understood as the Spirit moving through history, uniting Jews and Gentiles and expanding the gospel, but also as the Spirit quietly transforming conversations, forgiveness, kindness, and relationships. Truthful Speech, Forgiveness, and Compassion The sermon focuses on three smaller “portraits” of the Spirit’s work: truthful, vulnerable speech that shares joys and sorrows; quick forgiveness that prevents anger from fermenting into bitterness; and kindness toward vulnerable people. Examples include friends sharing grief and joy, a student whose struggle with math changes after forgiving a first-grade teacher, and a middle-school choir showing patience and compassion toward a distressed neurodivergent student. The message concludes that the Spirit moves not only in dramatic signs of wind and fire, but also at kitchen tables, in coffee shops, in classrooms, and in small acts of mercy.

LaGrave Live, May 17, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - The Renovation of Simon Peter About The Service: Pastor Jonker will preach on John 21:15-19. 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 Renovation of Simon Peter: From Self-Reliance to Grace-Filled Service Worship Centered on God’s Renovating Grace In this evening worship service from LaGrave Live at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, the congregation gathers around the theme of change, repentance, and spiritual renovation. The service opens with words from Psalm 30 about God turning mourning into dancing and replacing sorrow with joy. Psalm 116 is also read, emphasizing the Lord’s compassion, deliverance, and ability to rescue those who cry out in distress. The minister introduces the sermon theme, “The Renovation of Simon Peter,” by explaining that renovation is one of God’s repeated works throughout Scripture and in the lives of believers. Repentance, New Life, and Prayer for Healing The congregation participates in a responsive reading about gratitude, good works, and genuine repentance, describing conversion as the dying of the old self and the rising to life of the new. In the pastoral prayer, the minister thanks God for the beauty of human life while acknowledging the mixture of sin, sorrow, illness, anxiety, grief, addiction, persecution, and spiritual struggle that people carry. He asks Jesus to have mercy and “renovate” the hearts of leaders, children, the sick, the imprisoned, those nearing death, and those mourning losses. The prayer presents sanctification as a process that may feel slow or confusing to people but remains clear within God’s timing and grace. Peter’s Failure and the Empty Nets The sermon is based on John 21:15–19, where the risen Jesus speaks with Simon Peter after the miraculous catch of fish and asks him three times, “Do you love me?” The minister imagines Peter fishing in the darkness with empty nets, feeling that his failure as a fisherman mirrors his failure as a disciple. Earlier in the Gospel, Peter had been energetic, confident, and eager to act for Jesus. He declared loyalty, resisted having his feet washed, promised to lay down his life for Christ, and drew a sword in the garden. Yet when confronted during Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied knowing him three times and was left broken by his own failure. Two Versions of Peter with the Same Spiritual Problem The minister explains that Peter’s confident stage and his broken stage may appear opposite, but both are centered on Peter himself. When he was bold, Peter focused on his performance, achievements, and ability to succeed for Jesus. After his denial, he remained focused on his performance, but now through disappointment, shame, and emptiness. In both conditions, Peter’s spiritual problem was self-reliance and preoccupation with how he measured up. The sermon suggests that believers can likewise make even good works about personal success, usefulness, failure, or reputation rather than about dependence on Christ. Jesus Confronts, Restores, and Reassigns Peter The heart of the sermon identifies three ways Jesus renovates Peter. First, Jesus confronts him gently but pointedly by asking three times whether he loves him, echoing Peter’s three denials and bringing his failure into the open. Second, Jesus restores Peter with the words, “Follow me,” repeating the call with which their relationship began and showing that Peter’s failure has not removed him from grace. Third, Jesus gives Peter a new task: “Feed my lambs” and “Feed my sheep.” Rather than offering Peter the heroic role he once seemed to desire, Jesus gives him a humble calling of faithful care and service. Empty Hands Made Ready for God’s Work The sermon closes by applying Peter’s renovation to the congregation. The minister says some people may be eager to do impressive things for God, while many others may feel discouraged, inadequate, or emptied by failure and disappointment. Yet emptiness may be exactly the place where God is ready to plant something new. Through a humorous imagined pastoral search committee evaluating flawed biblical figures such as Noah, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Jonah, Paul, and Judas, he illustrates that people often misjudge what true spiritual strength looks like. God regularly works through weakness, humility, and dependence. The final prayer asks Christ to uproot pride, fill believers with the Holy Spirit, and lead them by their empty hands wherever he wants them to serve.

