LaGrave Live

By Reverend Peter JonkerSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity History Personal Journals

LaGrave Live episodes

October 25 LaGrave Live, October 25, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Book of Romans: A Romans 8 Person | 8:40 am (EDT) 10-25-26
About The Service:
We will continue our sermon series on the book of Romans. Pastor Jonker will preach on Romans 8: 1-17, a passage which focuses on life in the Spirit as opposed to life in the 'flesh.'
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-25-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 September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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 Book of Romans: From Romans 7 Person to Romans 8 Person
At LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker continues his Romans series by contrasting the "wretched" Romans 7 person with the hopeful "Romans 8 person," while the service also carries Levi Huizinga's public profession of faith and a children's message on the Holy Spirit as wind.
Opening Worship And Confession From Romans 7
The organ prelude and a choral anthem open worship at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church before the unnamed worship leader greets members and first-time visitors alike, noting a congregational meeting that will follow the service. He recalls a seminary classroom correction that the Holy Spirit is not an "it" but a person, setting up the morning's theme of the Spirit's personal presence. He reads the call to confession from Romans 7, Paul's lament that he does the evil he does not want to do and keeps failing to do the good he wants, and leads a silent prayer of confession asking the Spirit to convict hidden hatred, rebellious thoughts, and dishonest intentions. He then reads the assurance of forgiveness from Romans 8, promising that neither trouble, hardship, nor any power in creation can separate believers from the love of God, and the congregation recites the closing lines together before the choir sings "Open My Eyes, That I May See."
Levi Huizinga's Profession Of Faith
Reverend Peter Jonker calls Levi Huizinga forward to make a public profession of faith, reminding him that on June 1, 2003, at three months old, his parents Ted and Leslie brought him to a baptismal font in Denver, Colorado, where grace came to him before he could understand anything. Jonker notes that Levi, soon headed to seminary, has quietly affirmed his faith many times but never done so in front of the congregation. He walks Levi through the church's vows, asking whether he believes Jesus is the Son of God sent to redeem the world, whether he accepts the promises sealed at his baptism, and whether he commits to the life and work of the church. Levi answers simply, "I do, God helping me." Jonker invites young adult director Heidi Glover forward to represent the congregation, then prays that the Holy Spirit will continue shaping Levi as he goes on to serve, before the service moves into a hymn.
A Children's Message About Wind And Spirit
Jonker calls the children forward, drawing a bigger crowd than usual, and asks them a tricky question: what does the wind look like? The children offer answers including water, invisible water, and grass, with one boy, Ari, insisting it looks like glass rather than grass, a correction another child relays after the lesson. Jonker uses their answers to explain that the wind itself cannot be seen, only its effects, such as grass bending or leaves blowing down the road. He tells the children that the Bible compares the Holy Spirit to the wind for the same reason: no one has actually seen the Spirit, but its movement shows up whenever people visit the sick, when a congregation bows together in prayer, or when children run eagerly down the aisle to hear about Jesus. He tells them that same unseen Spirit is what makes them excited to come forward and makes him excited to teach them, closing with the congregation's traditional blessing and sending them back to their seats.
Prayers For The Sick And The Wider World
The worship leader returns to lead a long pastoral prayer, naming Betty Meussetert, hospitalized with heart issues, and Ellen Wierenga, facing complications from a recent procedure. He gives thanks for Levi Huizinga's profession of faith and for Jitske Vanderwal's 94th birthday this week, then prays for Steve Palazzolo as he explores further leukemia treatment and for a long list of members fighting cancer or receiving hospice care, including Dan Behmers, Jaleen DeHeer, Marcia Hahn, and Bruce Quinn. He prays for the families of Jim DeWinter, Zachary Luman, and Kurt Utley in their grief, and widens the prayer to unrest and loss of life in Ukraine, Sudan, Iran, and Myanmar. He closes by lifting up missionaries Michael Huizington, training pastors in Cameroon, and Mike and Megan Ribbens, who mentor young adults through difficult transitions in South Africa, asking God to bless their work before the choir offers another anthem.
Reading Romans 8 And Reviewing Paul's Argument
Jonker introduces the day's Bible reading, Romans 8:1-17, with an extended recap of how the letter has built to this point: Romans 1 through 3 shows that both Jew and Gentile stand under the power of sin, Romans 4 shows that Abraham received forgiveness through faith alone, and Romans 5 names that gift as grace, strong enough to reverse Adam's fall. He explains that in Romans 7 and 8 Paul shifts from describing salvation from the sidelines to narrating what it actually feels like from the inside, calling last week's subject a "Romans 7 person," someone who wants to do right but is dragged down by sin's pull, like wanting to resist a cookie, a drink, or a habit and failing anyway. He then reads the full passage, where Paul declares there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, that the Spirit of life has replaced the law of sin and death, and that believers are adopted as God's children who cry "Abba, Father."
From Wretched Man To Child Of God
Jonker contrasts the claustrophobia of Romans 7 with what he calls the hallelujah of Romans 8, asking the congregation honestly which person they identify with more day to day. He admits most people feel like Romans 7 person far more often, and acknowledges Paul's hard words in verse 9 about belonging to Christ. He shares a personal memory of an English vicar blessing his infant daughter Cat decades ago, and of choosing the same words for his grandson James, as an example of the Spirit's rare, joyful moments. But he turns to verse 13, arguing the Spirit is also "a killer" who puts sinful habits to death, illustrating it with Fleming Rutledge's story of a veteran who confessed cruelty from his time in Iraq, and a line from the Book of Common Prayer about a consuming fire of judgment. He insists struggle can be a sign of the Spirit's presence, not its absence, and closes in prayer and benediction, sending the congregation out with grace, love, and fellowship.
1 hr 25 min
October 25 LaGrave Live, October 25, 2026
LaGrave Live
Keeping Time | 6:00 pm (EDT) Worship Service 10-25-26
About The Service:
Pastor Jonker will preach on Exodus 29: 38-46.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-25-PM-Order-of-Worship.pdf
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/Giving/lagr107178
The September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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
Keeping Time: Faith, the Clock, and the Spirituality of Our Days
In an evening vesper service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker preaches on the spirituality of time, drawing on Ecclesiastes, Exodus's sacrificial calendar, and the film Black Robe to ask how clocks, calendars, and daily rituals quietly shape the soul.
Bells, Psalm 141, and a Welcome to Worship
Church bells ring out to open the Saturday evening vesper service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, and Reverend Peter Jonker reads the call to worship from two verses of Psalm 141, asking the Lord to hear his prayer as though it were rising incense and an evening sacrifice. After the congregation sings a hymn with organ and choir, Jonker greets everyone with grace, mercy, and peace from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, welcoming both members and visitors to the fellowship. He tells the gathered church that tonight's sermon and the whole service will be built around a single idea: time. He promises that the topic, though it may sound abstract and theological, will prove as practical as anything he preaches, because every religion and every person has some working relationship with time, and that relationship quietly shapes the condition of the human soul.
Ecclesiastes's Seasons and the Nicene Creed
Jonker reads Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 1 through 15, the Bible's best-known catalog of opposites: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time for war and a time for peace. He reads the teacher's conclusion that God has made everything beautiful in its time and set eternity in the human heart, though no one can fathom what God does from beginning to end, and that whatever is has already been. After a hymn, the congregation rises to recite the Nicene Creed together, moving from the Father, Maker of heaven and earth, through the Son's incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, to the Holy Spirit and the resurrection of the dead. Jonker notes the creed spans the full arc of time, from creation to Christ's return, and jokingly tells the congregation not to speak the final printed words before leading into another hymn.
A Pastoral Prayer for Political Times and Grief
Jonker leads a long pastoral prayer that he says will close with a printed hymn, praying first for the nation's political times, asking God to guide the President, Congress, governor, and state representatives, and to protect the process heading into the midterms against cynicism, hatred, and contempt. He then names those whose times are ending: Randy Baker, Roger Boerma, Dave DeWinter's brother Jim, Ed and Lois's grandson Zach, and Lisa Palazzolo's late father, along with Sylvia, Harris, Bruce, Ron, Bev, George, Gloria Rodenhouse, and Dan Behmers in hospice, with Carol walking beside him. He prays for those in weakness and illness, naming Jay Loucks, Steve Palazzolo's cancer journey, and young Margo Mustert. Turning to gratitude, he thanks God for music, good food, the colors of fall against a cobalt sky, and the gift of friends, family, and neighbors, closing by thanking Jesus himself before the congregation sings.
Exodus's Daily Sacrifice Opens the Sermon
Jonker reads Exodus 29, verses 38 through 46, the ritual law instructing Israel to sacrifice two lambs daily at the tabernacle, one in the morning and one at twilight, along with grain and a drink offering, so that God may meet his people there and dwell among them as their God who brought them out of Egypt. The congregation answers, "Thanks be to God," and Jonker opens his sermon by naming its subject directly: the relationship between faith and time, what he calls the spirituality of time. He admits the phrase sounds abstractly theological, the kind of topic that seems to have nothing to do with ordinary life, but insists the opposite is true. Every religion, he says, has its own approach to time, and the way human beings structure their hours, days, and years quietly shapes their spirit and soul, setting up the illustration he is about to offer from an old film.
Captain Clock and a Culture Obsessed With Time
Jonker illustrates his point with a scene from the film "Black Robe," about Jesuit missionaries among the Algonquin and Huron along the Saint Lawrence River in the early 1600s. Native visitors to a French settlement gaze with worshipful attention at a mechanical clock they call "Captain Clock," concluding it must be the white man's god, since the settlers obey its rings for waking, working, and eating. Jonker turns the mirror on the modern West, pointing to wristwatches, phones, datebooks, and a culture of Minute Rice, instant oatmeal, and ten-minute workouts as evidence of an obsession with managing time that breeds a spirit of constant "do, do, do." He contrasts this with God's law in Exodus, which structures Israel's years through festivals, its weeks through Sabbath, and its days through the morning and evening sacrifice, forcing the people to slow down and turn toward God, much as green space makes a city livable rather than driving endlessly toward productivity.
Franklin, the Examen, and Stott's Daily Rhythm
Jonker contrasts three ways of ending a day. Ben Franklin, he notes, rose at five and went to bed at ten with every hour scheduled, asking each morning "What good shall I do this day?" and each evening "What good have I done this day?", a discipline that quietly makes productivity the measure of a worthwhile life. He sets this against Ignatius of Loyola's prayer of daily Examen, where the Jesuit founder simply thanked God each night and asked, "Where did I see God at work today?", and against theologian John Stott's routine of rising at five to pray the same trinitarian prayer daily before interceding for his people and kneeling again at bedtime. Jonker calls Stott's rhythm a deeply attractive way to measure time, a life lived before God's face. He closes by thanking God for every hour given and asking help to live this week before God's face, then pronounces the Lord's blessing of face and peace over the congregation as the service ends.
1 hr 2 min
October 18 LaGrave Live, October 18, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Book of Romans: Paul and the Law | 8:40 am (EDT) 10-18-26
About The Service:
Pastor Jonker will continue our sermon series on the book of Romans. He will preach on Romans 7, focusing on the place of the law in Paul's teaching.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-18-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 September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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 Book of Romans: Paul, the Law, and the War Within
At LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker continues the congregation's sermon series on Romans with a service on law and sin, moving from catechism and confession through a children's story of Paul and Silas to a sermon on Romans 7 that borrows Frog and Toad and the image of an elephant and its rider to explain why willpower alone cannot conquer sin.
Welcome, Fundraiser, and the Catechism's Hard Questions
Reverend Peter Jonker opens worship at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church with greetings of grace, mercy, and peace, welcoming in-person and livestream worshippers and pointing newcomers to the bulletin's 10:00 hour page. He announces the annual apple pie fundraiser underway to support a spring break mission trip to the Dominican Republic, where a team will stay with Young Life leaders and serve at the Pico Escondido camp, with order forms due by month's end. He previews a congregational meeting next Sunday on the STA building and a newly formed security committee. Turning to the day's theme, Jonker introduces the continuing sermon series on Romans, noting this week's focus on Romans 7 and its treatment of the law and sin, and leads the congregation through three questions and answers from the Heidelberg Catechism on misery, God's law, and human inability to keep it perfectly.
Confession and the Promise of Romans 8
Jonker leads the congregation in confession, praying aloud that it is hard to see, name, and feel the weight of sin, and asking mercy for the times the congregation has hated or despised neighbors who are different or in need. He then turns the mood toward hope, inviting worshippers to proclaim the good news of Romans 8 together. Reciting in unison, the congregation declares that neither trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, danger, nor any power in creation can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus, affirming that through him they are more than conquerors. Jonker closes the exchange with thanks to God, and the moment flows into congregational singing of "Holy Spirit, from on High" and a hymn offered by the choir and organ, carrying the service from confession into praise before the children's message begins.
A Children's Message About Paul and Silas
Jonker calls the children forward for the children's message, greeting Caleb, Evelyn, and the rest by name as they gather around him. He tells the story of Paul and his companion Silas traveling to the city of Philippi to tell people about Jesus, only to be arrested by local authorities who disliked their preaching. He describes, in terms the children can picture, how the two men were whipped and thrown into a cold, dark dungeon with heavy chains on their legs. Despite their fear and pain, Jonker tells the children, Paul and Silas sang hymns about God's goodness right there in the dark, and that night an earthquake shook the jail's chains loose and set them free. Jonker says his favorite part is not the earthquake but the singing in the dark, then asks the congregation's traditional blessing for the children before sending them back to their seats with "go in peace."
Prayers for the Grieving and a Hurting World
An unidentified woman at the pulpit announces two pastoral concerns, sympathy for Ed and Lois Hoeksema on the sudden death of their grandson Zach Luymes, and details of Randy Baker's visitation and funeral that Friday, before leading the congregation in a long prayer built around the hymn "Amazing Grace." She gives thanks for grace that relieves fear even as it reveals sin, for the recent wedding of Kelly and Aaron, for Reverend L's work empowering young adults in India, and for the season's fall colors. She prays for Carol and Jay recovering from falls, for Margo as doctors continue seeking the right treatment for her symptoms, and for those grieving Randy Baker, Roger Borma, and Lois, naming Orin, Charlotte, and Sharon among the mourners. She widens the prayer to the world, lifting up a grieving Oregon community after a school shooting, peace in France, and Pope Leo's recovery from surgery, closing with the hymn's promise of ten thousand years of praise.
Reading Romans 7 and Introducing Frog and Toad
Jonker reads the entirety of Romans 7, tracing Paul's argument that believers have died to the law's binding power through Christ's body so they might serve in the new way of the Spirit rather than the old written code. He walks through Paul's wrestling with whether the law itself is sinful, concluding that the law is holy even as sin uses it to produce coveting and death in him. After the reading, Jonker admits the passage is complicated and turns, as he did last week with Metallica, to a lighter touchstone, the 1972 Frog and Toad story "Cookies." He recounts how Toad bakes delicious cookies that he and Frog cannot stop eating, how Frog coins willpower as trying hard not to do something you really want to do, and how their attempts to hide the cookies in a box, tied with string, on a high shelf all fail until Frog finally feeds the cookies to the birds.
The Elephant, the Rider, and the Offer of Jesus
Jonker connects Frog and Toad's comic failure of willpower to Paul's deadly serious struggle, describing a young adult trapped in a sports betting app, a lawyer drawn back to pornography, and a shopper buying clothes she does not need, all failing the same way despite real resolve. He borrows social scientist Jonathan Haidt's image of an elephant and its rider to explain that reason alone cannot steer deeper desire, applying it to Paul's confession of being a slave to sin in his flesh even while his mind serves God's law. Jonker argues the law functions as a kind of therapeutic intervention, like Israel's calling, exposing how deeply broken people are rather than fixing them, citing Romans 5:20 and 7:13. He closes by offering Jesus as the one who can reach the elephant itself and replace it with love, joy, and peace, leading the congregation in prayer for changed hearts and pronouncing the benediction of grace, love, and fellowship.
1 hr 24 min
October 18 LaGrave Live, October 18, 2026
LaGrave Live
Holy Communion | 6:00 pm (EDT) Worship Service 10-18-26
About The Service:
we will celebrate the Lord's Supper and Pastor Jonker will preach a sermon based on Genesis 3 that will think about what we mean when we call the Lord's Supper communion.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-18-PM-Order-of-Worship.pdf
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/Giving/lagr107178
The September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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
An Evening Of Holy Communion: Broken Walls, Restored Communion
At an evening communion service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker reads Genesis 3 and Ephesians 2 to ask what, precisely, the serpent broke in Eden, then leads the congregation to the Lord's table to see it repaired.
Bells, Isaiah 40, And A Welcome To Visitors
Church bells toll as the evening service opens at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, and Reverend Peter Jonker reads the call to worship from Isaiah 40, promising that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength and soar on wings like eagles. After the congregation sings "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," Jonker greets everyone with grace, mercy, and peace, welcoming visitors who have come on a night the church will celebrate communion. He explains that LaGrave practices intinction in the evening service, inviting worshippers forward to receive bread and wine and return by the side aisles, and he warmly invites visiting Christians who commune in their own home congregations to share the meal as well. He notes that the bread is gluten-free for anyone with gluten intolerance, setting a hospitable tone before the service turns to Scripture and prayer.
Ephesians's Broken Wall And A Long Prayer
Jonker reads Ephesians 2:11 through 22, where Paul tells Gentile believers that Christ has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility between peoples and made them fellow citizens in God's household, built on Christ the cornerstone. After the congregation sings "Blest Be the Tie That Binds," Jonker leads a pastoral prayer in three parts, each closing with the hymn "Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying." He gives thanks for warm beds, full tables, and abundant choices of food, then prays for souls worn down by loneliness and exhaustion, naming unrest in Ukraine and Iran and a school shooting that week. He prays by name for Carol Blankespoor and Jay Loux recovering from falls, for young Margo Mustert, for the Boerema family after Roger's death, the Bakers after Randy's sudden loss, Ed and Lois grieving a grandson, and the Gelderlooses, Orren and Shar, closing with a prayer for strained marriages and the lonely.
Reading Genesis 3 And The Fall
Jonker reads Genesis 3, verses 1 through 14 and then 21 through 24, telling the familiar story of the serpent questioning Eve, the eating of the forbidden fruit, and the opened eyes that bring shame rather than wisdom. He reads how Adam and Eve sew fig leaves together and hide from the Lord walking in the garden, how God questions them and then curses the serpent to crawl on its belly, and how, after describing the curse on creation, God makes garments of skin for the couple before banishing them from Eden. He reads the final image of a cherubim and flaming sword guarding the way back to the tree of life. After a brief aside about the sanctuary's lighting, the congregation answers "Thanks be to God," and Jonker turns to naming the many words Christians use for the meal the service is about to share.
Many Names For One Table
Jonker walks through the names Christians have given this meal over two thousand years: the Lord's Supper, LaGrave's preferred scriptural term, the Catholic mass, and the Eucharist, from the Greek for giving thanks. Tonight he wants to dwell on communion, and he admits the congregation gathers in a world where communion feels increasingly scarce. He points to wars and rumors of war in Ukraine and Iran, to deepening left-right political division everywhere, to a seven-year-old excluded on a playground, and to a toxic, back-biting workplace. He cites a recent Atlantic article by Derek Thompson noting that dinner parties, once common, have fallen off a cliff as people prefer phones and television to hosting friends. He adds that even ordinary conversation is tiring negotiation of a dividing wall, recalling his wife's exhaustion after a kindergarten parent-teacher conference, all evidence that communion is breaking down everywhere.
