On the eve of Memorial Day, our Scripture lesson drops us into a scene of grief and loss – a place of transition that all of us experience. Two women, Mary and Martha, are grieving the death of their brother Lazarus. Martha learns that Jesus plans to meet them in their grief, and she runsContinue reading “Jesus Wept: Grieving to Move On”
Category Archives: Meditations
From the Pastor: Taking Up Your Cross
“The next day, the great crowd that had come to the Passover festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13) TodayContinue reading “From the Pastor: Taking Up Your Cross”
A Letter from Bethlehem
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this,Continue reading “A Letter from Bethlehem”
Pastoral Meditation: Times and Seasons
Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message at the funeral for Jerry W. Ewing on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. The message arises from Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 – For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, andContinue reading “Pastoral Meditation: Times and Seasons”
Pastoral Meditation: Glory Revealed
Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message at the funeral for Darlene Janice “Dar” Klein on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Among Dar’s personal effects was a hand-written letter that she penned several years ago. Dar’s family shared it with me while we were making funeral arrangements, and since it provides such an intimate and heartfeltContinue reading “Pastoral Meditation: Glory Revealed”
Collateral Beauty: A Pastoral Meditation for Memorial Day
It is a weekend for remembering. And for those of us whom God has claimed in Christ Jesus, the most important thing for us to remember is that there’s life even in death – “collateral beauty,” the odd-sounding term I’ve shared with you before. Believing in collateral beauty is to hold fast to the notionContinue reading “Collateral Beauty: A Pastoral Meditation for Memorial Day”
Palm Sunday meditation: Sunday’s Coming!
The great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and satContinue reading “Palm Sunday meditation: Sunday’s Coming!”
Pastoral Meditation: Authentic Living
Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message at the funeral for LeOtia Edna “Lee” Flage on Saturday, March 19, 2022. The Scripture lesson was Matthew 6:25-34. On one of the bulletin boards in the hallway between our sanctuary and our fellowship hall hangs a display titled “Many Gifts, Simple Giving.” It exhibits a number ofContinue reading “Pastoral Meditation: Authentic Living”
Pastoral Meditation: Times and Seasons
Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message at the funeral for Norb Palmer on Saturday, February 19, 2022. The Scripture lessons were Psalm 23, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, and Matthew 5:3-12. Our lives arrange into a rolling litany of different seasons, rhythmic times for every purpose, surely appropriate for the moments at hand. And so it wasContinue reading “Pastoral Meditation: Times and Seasons”
Funeral meditation: What’s in a Name?
One of the occupational hazards of being a pastor is sometimes only getting to “meet” people in death. And so it goes with Kenny and me. Due to his death, I’m just now coming to know who Kenny was and what he was all about. And that saddens me. Because I’ve come to realize something that all of you already know: Kenny was one mighty special guy who made a difference in the lives of many others.