Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message during the funeral for Timothy Gene Gress on Monday, January 8, 2024, at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon, Iowa. Scholarship commentary, and reflection by M. Eugene Boring, Scott Hoezee, and Dennis Linn inform the message. Reading the Bible is as much about challenge as it is about comfort,Continue reading “‘We’re All Good Goats’”
Category Archives: Sermons
A New Broom Sweeps Clean
What I’m about to share with you will make a finicky housekeeper cringe. Our living room and foyer still harbor pockets of Christmas mess: Small piles of gifts and stocking-stuffers sorted neatly by recipient; cardboard and packaging destined for recycling; a cast-aside instruction manual sternly forbidding “use of this appliance in a bathtub or otherContinue reading “A New Broom Sweeps Clean”
Making Room
Now children, here is how God came to you: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of theContinue reading “Making Room”
‘Mortals, Join the Mighty Chorus’
The miracles surrounding the birth of Jesus begin to pop and sizzle long before that cold, dark night in a manger stall. Months earlier, an angel visits a man named Zechariah and shares astounding word that he and his wife, Elizabeth – long past her child-bearing years and like Zechariah long resigned to being childlessContinue reading “‘Mortals, Join the Mighty Chorus’”
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
Children see the world differently. For a toddler, a caterpillar is a miracle. For a kindergartener, a tall pine is a modern marvel. For any kid wearing galoshes, water is as much for joy as it is for survival. Then, somewhere in our childhood – in adolescence, maybe – peer pressure mounts to outgrow suchContinue reading “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”
Glad Tidings of Great Joy
“How does a weary world rejoice?” The question for our Advent is as honest as it is challenging, looming large over heart, body, mind, soul, and spirit: How does a weary world rejoice, when everything in and around feels like it’s coming apart at the seams and flying off the rails? It’s a confusing paradoxContinue reading “Glad Tidings of Great Joy”
Turtle-Watching
The Lord God sometimes – oftentimes – appears in unlikely places to share the unexpected gift of undeserved grace. Whenever that happens – whenever the joy of heaven to earth comes down, great, beautiful, and wonderful things begin to happen: Shadow becomes light. Darkness gives way to brightness. Wee hours dawn a brand-spanking new day,Continue reading “Turtle-Watching”
First and Greatest: How to Live Your Best Life Ever
Midsummer brought the start of our Sunday morning walk of faith through the Ten Commandments. At every step of the way, my unwavering encouragement has been simple: You must view the Commandments through the lens of Jesus. That means you read God’s Law with eyes of love, and you embody God’s Law with a heartContinue reading “First and Greatest: How to Live Your Best Life Ever”
Another Day in Paradise
Technically speaking, God’s Tenth Word tackles coveting. “Thou shall not covet” your neighbor’s house, or your neighbor’s spouse. Not another’s servants or hired help. Not a donkey or an ox – or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Or a friend, and even a stranger. Just so we’re all on the same page, toContinue reading “Another Day in Paradise”
Speaking in God’s Sted (Take It Easy, Pinocchio)
Among the many, many descriptors assigned to God, you likely would be surprised to see “risk-taker” on the list. The Lord God definitely rolls the dice when he, in our Creation, gives humans the ability to speak and the power of speech. God well knew then what we’re only just now beginning to grasp: WordsContinue reading “Speaking in God’s Sted (Take It Easy, Pinocchio)”