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The King Is Coming with Jeff Kinley
Uncovering the Mysteries of God - Episode 2
Uncovering the Mysteries of God - Episode 2
LaGrave Live
LIVE Morning Worship Service 05-31-2026
The Way of Wisdom: The Beginning of Wisdom
About The Service:
We will start our summer sermon series. This summer our sermons will all be drawn from the parts of the Bible that are considered Wisdom Literature. These are Bible books and Bible passages that address the practicalities of living in God's world. Pastor Jonker will begin the series with a sermon on Proverbs 1:1-7 where the teacher of Proverbs shares with us the place where wisdom starts.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload...
About the Church:
We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months)
We'd love to hear from you:
Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact
Let us pray for you:
Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/
Giving: https://www.elexiogiving.com/App/Givi...
The April special offering is for Family Promise. Family Promise partners with local congregations, individuals, families, foundations and corporations to provide emergency shelter and case management for families with children facing a housing crisis.
Listen on the go:
Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ
Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle
Soundcloud: / lagravecrc https://soundcloud.com/lagravecrc
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT
Follow us!
Facebook: / lagravecrc https://www.facebook.com/lagravecrc
Instagram: / lagravecrc https://www.instagram.com/lagravecrc
Website: https://www.lagrave.org
#LaGrave #LaGraveCRC
The Way of Wisdom: The Beginning of Wisdom
Opening Welcome and a New Summer Focus
The service opens with a greeting centered on Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, followed by a warm welcome to the congregation, online worshipers, and visitors attending for the baptism service. Announcements include hospitality details, coffee fellowship, and an invitation for visitors and new members to gather in the parlor after worship. The congregation is also introduced to the church’s summer sermon series, The Way of Wisdom, which will focus on biblical wisdom literature and its guidance for life in God’s world.
Confession, Assurance, and the Theme of Wisdom
The liturgical opening turns toward confession by connecting wisdom with surrendering control to God, drawing on Proverbs 16:9 and a responsive prayer from Psalm 119. The congregation prays for understanding, delight in God’s commands, and hearts turned away from selfishness and toward God’s statutes. After this corporate confession, the congregation hears an assurance from Psalm 37, reminding worshipers to commit their way to the Lord and trust him. This moment establishes wisdom not merely as intelligence or strategy, but as a life ordered under God’s care and direction.
Baptism as Covenant, Family, and Promise
A major part of the service is devoted to the baptism of three children: Grace, Arlo, and Joni. The presiding pastor explains baptism as participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, cleansing from sin, and entry into the covenant family of God. He places baptism within the larger biblical story, moving from God’s covenant with Abraham and the sign of circumcision to baptism as the New Testament sign of belonging to God’s people. The parents make vows to raise their children in the faith, and the congregation vows to receive, pray for, and nurture them, underscoring the shared responsibility of the Christian community.
Prayer, Congregational Life, and Care for the Church Family
The pastoral prayer reflects the life of the congregation by giving thanks for the newly baptized children, milestone birthdays, missionary service, and the birth of Catherine Marie VanEerden. It also lifts up members recovering from surgery, receiving rehabilitation or hospice care, and families facing grief after the death of Lori Vanderarc. Throughout the prayer, the church’s needs are framed through the language of walking faithfully with God and asking the Holy Spirit for courage, wisdom, openness, service, and gratitude. The prayer portrays the church as a community that celebrates, intercedes, and grieves together.
Children’s Message and the Incarnation of Christ
In the children’s message, the pastor reflects on the fragile nature of babies and uses the morning’s baptisms to help children imagine the humility of Christ. He explains how carefully one must hold a baby, especially the neck and head, and then observes that Jesus, who is mighty and powerful, willingly became that small and vulnerable. This becomes a simple but powerful lesson in the incarnation: Jesus became weak in order to be with humanity and save humanity. The message emphasizes that Christ fully entered human life, from infancy onward, out of love for his people.
The Beginning of Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord
The sermon begins the new series by asking what biblical wisdom is and distinguishing it from both moral law and abstract knowledge. Wisdom is described as practical, embodied, decision-making knowledge that operates in the complexity of real life, where rules alone are often not enough. The pastor then focuses on Proverbs 1:7 and explains “the fear of the Lord” as the beginning of wisdom, distinguishing punishment-based fear from affection-based fear. He argues that the fear Scripture commends is rooted not in terror, but in love, admiration, reverence, and the desire not to disappoint God. The sermon concludes by grounding this fear in grace, especially in the saving work of Jesus Christ, and presenting biblical wisdom as something that becomes life-giving only when it begins in humble relationship with God.
