LaGrave Live, March 22, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Morning Worship Service 03-22-2026 Cross Words: Taking Up the Cross About The concert: We continue our Cross Words series, focusing on the meaning and impact of Christ's cross. Pastor Jonker will preach on Mark 8:31-9:1. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-3-22-AM-Order-of-Worship.pdf 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/Giving/lagr107178 The March special offering is for Mel Trotter Ministries. Mel Trotter Ministries provides shelter for individuals and families with services including: meals, emergency shelter, transitional housing assistance, case management. 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 Taking Up the Cross: A Lenten Journey into Sacrificial Power Taking Up the Cross: The Revolutionary Path Lenten Series: Cross Words | LaGrave Avenue Church (March 22, 2026) Fifth Sunday in Lent Theological Core: Matthew 16:21-28 "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Roman Power (The World) Pure strength & domination Boasting in casualties (Caesar) "Iron laws of force" Cross Power (The Kingdom) Sacrificial love & weakness Absorbing pain for others "The last shall be first" Key Concept: Strepho Jesus' "dynamic turn" on Peter. It wasn't a casual glance; it was a passionate rebuke of the temptation to choose success over sacrifice. Illustrative Narratives The Mission (1986) Rodrigo (the gun) vs. Gabriel (the cross). True change comes through blood of the cross, not force. Leroy Smith (2015) A Black officer assisting a KKK marcher in the heat. Grace vs. the "bottles" of counter-protest. Community Pulse #SeminaryTraining #NewMembers #CaminoDeSantiago #GlobalPrayer Speaker: Pastor Peter | Liturgist: Levi Huizinga ⏱ ~85 min Service📖 Matthew 16:21-28 This worship service at LaGrave Avenue explores the radical call of Jesus to "take up the cross," contrasting worldly domination with the transformative power of sacrificial love. Through liturgy, scripture from Matthew 16, and contemporary illustrations, the congregation is invited to move beyond human concerns toward the "dynamic turn" of Christ. Detailed Summary Community Welcomes and Transitions The service marked a "homecoming" for Levi Huizinga, a pre-seminary student and former member returning to lead the liturgy as part of his training. The community also celebrated the addition of three new members representing three generations of one family: Lynn Stinson, Sarah Turnage, and Francesca Turnage. Notably, Sarah and Francesca shared their upcoming plans to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain this June. These introductions emphasize the church as a multi-generational covenant family where members support one another’s spiritual and personal journeys. Lenten Liturgy and the Theology of Betrayal During this fifth Sunday in Lent, the liturgy focused on the "shape of the cross" in daily life. The prayer of confession acknowledged the human tendency to deny the necessity of suffering or to hide behind religious "busyness" rather than truly following Christ. In a message directed at children, the betrayal of Jesus by his friend Judas was used to illustrate that Jesus intimately understands emotional pain and abandonment. This teaching framed the cross not just as a physical sacrifice, but as a place where Jesus absorbed the "mean" actions of others to offer healing. The "Dynamic Turn" (Strepho) In Matthew 16:23, when Jesus rebukes Peter, the Greek word strepho denotes more than a simple movement. It is a passionate, dynamic spin. Human Concerns Success, safety, and avoiding the cross. God's Concerns Sacrifice, love, and the path of the cross. The Radical Contrast of Power The sermon centered on Matthew 16:21-28, highlighting the moment Peter moved from being the "Rock" to a "stumbling block" by rejecting Jesus’ path of suffering. The message contrasted the Roman concept of power—pure domination and the slaughter of enemies as seen in Julius Caesar’s conquests—with the revolutionary power of Jesus. While the world values "pure winning," Jesus introduced a power that absorbs pain and offers forgiveness. This "cross-shaped power" is described as the only force capable of truly changing the world, moving beyond the "pagan" ...