The Serpent's Subtle Change Of God's Name
Returning to Genesis, Jonker argues the serpent attacks the most fundamental relationship first, knowing the rest will fall like dominoes once it breaks. He points the congregation to their Bibles, showing that chapter 2 always calls God "the Lord God," the covenant name Yahweh printed in capitals, but the serpent in chapter 3 drops that name, saying only "God," the generic Elohim, and Eve soon echoes the same diminished word. The serpent also recasts God as a harsh taskmaster, implying he forbids all the trees and fears Eve becoming his equal, sowing mistrust that leads to disobedience. Jonker then recalls a PBS panel pairing scholars of C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud, where an atheist defended his own kindness to a restaurant server as an evolutionary survival strategy rather than true love, a claim Jonker contrasts with the unconditional love every human heart actually craves.
The Lord's Supper And A Closing Blessing
Jonker insists God is not the oppressor the serpent described but humanity's hope, pursuing Adam and Eve even as he clothes them against the cold and shame they created. He traces that pursuit to Jesus, who becomes bone of our bone, bears broken communion's full weight, and on the cross pours out forgiveness as no survival strategy ever would. The congregation then moves into the Liturgy of the Lord's Supper, exchanging responsive lines, singing "Worthy is the Lamb," and praying the Lord's Prayer together before Jonker recites the words of institution over bread and cup. Worshippers commune during organ music and choral singing, then rise for a responsive psalm of praise, "Praise the Lord, O my soul." The congregation closes with "God Be with You Till We Meet Again," and Jonker pronounces the Lord's blessing of face and peace over the gathered church.
1 hr 21 min
October 11 LaGrave Live, October 11, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Book of Romans: The Reign of Grace | 8:40 am (EDT) 10-11-26
About The Service:
Pastor Jonker will continue our sermon series on the book of Romans. His sermon will focus on Romans 5, a section of the letter where Paul compares the sin of Adam and the sacrifice of Jesus.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-11-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 September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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 Book of Romans: The Reign of Grace
At LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker continues the congregation's sermon series on the book of Romans with a service centered on God's grace, carrying worshippers through a confession from Hebrews 4, a responsive reading from Romans 8, a children's message about fear and faith, and an extended pastoral prayer for the sick, the grieving, students and the wider world.
Welcome and the Promise of Grace
Reverend Peter Jonker opens worship at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church with the assurance that the Triune God is present among the congregation, greeting worshippers with words of grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. He welcomes everyone gathered in the sanctuary and those watching online, acknowledging longtime members, first-time guests and those somewhere in between. Jonker then points worshippers to events taking place during the 10:00 hour immediately following the service, directing them to page seven of the bulletin for ways to get involved. He introduces the morning's theme by noting that the congregation continues its sermon series on the book of Romans, and that this week's focus turns to God's grace. The opening moments set a tone of welcome and continuity, preparing the congregation for a time of confession drawn from the book of Hebrews.
Confession and the Throne of Mercy
Jonker leads the congregation into confession by reading Hebrews 4:14 through 16, reminding worshippers that Jesus, the great high priest, empathizes with human weakness and was tempted in every way yet did not sin. He invites the congregation to approach God's throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and find help in time of need, then leads them in praying through song. The congregation sings "God Be Merciful to Me," a musical confession of sin offered together. Jonker then reminds worshippers that scripture promises forgiveness to those who confess, because of God's great love and faithfulness. He invites a responsive reading from Romans, assuring the congregation that nothing in creation, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The congregation repeats the closing lines together, affirming that through Christ they are more than conquerors, and Jonker closes the moment with thanks to God for his great love.
A Children's Message About Monsters
After the congregation sings "Give to Our God Immortal Praise," an unnamed pastor calls the children forward for the children's message, inviting them down the side and main aisles with warm greetings. He tells a story from his own childhood, recalling that at about seven years old he watched the movie "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein's Monster" at a friend's house. He explains to the children who Abbott and Costello were, funny men from old movies, but admits that Frankenstein's monster frightened him with his growling and grabbing. That night, lying in the dark and hearing his house creak, he imagined the monster coming for him, so he went upstairs and knocked on his parents' door. His mother came down, gave him water, hugged him, and assured him there was no such thing as Frankenstein's monster, comforting him back to sleep.
Talking to a Friend Named Jesus
The pastor tells the children that he no longer fears monsters or the dark, but admits he still sometimes wakes at night worrying about things. Asking the children whether they think he calls his mother in those moments, one child answers no, and the pastor agrees, joking that she would not appreciate the call. Instead, he says he talks to his friend Jesus, praying and remembering Jesus's promise to be present even in the darkest valley. He tells the children that remembering Jesus's presence helps him feel okay and reminds him that Jesus will get him through anything, calling this one of the great things about following Jesus as a friend. He then asks the congregation what their prayer is for the children, and the congregation responds, "The Lord be with you. And also with you," before the pastor sends them off with the blessing, "Go in peace."
Prayers for the Sick and Grieving
Jonker returns to lead the congregation in prayer using Psalm 145, inviting worshippers to respond with bolded lines from the order of worship. He exalts God's greatness and goodness before naming specific needs in the congregation. He prays for the Blanker and Dieters family following the death of Everett, for Margo Mustert now home but still needing wisdom for her doctors, and for a list of members battling cancer, including Valerie Visser, Dan Beemers, Jolene DeHeer, Marsha Hahn, Jim Croll, Steve Palazzolo, Lloyd Tienhohlt and Sharon Van Houten. He also lifts up members with ongoing needs, among them Sandy Beuter, Chloe Ann Danford, Sandy DeStigter, Sandy Groendyk, Carol Hoffman, Renee Kuiper, Rich and Bonnie Postma, Millie Vriend and Joyce Wiers. Jonker acknowledges that other needs weigh on hearts even if not listed in the bulletin, and leads the congregation into a time of silent prayer before continuing aloud, affirming together that the Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Prayers for Students, Missionaries and Peace
Jonker continues the pastoral prayer by remembering the women of the congregation worshipping at a retreat in Petoskey under Pastor Christie's leadership, asking for renewal for them and for the whole church. He prays for students at Calvin Seminary, naming the congregation's three interns, Natalie, Jonathan and Chad, thanking God for their gifts and their calling toward ministry. He asks for the Holy Spirit's guidance for the council, elders and deacons ahead of their meeting, for discernment about the SDA building next door, and for individuals named in the library's prayer fishbowl who do not know Christ or have wandered from faith. Turning to the wider world, Jonker prays for missionaries Charles and Hensel Oh serving in Japan, thanking God for a woman called Yoko-san who received an audio Bible, and for ministries such as ReFrame and Words of Hope. He closes this portion by praying for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, and for honesty in reporting the truth.
