If you asked me to rank my favorite Church holidays, last week’s Feast of Epiphany would be toward the top of my list. Part of my love for Epiphany is its excuse to keep the holiday lights burning just a little longer. The VanderVelden household has never been too quick to take down the ChristmasContinue reading “He Drew the Line”
Category Archives: Sermons
A Rejoicing Heart
To celebrate my 40th birthday, Julie and I did what we always do to mark such occasions: enjoying a nice meal at a cozy supper club. With our little Mary (at the time our only child) left behind in the good care of a trusted babysitter, “me and the missus” were jazzed to be footlooseContinue reading “A Rejoicing Heart”
A Christmas Heart
Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message during the Christmas Eve candlelight service at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon, Iowa, USA. It is part of his Advent and Christmas series “Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room.” The children’s story, The Christmas Heart, is written by Pam McDonald and illustrated by Kim Hanzo. The book isContinue reading “A Christmas Heart”
A Pure Heart
The sights, sounds, and smells of the holidays lift our spirits and warm our hearts. But these holy days are frozen in melancholy for those who work the land: For the farmer whose acreage lies fallow under a blanket of snow and ice, for the backyard gardener whose little plot sits as dull and lifelessContinue reading “A Pure Heart”
A Worshipful Heart
According to AAA, nearly 82 million Americans were expected to travel 50 or more miles over last weekend’s Thanksgiving holiday. And among that horde going over the river and through the woods, 6 million hardy souls got to grandmother’s house by airplane. And all those flyers yearned (or even prayed) for hassle-free journeys that satisfiedContinue reading “A Worshipful Heart”
A Listening Heart
An ecumenical mix of thoughts and reflections from a handful of Christian writers have strongly influenced the foundations and practice of my faith and belief. Words from Parker Palmer, a Quaker, encourage me to live more courageously and authentically. “Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conformsContinue reading “A Listening Heart”
A Forgiving Heart
At the time, it seemed like a good idea. I was a late-20s single man; I’d been promoted to managing editor of a small daily newspaper in northeast Wisconsin; I’d just purchased my first house. And I wanted to get a dog – a boyhood desire that my parents long refused. So, off to theContinue reading “A Forgiving Heart”
An Old Heart Becomes New
At the risk of reducing the grand truth of our relationship with God to a few mere words, let me say this: God loves you just the way you are. If you think God’s love for you would be stronger if your faith was more muscular, you are wrong. If you think God’s love forContinue reading “An Old Heart Becomes New”
Together Forever
“Is this heaven?” wonder we Iowans when ruminating on a cinematic field of dreams. So also wonder all God’s people in hearing this morning’s dreamy Scripture lesson for All Saints Sunday from the New Testament Book of Revelation: Is this heaven? Is the apostle John imagining God’s heavenly field of earthly dreams? Or does JohnContinue reading “Together Forever”
Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone
The scriptures – God’s perfect Word trapped within imperfect human word – are the direct source of our faith and the most important rule of our living. The written Word teaches you how to glorify God. One of our fallen world’s more-wicked displays of sin emerges when a crafty person finds a tricky way toContinue reading “Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone”