LaGrave Live, June 28, 2026

LaGrave Live, June 28, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Powers, Principalities, and the Promises of God About The Service: Pastor Jonker will preach on Ephesians 6:10-20. 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 Stand Firm in the Armor: Faith, Children, and the Promise That Christ Already Reigns Worship Rooted in God’s Sovereign Grace This LaGrave Live church service from LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church opens with a call to worship from Psalm 145, praising God’s greatness and the way one generation commends His works to another. Reverend Peter Jonker then frames the evening around the book of Ephesians, beginning with readings from the opening chapter. He highlights three major proclamations: that believers are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that God’s plan is to unite all things in heaven and earth under Christ, and that Christ already possesses power above every rule, authority, power, and dominion. Prayer for Children, the Vulnerable, and the Congregation The service includes a congregational reading from Our World Belongs to God, followed by an evening prayer centered especially on children and young people. Reverend Jonker thanks God for the gift of life and prays for children living in poverty, hunger, war, conflict, neglect, and abuse. He also prays for the church’s own children’s ministries, including Kids Hope and youth ministry leadership, asking that LaGrave’s children feel known, loved, and formed within God’s love. The prayer also lifts up members of the congregation who are sick, in hospice, grieving, or otherwise in need of comfort. The Armor of God and the Reality of Spiritual Struggle The sermon is based on Ephesians 6:10–20, where Paul tells believers to be strong in the Lord, put on the full armor of God, and stand against the devil’s schemes. Reverend Jonker describes Paul’s picture of spiritual warfare as vivid and serious: on one side are the powers of darkness, spiritual forces of evil, and flaming arrows; on the other side are ordinary believers wearing the armor of God. He emphasizes that this struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and spiritual forces that work against God’s people. Passing Faith to the Next Generation To bring the passage into ordinary life, Reverend Jonker focuses on the struggle to pass Christian faith to the next generation. He cites demographic concerns about the growing number of religiously unaffiliated people, often called “nones,” noting the rise from small percentages in previous decades to much larger numbers today, especially among younger generations. He mentions research from Ryan Burge and describes the concern many churches feel as they wonder how to help children, grandchildren, and young adults remain connected to faith, worship, Scripture, and the Christian community. Principalities, Powers, and the Culture That Shapes Young People Reverend Jonker explains that the spiritual battle is not primarily against individual neighbors, critics, or young people who reject religion. Instead, he says the battle is against deeper powers and systems that shape culture. Drawing on Christian Smith’s Lost in Transition, he names several forces affecting younger generations: moral relativism, rampant consumerism, intoxication or escapist experience, sexual confusion, and radical individualism. He describes these not merely as isolated choices, but as cultural forces that sweep people along and make it harder for young people to receive and live within the Christian faith. Warning Without Fear Although Reverend Jonker takes the struggle seriously, he warns against panic. He places Ephesians 6 in the larger context of Ephesians, where Paul confidently proclaims that believers are chosen by God, that Christ reigns above every power, and that God’s plan to bring all things under Christ cannot be stopped. He cites C.S. Lewis’s warning that people can give the devil either too little credit or too much credit. For Jonker, the church must be vigilant without becoming fearful, protective without becoming overly sheltered, and confident that children ultimately belong to the Lord. Standing Through Prayer, Truth, Love, and Presence The sermon closes by returning to the armor of God as a practical pattern for faithful living. Reverend Jonker describes the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit as ordinary but powerful practices: teaching the faith, telling the truth, doing justice, bringing peace, praying, worshiping, and staying present with the next generation. He recalls research from the Fuller Youth Institute suggesting that one of the strongest predictors of faith continuing in a child’s life is having several caring adults in the congregation who know, love, and pray for that child. The message ends with encouragement: keep praying, keep loving, put on the armor, and stand.

LaGrave Live, June 28, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 06-28-2026 The Way of Wisdom About The Service: We will continue our summer sermon series called The Way of Wisdom. Pastor Jonker will preach and he will look at various Proverbs that offer us wisdom for how we speak to one another, which is a significant theme in the book. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-6-28-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 Life-Giving Words and the Wisdom of the Tongue The Weight and Wonder of Words The service centers on the spiritual importance of words, beginning with a children's message that introduces the Bible as God's Word. The pastor explains that Scripture contains words that guide, comfort, strengthen, and reveal God's love through Jesus Christ. A story about a childhood friend in the Netherlands during wartime illustrates how a single line from Psalm 57 brought peace during danger and fear. A Wisdom Series Turns Toward Speech The sermon continues the summer series on wisdom literature, focusing on selected passages from Proverbs. The pastor explains that while Proverbs addresses many areas of life, one of its largest and most striking concerns is speech. The sermon organizes the selected proverbs around three themes: the power of words, the character of words, and the heart behind words. Words Can Wound, Heal, and Create The first major sermon theme is the power of speech. The pastor contrasts the familiar phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones” with the biblical claim that the tongue has the power of life and death. Through personal reflection and examples of both hurtful and loving words, the sermon emphasizes that speech can wound deeply, heal relationships, encourage faith, and help people flourish. Gentleness Against the Culture of Outrage The sermon then turns to the character of speech, especially gentleness, kindness, timing, and restraint. The pastor contrasts Proverbs' wisdom with the way social media often rewards outrage, alarm, accusation, and harshness. He argues that biblical wisdom calls people not only to speak truth but to consider the tone, tempo, and timing of how that truth is spoken. Timely Words in Human Relationships The pastor applies the wisdom of timely speech to friendships, marriages, families, and conflict. Using the example of a conflict-averse person and a person who wants to fix problems immediately, he explains that wise speech pays attention to the needs of the other person. The sermon emphasizes that there are times to speak and times to wait, and that words can be truthful but still unwise if spoken at the wrong time. Speech Rooted in the Heart and in Christ The final theme is that wise speech comes from the heart. Drawing from Proverbs and Jesus' teaching that the mouth speaks from the heart, the pastor says that anger, bitterness, fear, gentleness, patience, and love eventually reveal themselves in words. The sermon closes by calling listeners to be rooted in Jesus Christ, the Word of life, so that their speech may become life-giving, joyful, faithful, and loving.

LaGrave Live, June 21, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Amos and Amaziah About The Service: Pastor Jonker will preach on Amos 7. 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 Amos, Amaziah, and the Holy Affliction of God’s Justice Evening Worship at LaGrave Church This live evening worship service from LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church is led by Reverend Peter Jonker and centers on the encounter between the prophet Amos, the priest Amaziah, and King Jeroboam II. The service opens with Scripture, worship, and a reflection on Psalm 146, emphasizing that believers should not put ultimate trust in princes or human rulers, but in the Lord who upholds the oppressed, feeds the hungry, frees prisoners, watches over foreigners, and sustains the fatherless and widow. Reverend Jonker frames the evening as a meditation on how church and state interact in Scripture, especially when God’s justice confronts political and religious power. Prayer for the World’s Large and Small Histories The pastoral prayer names God as King of kings, Lord of lords, and ruler over both the “big history” of nations and the smaller histories of ordinary lives. Reverend Jonker prays for places marked by war, suffering, and violence, including Sudan, Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Israel. He also prays against the bitterness that violence plants across generations and asks God to make His people peacemakers. The prayer then turns close to home, lifting up LaGrave’s neighbors, people struggling with addiction, trauma, and mental illness, and members of the congregation facing illness, surgery, recovery, hospice, and personal burdens. Amos 7 - A Prophet Confronts Power The central Scripture reading is Amos 7:10–17, where Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, reports Amos to King Jeroboam and accuses him of raising a conspiracy in Israel. Amaziah tells Amos to leave, return to Judah, and stop prophesying at Bethel because it is “the king’s sanctuary” and “the temple of the kingdom.” Amos responds that he was not a professional prophet or the son of a prophet, but a shepherd and dresser of sycamore fig trees whom the Lord called to prophesy to Israel. Reverend Jonker notes that Amos is a difficult figure, blunt and unsettling, more committed to God’s righteousness and justice than to popularity or social comfort. Prosperity, Injustice, and the Unwanted Word Reverend Jonker explains that Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, a time of outward prosperity, national stability, and economic success for Israel. By conventional standards, Jeroboam looked like a successful ruler: the borders expanded, enemies were defeated, the economy was strong, and the nation appeared secure. But the biblical assessment was different: Jeroboam did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Into that prosperous world, Amos spoke against injustice, warning that the wealthy lounged in comfort while trampling the poor and ignoring the needy. Jonker stresses that Amos’s words were not pleasant, but they were necessary because God’s measure of a nation is not merely prosperity, but justice and righteousness. The Holy Affliction of the Prophet A key phrase in the sermon is “holy affliction.” Reverend Jonker says Amos was not simply an angry man; he was someone unsettled by the Spirit of God. Even Amos himself seems disturbed by the severity of the visions and prophecies he receives, pleading for mercy because Israel is small. Yet he cannot go back to ordinary life because God has given him eyes to see injustice and a heart that cannot ignore it. Jonker describes this kind of prophetic restlessness as a gift of the Holy Spirit, though not always a comfortable one. It is the burden that prevents God’s people from becoming merely a social club or a “going to heaven club.” Francis, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Prophetic Stream Reverend Jonker connects Amos to later figures in Christian history who carried a similar holy affliction. He names St. Francis of Assisi, whose compassion for the poor disrupted the expectations of his wealthy family; Dorothy Day, whose Christian faith led her away from literary celebrity into advocacy for the poor and the Catholic Worker Movement; and Martin Luther King Jr., who refused to remain silent in the face of racial injustice and echoed Amos’s cry that justice should roll down like waters. These examples show how the Spirit continues to raise up people who disturb complacency, confront injustice, and remind the church that God is transforming creation, not merely saving isolated souls. A Prayer for Holy Agitation The sermon closes by turning the message back toward the congregation. Reverend Jonker prays that LaGrave will always have a few “ornery prophets” and a few people like Amos, but also that every believer will receive at least a little of that holy affliction. He asks that the suffering of neighbors, the plight of the poor, and the injustices of the world would continue to pierce the church’s heart rather than become background noise. He connects this prophetic agitation to Jesus, who came to preach good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, and release for the oppressed. The service ends with prayer that God would unsettle whatever needs unsettling, uproot what needs uprooting, and send the congregation out under the Lord’s blessing and peace.

