LaGrave Live, March 22, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - The Grace of Kindness - 2026-03-22 About The Service: Pastor Jonker will lead us in worship. He will preach on Galatians 5:22 and he will talk about kindness. Order of Worship: https://lagrave.org/wp-content/upload... About Us: 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/Givi... 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 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3yXDFaT Follow us! Facebook: / lagravecrc Instagram: / lagravecrc Website: https://www.lagrave.org #LaGrave #LaGraveCRC More about this evening worship: This evening worship service at La Grave Avenue Christian Reformed Church centers on "Kindness" as a vital fruit of the Spirit. Through scriptural reflections on Ruth and the teachings of Paul, the service explores how God’s "incomparable riches" transform kindness from a meager social politeness into a gritty, life-giving force that reflects the character of Christ. The Scriptural Narrative of Kindness The service opens with a call to worship from Psalm 138, emphasizing that although the Lord is exalted, He looks kindly upon the lowly. This theme is woven through the Old Testament narrative of Ruth and Boaz. In the fields of Bethlehem, Ruth—a destitute foreigner—finds more than just grain; she encounters the "guardian-redeemer" kindness of Boaz, who provides protection, sustenance, and dignity. Naomi recognizes this as a manifestation of God’s persistent kindness to both the living and the dead. Defining Christian Kindness The sermon defines Christian kindness as "active love used to build up another person" specifically towards the life of Jesus Christ. Using the contrast between a warm gas station attendant and an indifferent cashier, the message illustrates how the human spirit is contagious. However, Christian kindness goes deeper than mere friendliness; it is "gritty and wonderful," sometimes manifesting as a gentle smile and other times as firm discipline or the "hard medicine" of truth-telling in the face of opposition. This reflects the kindness of God in Ephesians 2, which raised humanity from spiritual death to being "seated in heavenly realms." Kindness as an Infinite Resource A primary obstacle to kindness is the "scarcity mindset"—the belief that kindness is a finite resource like time or money that will run out if spent too freely. The sermon refutes this using Paul’s descriptions of God’s "incomparable riches" and "immeasurably more" power. Because the well of divine kindness never runs dry, believers do not need to be frugal or budget their compassion; they can afford to be extravagantly kind even in a society marked by rising anger and declining trust. Community Prayer and Intercession The service concludes with a deep intercessory prayer, acknowledging the "gentle push of spring" as a sign of God's grace while bringing specific community suffering before God. The prayer covers national concerns—asking for truth and love to replace anger and deception—and specific congregational needs, including those facing transplants, hospice care, and sudden illness. Kindness is not a "thin virtue" but a robust, Christ-centered power rooted in the infinite grace of God. By shifting from a mindset of scarcity to one of divine abundance, the community is called to be a "contagion" of positivity and mercy in a fractured world.