LaGrave Live, May 17, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 05-17-2026 The Frivolous Miracle About The Service: May 17 is our last Sunday with two services. For the rest of the summer there will be one morning service at 10am. We will celebrate communion so Pastor Jonker will preach on John 2:1-12, the story of the wedding feast at Cana. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-5-17-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 April special offering is for Family Promise. Family Promise partners with local congregations, individuals, families, foundations and corporations to provide emergency shelter and case management for families with children facing a housing crisis. 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 The Frivolous Miracle: Cana, Communion, and the Joy at the Table of the King Ascension Sunday Worship and the Reign of Christ The service opens on Ascension Sunday with worship, a greeting centered on the risen and ascended Lord Jesus, and the affirmation that Christ is risen. The liturgist welcomes the congregation, provides announcements about the final 10 o’clock hour before summer scheduling begins, and introduces confession through a psalm describing the holy life of those who dwell near God. The congregation confesses its failures and receives assurance that those once far from God have been brought near through Christ. Children Invited to the Table of the King In the children’s message, the leader asks the children to imagine King Charles arriving at their home for a meal, then turns the illustration toward Communion. Jesus, the children are told, is the ascended King who invites his people to sit at his table, feeds them, assures them of his love, and promises that they will one day feast with him forever. The image prepares the congregation for the service’s Communion emphasis. Prayer for the Church and Those in Need The congregational prayer praises Jesus as King over history, nations, creation, neighborhoods, churches, families, and individual lives. The leader asks God to strengthen people serving in difficult places, gives thanks for recent baptisms and a milestone birthday, and prays for grieving families, people facing procedures, recovery, and chronic pain. The prayer connects the ascended reign of Christ with the church’s present joys and burdens. Cana as a Miracle That Initially Seems Small The preacher reads John 2:1–12, the story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. He admits that this first sign can appear less weighty than healings, deliverance from evil spirits, or the raising of Lazarus, because the immediate problem is that a wedding celebration has run out of wine. He therefore asks why John begins Jesus’ signs with a miracle that seems to rescue a party rather than confront a more obvious crisis. The Wedding Feast as a Foretaste of Final Joy The sermon answers by connecting the wedding at Cana with the wedding supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19. Cana’s restored joy is presented as a foretaste of the everlasting celebration awaiting God’s people when death, sorrow, and evil are finally overcome. Before the disciples enter the conflict and suffering of Jesus’ ministry, he gives them a glimpse of the promised ending; in the same way, Communion gives believers a taste of final joy before they enter the difficulties of another week. Communion in Valleys, Solitude, and Daily Life The preacher illustrates Communion’s sustaining power through the account of an archbishop identified unclearly in the transcript as Francis Xavier, who celebrated Communion while imprisoned in Vietnam, and through pastoral visits bringing Communion to members whose worlds have grown smaller through isolation or illness. The table of the ascended King assures worshipers that their valleys do not define them and that their true home is with Christ. The service concludes with the Lord’s Supper and the blessing of the ascended King.

LaGrave Live, May 10, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Doubt Whittled Away by the Word About The Service: Chad Boorsma will preach as we will conclude the Easter season by looking at Luke 24:36-49, a passage where doubt is whittled away as our eyes are opened to the Word. 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 This evening worship service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church centers on the transformative power of the Word of God and the reality of Christ’s resurrection. Through liturgy, song, and a message from Luke 24, the congregation explores how Scripture addresses human doubt and provides lasting peace. Liturgical Foundation and the Call to Praise The service opens with a focus on the Easter season, moving from the solemnity of Lent into a celebration marked by white and gold decor, symbolizing the victory of Christ over death. The congregation is invited to extol the Lord through Psalm 111, reflecting on the "glorious and majestic" deeds of God and the trustworthiness of His precepts, which are established forever. This liturgical start establishes the "Power of the Word" as the central theme, framing the Bible not just as a historical record, but as a living instrument of wisdom and redemption. Global Intercession and the Mission of the Church A significant portion of the service is dedicated to corporate prayer, focusing on the renewal of the global church and the plight of the suffering. The congregation intercedes for those displaced by war and famine, praying that host nations would rise to meet their needs. Furthermore, there is a specific emphasis on the role of media and missions in spreading the Gospel. Confronting Doubt with the Resurrected Christ The sermon, based on Luke 24:36-49, recounts Jesus appearing to His startled disciples on Easter evening. Despite hearing reports of the resurrection, the disciples are "startled and frightened," suspecting they are seeing a ghost. The message draws a parallel between the disciples' fear and modern "lingering doubts"—the persistent anxieties that remain even when one has faith, much like a person repeatedly checking an online tracking link despite knowing the package is on its way. To "whittle away" these doubts, Jesus provides a threefold proof: Physical Proof: He invites them to touch His hands and feet. Experiential Proof: He eats broiled fish in their presence to demonstrate His physical reality. Scriptural Proof: He "opens their minds" to understand how the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all pointed toward His suffering and resurrection. Application: The Word as Living Comfort The service concludes by emphasizing that while Jesus is no longer physically present, He remains with the church through the Holy Spirit. The story of "Ethan," a man facing the end of his life with regrets, serves as a poignant illustration of how the Word—specifically Psalm 32—can dispel the "guilt of sin" and bring peace where logic or memory cannot. The congregation is challenged to stop leaving the Word "on the shelf" and instead allow it to illuminate their daily lives. The worship service reaffirms that the Bible is the "fully reliable" record of God's redeeming work. By looking to the resurrected Christ and the fulfillment of Scripture, believers are encouraged to move past their doubts and walk into the new week with the peace and power of the Holy Spirit.