Pastor Grant M. VanderVelden shared this message at the funeral service for Thomas William “Tommy” Thomson, an elder and patriarch of First Presbyterian Church in Waukon, Iowa, on Saturday, February 3, 2024. Scholarship, commentary, and reflection by Jonathan Safran Foer and Scott Hoezee inform the message. Oskar Schell is the lead character in the novelContinue reading “Help When You Need It Most”
Tag Archives: psalm 121
‘Weariness Feels Like’
In just a few days, we will experience our annual winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year. This Thursday brings a mere nine hours of daylight and whopping 15 hours of darkness. Our worship this morning is a Service for Our Longest Nights – a time to recognize the darknessContinue reading “‘Weariness Feels Like’”
King of the Road
Oskar Schell is the lead character in Jonathan Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The 9-year-old boy’s father has just been killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack, and Oskar is understandably heartbroken over losing his dad. In the days after the attack, Oskar is poking around his father’s closet and discovers a small keyContinue reading “King of the Road”