42 min
October 11 LaGrave Live, October 11, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Two Sides of Jeremiah: Cranky in Good Times, Hopeful in Siege
At a LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church vesper service, Reverend Peter Jonker preaches on Jeremiah 33 and the prophet's curious habit of scolding Jerusalem when times were good and promising hope when the city lay under siege. The service also carries the Apostles' Creed, a long evening prayer for the nation and the congregation's sick, and a benediction of peace.
Call to Worship on a Bright Sunday
Reverend Peter Jonker opens the vesper service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church with the call to worship from Isaiah 51, words of hope that look back to Abraham and Sarah as the rock and quarry of faith. After music, Jonker greets the congregation, noting the bright colors and sunshine of the day, and reads Psalm 46, a psalm about God's stability even as "the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea." He explains that the psalm foreshadows the evening's sermon theme, God's presence and stillness in an unstable world. The congregation responds with "Thanks be to God" after each reading, and hymns including "Be Still, for the Presence of the Lord" and "God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength" carry the themes of the readings into song, setting a tone of calm trust that will recur through the rest of the service.
Reciting the Apostles' Creed Together
After the psalm and song, Jonker calls the Apostles' Creed a story as much as a confession, "a story of God's faithfulness in the midst of all the uncertainties of history." He invites the congregation to recite it together, and the gathered worshipers answer as one voice, affirming belief in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, in Jesus Christ who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. The recitation flows into another hymn, "The Lord Is My Light," before Jonker leads the congregation into the evening prayer, framing the creed's ancient words as a foundation for the prayers of lament and hope that follow.
An Evening Prayer for a Shaking World
Jonker leads a long evening prayer built around the hymn "Lord, My Petition Heed," praying first for the nation as the midterm elections approach, asking that the process be just and fair and that elected leaders be bent on service rather than personal gain. He prays for Grand Rapids churches preparing to shelter unhoused neighbors as the cold arrives, and for LaGrave's own future, including what to build on the site of a burned building next door. He then prays by name for members facing illness, naming two-year-old Margo Mustert and her parents Mitch and Alexa, and Valerie Visser, who continues chemotherapy. He widens the prayer to those with chronic pain, addiction, trauma, anxiety, and depression, and to members in hospice, naming Sylvia, Harris, Bruce, Ron, Bev, and George, closing with trust that God can calm troubled seas even when prayer cannot fix every problem.
Reading Jeremiah's Hopeful Words Amid Siege
With his water pitcher empty, Jonker jokes about preaching dry before reading Jeremiah 33:10-16, in which the prophet promises that Jerusalem's deserted streets, lacking people or animals, will again hear the sounds of joy, weddings, and thanksgiving. The passage promises restored pastures, flocks counted again by shepherds, and a righteous Branch from David's line who will do what is just. The congregation answers "Thanks be to God" at the reading's close. Jonker sets the historical scene, noting most scholars date the passage to 587 BC, when Jerusalem was under Babylonian siege, food was scarce, houses were already being torn apart for materials, and the city's mood was desperate, making the prophet's promise of future weddings and bells all the more startling against the suffering around him.
The Jeremiad: Cranky When Life Was Good
Jonker explains that Jeremiah's reputation for gloom gave English the word "jeremiad," a speech of bitter lament, yet the prophet's real pattern runs backward from expectation. In earlier chapters, when Jerusalem enjoyed food, safety, and confidence, Jeremiah stood at the temple gate scolding worshipers, asking who they thought they were bringing offerings while ignoring the poor and the widow. Jonker contrasts this with Proverbs 25:20, on singing happy songs to a heavy heart, suggesting Jeremiah either missed or ignored that warning. He argues that Jeremiah's mood does not track his circumstances the way most people's does, citing familiar examples like Michigan football fans or a diet scale, instead resting on a deeper foundation named explicitly in verses 11 and 15: the Lord's enduring love and his coming justice through a righteous Branch of David.
Living on a Firmer Foundation
Jonker applies Jeremiah's example to the congregation, naming St. Francis of Assisi's poverty, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's prison letters, Paul's joy from jail, and a church member's calm amid terminal cancer as "saints" who live from God's promises rather than their circumstances, even though Jonker says it should be true of everyone. He admits his own mood still follows his circumstances, including when the Lions lose, but urges listeners to speak against injustice in prosperous times and to proclaim God's goodness in fearful ones. He closes with a story of a friend, now deceased, who simply held his anxious wife's hand through dinner as a living sign of God's steady promises. Jonker prays that the congregation stand on Christ's finished work, and pronounces a benediction asking the Lord's face to shine on the people and fill them with peace, to which the congregation answers "Amen."
1 hr 3 min
October 04 LaGrave Live, October 4, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Book of Romans: Abraham, Our Father | 8:40 am (EDT) 10-4-26
About The Service:
Pastor Jonker will continue our sermon series on the book of Romans. His sermon will focus on Romans 4, a passage where Paul uses Abraham as the paradigm of how faith works. It will also be World Communion Sunday, so we will celebrate the Lord's Supper together.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-4-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 September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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 Credited as Righteousness: Romans 4 on World Communion Sunday
On World Communion Sunday at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker preaches on Romans 4 and Abraham's faith, which is credited as righteousness. The service also includes a children's message on musical instruments from around the world, prayers for the church and its members, and the Lord's Supper.
Welcome and a Prayer for Unity
Reverend Peter Jonker opens worship at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church on World Communion Sunday, a day when the congregation remembers that the body of Christ is made up of believers from every nation, tribe and language. After the opening music, Jonker greets worshippers in the sanctuary and online with the words of grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He points people to coffee and donuts in the multipurpose room, a special gathering in the parlor for visitors and newer members, and a Global Concerns prayer meeting in room 204. Turning to John 17, Jonker leads a responsive call to confession built on Jesus's prayer that all his followers may be one. Jonker confesses for the church that it often sees more division than unity, and asks God to forgive its selfishness, fears and indifference. Jonker then reads Romans 8, asking who can separate believers from Christ's love, and the congregation answers that they are more than conquerors.
Children's Message on Strange Instruments
A leader calls the children down front for the children's message and brings a series of instruments to share on World Communion Sunday, a reminder that Jesus built his church in many places and in many different ways. The leader first holds up a bagpipe, asking the children to name the kilt and the instrument, and then offers an imitation of its sound, which the leader says is strange but still praises God. Next comes the shofar, a ram's horn that the leader compares to a trumpet, followed by a djembe, a drum played in some services where people dance. The leader saves the most unusual for last: the pipe organ, with its many pipes, a large room and a console of knobs. The children are told that God is praised when any strange instrument is used to worship him. The leader closes with a call and response, asking the congregation to say the blessing, 'The Lord be with you,' and then sends the children back with 'Go in peace.'