LaGrave Live, June 21, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 06-21-2026 Small Things with Great Love About The Service: June 21 is SERVE Sunday! Pastor Jonker will be leading us in worship, and his sermon will be based on Job 5:9. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-6-21-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 Faith, Service, and the Hidden Strength of Love A Service Shaped by Surprise and Surrender The service opens with a welcome to LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church and a special greeting to the Serve Week participants from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan. The worship leader introduces the theme "Surprised by God," inviting the congregation to consider whether God's unexpected leading brings joy, anxiety, or both. The opening reflection calls worshipers to confess the ways they rely on their own understanding instead of listening to the Spirit's guidance. Confession, Grace, and the Spirit's Guidance The congregation joins in a prayer of confession, acknowledging sin in thought, word, and deed and asking God to correct their lives. The assurance of pardon is drawn from Ephesians 2, emphasizing grace as God's gift and reminding the congregation that they are created in Christ Jesus for good works. The pastoral prayer continues this theme by asking God to consecrate the congregation's lives, hands, and wills for service. Prayers for Service, Healing, and Trust The prayer section lifts up the Serve team as young people and leaders prepare to serve the local community. It also remembers missionaries Daniel and Priscilla Cummings and prays for health-care work in Angola. Several members and loved ones are named in prayer for recovery, surgery, deep brain stimulation treatment, and strength for a premature baby named Oliver in the NICU, with the worship leader framing these concerns as acts of trust placed into God's hands. Encouragement for Children and Serve Participants Ms. Rachel leads the children's message by explaining encouragement as saying or doing something that helps someone feel supported, joyful, or happy. She connects encouragement to the Serve participants, who will be pulling weeds, building, cleaning, and serving food during the week. The children practice encouragement by waving and saying, "You can do it," and the congregation reminds the children that they are loved by Jesus. Naaman, the Servant Girl, and Two Kinds of Power The sermon centers on 2 Kings 5:1-6, focusing not on Naaman's public power but on the unnamed Israelite servant girl who points him toward the prophet in Samaria. The speaker describes Naaman as a man of military influence, wealth, and status, then contrasts him with a young captive girl who has endured trauma, displacement, and servitude. Despite her suffering, she holds onto faith and speaks with compassion toward the very household connected to her pain. Small Acts of Love as the Strongest Gift The sermon argues that the servant girl's faith and love reveal a deeper power than status, money, or military strength. Her words lead Naaman toward healing and a changed heart, showing that small acts done in love can carry the power of God's kingdom. The message closes by applying this lesson to the Serve participants and the broader congregation, urging everyone to serve with hope, love, and the strength of the risen Lord.

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.