LIVE Morning Worship Service 05-31-2026
The Way of Wisdom: The Beginning of Wisdom
About The Service:
We will start our summer sermon series. This summer our sermons will all be drawn from the parts of the Bible that are considered Wisdom Literature. These are Bible books and Bible passages that address the practicalities of living in God's world. Pastor Jonker will begin the series with a sermon on Proverbs 1:1-7 where the teacher of Proverbs shares with us the place where wisdom starts.
Order of Worship:
https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload...
About the Church:
We are a traditional CRC church in the middle of Downtown Grand Rapids, MI, worshipping at 8:40am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm. (10:00am and 6:00pm during the summer months)
We'd love to hear from you:
Connection: https://www.lagrave.org/contact
Let us pray for you:
Prayer: https://www.lagrave.org/prayerrequest/
Giving: https://www.elexiogiving.com/App/Givi...
The April special offering is for Family Promise. Family Promise partners with local congregations, individuals, families, foundations and corporations to provide emergency shelter and case management for families with children facing a housing crisis.
Listen on the go:
Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/LGPodAmazonMusic
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3tuOdwQ
Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/LGPodGoogle
Soundcloud: / lagravecrc https://soundcloud.com/lagravecrc
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT
Follow us!
Facebook: / lagravecrc https://www.facebook.com/lagravecrc
Instagram: / lagravecrc https://www.instagram.com/lagravecrc
Website: https://www.lagrave.org
#LaGrave #LaGraveCRC
The Way of Wisdom: The Beginning of Wisdom
Opening Welcome and a New Summer Focus
The service opens with a greeting centered on Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, followed by a warm welcome to the congregation, online worshipers, and visitors attending for the baptism service. Announcements include hospitality details, coffee fellowship, and an invitation for visitors and new members to gather in the parlor after worship. The congregation is also introduced to the church’s summer sermon series, The Way of Wisdom, which will focus on biblical wisdom literature and its guidance for life in God’s world.
Confession, Assurance, and the Theme of Wisdom
The liturgical opening turns toward confession by connecting wisdom with surrendering control to God, drawing on Proverbs 16:9 and a responsive prayer from Psalm 119. The congregation prays for understanding, delight in God’s commands, and hearts turned away from selfishness and toward God’s statutes. After this corporate confession, the congregation hears an assurance from Psalm 37, reminding worshipers to commit their way to the Lord and trust him. This moment establishes wisdom not merely as intelligence or strategy, but as a life ordered under God’s care and direction.
Baptism as Covenant, Family, and Promise
A major part of the service is devoted to the baptism of three children: Grace, Arlo, and Joni. The presiding pastor explains baptism as participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, cleansing from sin, and entry into the covenant family of God. He places baptism within the larger biblical story, moving from God’s covenant with Abraham and the sign of circumcision to baptism as the New Testament sign of belonging to God’s people. The parents make vows to raise their children in the faith, and the congregation vows to receive, pray for, and nurture them, underscoring the shared responsibility of the Christian community.
Prayer, Congregational Life, and Care for the Church Family
The pastoral prayer reflects the life of the congregation by giving thanks for the newly baptized children, milestone birthdays, missionary service, and the birth of Catherine Marie VanEerden. It also lifts up members recovering from surgery, receiving rehabilitation or hospice care, and families facing grief after the death of Lori Vanderarc. Throughout the prayer, the church’s needs are framed through the language of walking faithfully with God and asking the Holy Spirit for courage, wisdom, openness, service, and gratitude. The prayer portrays the church as a community that celebrates, intercedes, and grieves together.
Children’s Message and the Incarnation of Christ
In the children’s message, the pastor reflects on the fragile nature of babies and uses the morning’s baptisms to help children imagine the humility of Christ. He explains how carefully one must hold a baby, especially the neck and head, and then observes that Jesus, who is mighty and powerful, willingly became that small and vulnerable. This becomes a simple but powerful lesson in the incarnation: Jesus became weak in order to be with humanity and save humanity. The message emphasizes that Christ fully entered human life, from infancy onward, out of love for his people.
The Beginning of Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord
The sermon begins the new series by asking what biblical wisdom is and distinguishing it from both moral law and abstract knowledge. Wisdom is described as practical, embodied, decision-making knowledge that operates in the complexity of real life, where rules alone are often not enough. The pastor then focuses on Proverbs 1:7 and explains “the fear of the Lord” as the beginning of wisdom, distinguishing punishment-based fear from affection-based fear. He argues that the fear Scripture commends is rooted not in terror, but in love, admiration, reverence, and the desire not to disappoint God. The sermon concludes by grounding this fear in grace, especially in the saving work of Jesus Christ, and presenting biblical wisdom as something that becomes life-giving only when it begins in humble relationship with God.