Announcements and Prayers for a Divided World
Jonker offers two announcements of members who are hospitalized or recovering at home, then leads a long pastoral prayer that gives thanks for the unity and diversity of God's people. He prays that the church would see unity expressed in its ministries, in partnership with churches of other denominations, and in responses to disasters and to people who are migrating. He looks ahead to a short-term mission team heading to the Dominican Republic next April and asks God to guide the denomination's Global Vision Implementation Team as it seeks greater partnership with churches around the world. Jonker prays for Christians who face persecution, for missionaries returning to West Africa, and for families grieving a member who recently died. He also prays for people facing illness, cancer treatment, hospice care and other continuing needs. The prayer closes by asking that each person enter a new week at school, at work, at home or on the road with God's presence, strength and guidance.
Reading Romans 4 on Abraham's Faith
Jonker announces that the Bible reading comes from Romans 4, part of the Romans series, and that he will read the whole passage. He explains that the chapter centers on a faith that unites Jews and Gentiles, an issue he had raised in an earlier sermon about a church divided. Reading aloud, he begins with the question of what Abraham discovered, and then reads that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. He reads that wages are owed to a worker, while faith is credited as righteousness to the one who trusts God, who justifies the ungodly. He then reads David's words on blessedness and stresses that Abraham's faith was credited before he was circumcised. He reads that Abraham would become the father of many nations, describing an aged man whose body was as good as dead, yet who was fully persuaded that God could do what he promised. The reading ends with the words written for believers who trust him who raised Jesus from the dead, and the congregation answers, 'Thanks be to God.'
Justification, Harold Abrahams, and Faith That Grows
Jonker names justification by faith as a familiar Reformed doctrine, one many listeners defined on a school religion test. He then describes how the phrase can sound distant to an unchurched coworker, and borrows from Tim Keller's use of the film Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell says that God made him fast and that he feels God's pleasure when he runs, while Harold Abrahams, who won the 100-meter dash at the 1924 Paris Olympics, speaks of '10 lonely seconds to justify my existence.' Jonker says that Abrahams's exhaustion is a picture of many people striving to prove their worth. Paul's good news, he argues, is that no one must win the race to be accepted, since Jesus offers grace as a free gift. Jonker tells of his late friend Jack Kuipers, a Calvin physicist whose mother told him to believe harder, and uses a Chicago Bears example to show that faith grows by focusing on Christ. Near the end, he pictures the last judgment and says only the nail marks on Jesus's hand can justify anyone. He closes in prayer, praising God's work rather than ours.
Lord's Supper, Prayer, and Benediction
Jonker invites visitors who take communion in their home churches to share the meal, noting that people all over the world are gathering at tables like this one. The congregation answers the liturgy line by line, from 'Lift up your hearts' to the Lord's Prayer, which it prays together. A leader asks God to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and cup may be the body and blood of Jesus. Jonker reads Jesus's words at the Last Supper, 'This is my body, given for you,' and later urges the congregation to take, eat and believe. A second leader reads Jesus's words about the cup of the new covenant and reminds the church that it proclaims the Lord's death until he comes again. The hymn 'In Christ There Is No East or West' follows, as the church sings of unity. Jonker closes with a benediction, asking that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit abide with all, and the congregation answers, 'Amen.'
1 hr 30 min
October 04 LaGrave Live, October 4, 2026
LaGrave Live
Not Letting Go | 6:00 pm (EDT) Worship Service 10-4-26
About The Service:
We will have our Service of Remembrance, where we will have the opportunity to remember friends and family who have died, including those in our congregation who have died in the past year. Chad Boorsma will preach on Ruth 1 with the message "Not Letting Go."
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-10-4-PM-Order-of-Worship.pdf
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/Giving/lagr107178
The September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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
Not Letting Go: Ruth's Loyal Love at a Service of Remembrance
At the annual service of remembrance at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker preaches on the story of Ruth, Naomi's grief and Ruth's loyal vow, "I am not letting go." The evening also honors 33 members who died in the past year, with biographies, lit candles and a time for worshippers to remember their own loved ones.
Opening Prayer and Call to Remember
An unidentified minister opens the annual service of remembrance at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church with a prayer for comfort in the presence of God. The minister names the great grief in the room, 33 souls lost from the congregation, and gives thanks for the shared times and memories. Asking God to extend a shoulder for weeping, the prayer recalls the promise that God will wipe away every tear and that there will be no more death or sorrow. After a hymn, Reverend Peter Jonker greets worshippers with grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The congregation stands to recite the Apostles' Creed together, and then Jonker welcomes visitors, including those who have not been inside the building since a loved one's funeral. He explains that the evening will include remembrance of the year's dead and time for people to remember their own loved ones. Refreshments in the multipurpose room are announced, with banket.
Reading Ruth 1 and Naomi's Losses
Jonker reads the opening chapter of the book of Ruth from the pew Bible, beginning with the famine that sends Elimelek, Naomi, and their two sons from Bethlehem to Moab. He reads of the death of Elimelek, the marriages of the sons to Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth, and the deaths of both sons after about ten years. Jonker explains that the story begins with dislocation and loss, and that Naomi is left far from home, without a husband, sons or grandchildren. He notes that Naomi asks to be called Mara, a name tied to bitterness. Jonker invites listeners to recognize grief in the emptiness, the what-if questions and the waves of sadness that come without warning. He then describes how God provides food in Judah, and Naomi sets out to return. Naomi urges both daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers' homes, and the three weep together. Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and goes, but Ruth clings to her.
Ruth's Pledge of Loyal Love
Jonker reads Ruth's reply, "Don't urge me to leave you," and her vow to go wherever Naomi goes, to make Naomi's people and God her own, and to be buried where Naomi dies. He calls this a confession of faith, a sign of a conversion that God's Spirit has worked in Ruth's heart, and a pledge that reaches toward Yahweh as well as Naomi. Jonker says that in the midst of Naomi's sorrow God provides someone to walk beside her. He voices Ruth's words as, "My dear mother-in-law, I am not letting go," and asks whether listeners hear the chesed love in them. Jonker reflects that people in grief need fellow believers who stay close, encourage and pray. He praises the Comfort and Care Team, which visits people after a death. Yet he warns that people, even family, friends, fellow members and ministers, may let one another down. Ruth's love points to a love that never lets go: God's chesed, given most fully in Jesus Christ, who took sin upon himself on the cross.
Reading the Names of the Year's Dead
Jonker and Kristy take turns reading brief biographies of the 33 members who have died since the previous October's remembrance service, while Chad lights a candle for each one. Jonker reads about Beth Mulder, who worked as a nurse and taught students, and Kristy speaks of Pat Peterson, whose husband Bill says she put up with him for 43 years. Other biographies recall a charter member of the bell choir, a man devoted to church music, a seminary secretary of 20 years, a prison ministry volunteer, and a fruit grower who farmed for more than 60 years. Readers also describe a retired broadcaster who was a stay-at-home dad in his later years, a Steelcase worker who finished his days in Lake City, and a neighbor who restocked the pews with prayer cards. Each biography is followed by a candle lit at the front of the sanctuary. Later biographies include a pastor who served churches before becoming a chaplain and a deaconess who visited people of the church.
Open Time to Remember Loved Ones
Jonker explains that worshippers may write one or more names on a sheet from the bulletin, come forward during organ music, place the paper on a plate and take a votive candle. Natalie and Jonathan light each candle, which is added to those already on the table. As the organ plays Elgar's "Nimrod" from the Enigma Variations, people come forward to light candles. Then the unidentified minister reads a long list of names, beginning with Hank Witt and Betty VanderGriend and ending with Bea Eedema and Joyce Canton. The minister then offers a prayer of response that gives thanks for these departed friends and loved ones as gifts from God. It asks for comfort through the strong hope of the resurrection, and that God bring us to be with them in the light of his eternal presence. A period of silent prayer follows before the minister closes with "Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen."
Affirmation of Faith and Benediction
After the hymn For All the Saints, Kristy invites the congregation to rise for the affirmation of faith from Romans 8. She reads "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" and the congregation answers with the words that neither death nor life, nor any powers, will be able to separate them from God's love in Christ Jesus. The congregation then sings "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." Jonker reminds worshippers that refreshments await them in the multipurpose room down the hallway and to the right. He closes with a benediction asking that the Lord bless and keep them, cause his face to shine upon them, and give them his peace both now and for all eternity. The congregation answers Amen, and the organ postlude sounds in the sanctuary as the service closes.
1 hr 22 min
September 27 LaGrave Live, September 27, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Book of Romans | 8:40 am (EDT) 9-27-26
About The Service:
Pastor Manion will continue the fall Romans series with a sermon from Romans 3: 21-31.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-9-27-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 September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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
Justified by Grace: Romans 3 and Luther's Good News with Kristy Manion
On a Sunday morning at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Kristy Manion preaches on Romans 3, Paul's account of justification by grace through faith, and on Martin Luther's discovery that God's justice is good news. The service also includes a children's moment with students from several Christian schools, a shared confession and a pastoral prayer led by Levi Huizenga.
Opening Liturgy and Shared Confession
Levi Huizenga opens the service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church by greeting the congregation with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He welcomes worshippers, notes that he reads liturgy as seminary preparation, and invites everyone to coffee in the multipurpose room afterward. Introducing the Romans series, he says this morning's attention turns to the weight of the law, which cannot make anyone righteous, since only the blood of Christ can. Huizenga then reads Isaiah 64:6-7, which calls all human righteousness filthy rags. The congregation answers with a responsive confession, admitting that its best works are crooked, that vanity blinds it, and that it forgets the sacrifice of the sinless one on the cross. Huizenga declares that people are dead in sin but made alive in Christ, and the congregation responds by reciting Romans 8, declaring that in all things they are more than conquerors through him who loved them.
Children's Moment and School Theme Verses
A woman leading the children's moment invites the youngest children to the top step and the older students to read, marking Christian Education Sunday. She reminds the children that people hope for them to grow in knowing and loving Jesus, and that they learn about him at church, at home and at school. Five students from Christian schools then introduce themselves and their theme verses for the year. Audrey Schopp from NorthPointe Christian shares Romans 12:2 about being transformed by the renewing of one's mind. Clara Becksvoort of Western Michigan Christian High School offers Psalm 119:9 on staying pure, while Cashion Stratton of NorthPointe Christian recites John 14:6 in Spanish. Caroline Haaksma of Trinitas Classical School gives Philippians 4:8, and Nora of South Christian High School offers Galatians 5:1 on freedom in Christ. The congregation responds with the blessing, 'The Lord be with you,' and the leader sends the children off with 'Go in peace.'
Pastoral Prayer for the Hurting and Serving
Levi Huizenga leads a pastoral prayer that moves from praise to intercession. He calls the Lord Jesus the Redeemer who lived a life and died a death that people could not, and he confesses that people are unclean, crooked and comfortable with the lines that divide them. He gives thanks for recent weddings and for a church rushing into a new season of ministry, asking that the comfortable be pushed off balance and that the tired be made new. Huizenga prays for children on this Sunday devoted to Christian education, asking that the congregation never become a stumbling block for them. He lifts up members who are in rehab, recovering from knee surgery, beginning chemotherapy or in hospice care, and asks for strength, presence and healing for those whose bodies, minds and relationships are suffering. After closing with a prayer for faith that draws the church into a community hungry for righteousness, Huizenga leads the congregation into a doxology, which follows a choral anthem and an organ interlude.
Recap of Romans and Reading Romans 3
Kristy Manion, a pastor preaching this morning, recaps the series for a congregation that has not gathered for a week. She describes Romans 1 and 2 as a tornado: God's justice meets sin's wreckage, and Jewish and Gentile listeners in Rome discover they are equally in need. She then turns the page to Romans 3, where Paul moves from ruin to deliverance in Jesus. Manion reads verses 19 through 31 aloud, including the lines that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, and that all are justified freely by his grace. She admits that these familiar words can sound like static to listeners who have heard them since childhood, and that for others the idea of a sacrifice of atonement, or of a God whose wrath needs satisfaction, feels offensive or confusing. Manion says she will not answer every question, but wants listeners to notice what makes this Word hard to hear.
Luther, Justification, and the Kaleidoscope of Language
Manion explains that Paul's language is so dense that its small words, such as 'in,' 'to' and 'for,' leave the relationships unclear, which frustrates those who want theological precision. She compares Paul's images to a kaleidoscope: in one frame righteousness is redemption, like a slave being bought back in the Roman marketplace, and in the next it is the sacrifice of atonement from the tabernacle. Manion then tells how Martin Luther struggled with a punitive picture of God's justice until he read Romans 1:17 and came to see that the word meant the justice by which the merciful God justifies us through faith. In his preface, Luther describes feeling born again and entering paradise through open gates. Manion says this shift taught that justification is status conferred, not achievement earned. To picture sin's chaos, she recalls the Cat in the Hat and Thing One and Thing Two wrecking a house before the mother returns, and says humans cannot fix the mess themselves.
Mercy Seat, Atonement, and a Closing Blessing
Manion returns to the sacrifice of atonement and recalls Leviticus 16, when the high priest sprinkled blood on the gold mercy seat of the ark on the Day of Atonement, the place where God's presence dwelled with his people. She says Jesus is now that blood-sprinkled place where God's presence dwells with people, and that God chose to make the sacrifice public so that believers in doubt can look and see his love. She voices the words of God to listeners, "I love you. I've engraved you on the palms of my hands. You are mine." Manion asks the congregation to remember how much grace cost and how much God desires to live with them, then prays that they would walk with him in joy. After an organ interlude, the choir and congregation sing "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." Manion closes with a blessing, asking that the Lord bless and keep worshippers and make his face shine on them, and the congregation answers, "Amen."
1 hr 26 min
September 27 LaGrave Live, September 27, 2026
LaGrave Live
The Book of Romans | 8:40 am (EDT) 9-27-26
About The Service:
Pastor Manion will continue the fall Romans series with a sermon from Romans 3: 21-31.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-9-27-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 September special offering is for the Pregnancy Resource Center. Services include abstinence education, testing, prayer, consultation, information about pregnancy/adoption/birth control and the distribution of food/formulas/diapers/baby clothes.
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
Homeward Bound: Exile, Pilgrimage and the Promise of Home
In this evening service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Reverend Peter Jonker and Reverend Dr. Mary Hulst lead a joint worship with the Calvin University alumni choir on the theme of home. Through hymns, Scripture and a reading attributed to C. S. Lewis, the congregation moves from the exile of Cain and Judah toward the promise of a new creation.
Welcome, Visitors, and a Joint Service
Reverend Peter Jonker opens the evening at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church with a greeting of grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit, and the congregation answers, "Amen." Organ preludes and a choral performance of "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling" fill the opening minutes, and then the congregation sings "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." Jonker welcomes the many visitors in the pews and explains that the service is a joint effort between LaGrave and Calvin University. He thanks the Calvin alumni choir, which joins the chancel choir under the direction of Sean, along with the musicians. He introduces his friend and colleague, Reverend Dr. Mary Hulst, who will help lead the liturgy. Jonker says the service will be centered on one theme, fitting for the weekend, and hands the opening to Hulst to name it.
Exile, Cain, and the Land of Nod
Mary Hulst introduces the evening's theme, home, and frames it as a promise that comes only after the reality of exile. She points to Adam and Eve leaving Eden and to Cain, who is sent to the land of Nod, a word she notes means land of exile, and asks whether anyone has been there. Hulst says that listeners have all been to Nod, knowing a restlessness and a longing for a home not yet seen. Sin, she says, has made hearts restless and journeys perilous. After the choral "Softly and Tenderly," Jonker reads Genesis 4, where the Lord warns Cain that he will be a restless wanderer on the earth and places a mark on him so that no one would kill him. Hulst then reads the Lamentations 1 lament over a deserted Zion, a city like a widow, weeping at night with no one to comfort her. The reading shows Judah in exile, finding no resting place among the nations, while the roads to Zion mourn.
Lewis, the Psalms, and the Pilgrim Road
Jonker reads a long passage attributed to C. S. Lewis after the congregation sings "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Lewis speaks of a lifelong nostalgia and of standing on the outside of a door, and Jonker reads that all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with a rumor that it will not always be so, and that someday, God willing, we will get in. After the handbells and the hymn "As the Deer Pants for Streams of Water," Jonker describes the pilgrim's road as dangerous, perplexing and fraught. He recalls how God was with Israel in the wilderness, speaking, feeding and sheltering them, and says God does the same for travelers today. Hulst then reads Psalm 27, beginning "The Lord is my light and my salvation," and Jonker follows with Psalm 23, including the line "Surely Your goodness and Your love will follow me all the days of my life." The readings set a steady tone of trust for the evening.
Hymns, a Responsive Reading, and a Homing Beacon
The congregation sings "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," and a choir anthem follows on the same hymn before the congregation joins "In Memory of Love and Hope." Hulst announces a responsive reading from 2 Corinthians 4, and the church reads it together, after which the organ leads into "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." Jonker then quotes an old hymn, "At last the march shall end, the weary ones shall rest," and says that the restless longings people feel are a homing beacon, a compass pointing toward home. He describes the final journey as walking through the valley of the shadow of death, a place where it can grow so dark that the valley seems ready to swallow a pilgrim. Yet he promises that the valley will open into the wide, green country of the new creation, where Jesus is waiting and the traveler is washed clean. He pictures sitting by the river from the throne of God, where there will be no tears or sighing. The choir then sings "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling."
Eternal Houses, Prayer, and the New Jerusalem
A choral performance of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and the choir's "Unclouded Day" carry the service forward. Jonker then reads 2 Corinthians 5, which speaks of an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands and of the Spirit given as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come. Hulst reads 1 John 3, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us," and the promise that when Christ appears, believers shall be like him. After an organ interlude, the church sings "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" and "Amazing Grace." Jonker leads a prayer for faithful travelers, asking God to keep their eyes on him through illness, depression, grief and fear. He prays that their lives become shelter for the poor, the unhoused, the fearful and the lonely. Hulst then reads Revelation 21, describing the holy city coming down from heaven and God wiping every tear from his people's eyes. She ends with the voice from the throne saying, "I am making everything new," as bells ring and the hymn "Jerusalem the Golden" is performed.
The Blessing and the Closing Amen
Following the hymn "Jerusalem the Golden," which runs for several minutes, Jonker reminds the congregation that they are about to leave this place of shelter and continue their pilgrimage. He sends them out in the strong blessing of their Lord. Then he speaks the benediction over the church, asking that the Lord bless and keep them, lift up his face to shine upon them, and turn his face toward them with peace both now and forevermore. The congregation answers "Amen," and the recording moves into the organ postlude and chatter in the sanctuary. The evening closes much as it began, with a greeting of grace and a reminder that the people of God are weary pilgrims who have rested for a while in the house of the Lord. They now return to the road, carrying the promise of a home that is still ahead of them.
1 hr 27 min

About LaGrave Live

From the publisher's feed

If you’re looking for a warm church that commits to an intensely pertinent Gospel in the Reformed tradition of the Christian faith, we invite you to worship with us. Our 1,800 members come from across…

Share LaGrave Live

Sign up to save your podcasts

LaGrave Live

LaGrave Live episodes

About LaGrave Live