LaGrave Live, March 15, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Bones and Breath - 2026-03-15 About The Service: Rev. Kristy Manion will lead this service 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: 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 Church explores the transformative power of God’s Spirit (Ruah) to bring life out of death. Centered on the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37, the service invites the congregation to move from spiritual exile toward a living hope anchored in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The service opens with a liturgical call to worship and hymns that celebrate God as the redeemer who "crowns us with love and compassion." The minister welcomes both in-person and online worshippers, noting that this specific evening service includes a longer liturgy for the celebration of Communion. This "table of grace" is presented as a source of strength and "fuel for the week" for a community seeking to draw closer to the Divine. The scriptural foundation for the evening is established through readings from John 5 and Ezekiel 37. In the Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the authority granted to the Son to bring the dead to life, asserting that those who hear His voice will live. This sets the stage for the Old Testament narrative of Ezekiel, who is transported by the Spirit to a valley filled with "very dry bones"—a vivid metaphor for the physical and spiritual hopelessness of the Israelites in Babylonian exile. The sermon reflects on God’s "nonsense question" to Ezekiel: "Can these bones live?" The preacher notes that Ezekiel’s response—"Sovereign Lord, you alone know"—reflects a tempered hope born of suffering. The message emphasizes the Hebrew word Ruah, which encompasses wind, breath, and spirit. It is this Ruah that reassembles the bones and breathes life into the "vast army" of the dead. This divine intervention is not just a historical account but a promise for those currently experiencing "living death" or despair, offering a compass that points "true north" even in dark valleys. The service culminates in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, described as a "rest stop" that fuels Christian hope. The congregation participates in the liturgy of the bread and cup, proclaiming Christ's victory over death and the grave. The prayer of thanksgiving emphasizes that through Christ, believers receive mercy instead of condemnation and freedom instead of slavery, entrusting their "unfinished tasks and unsolved problems" to God's protection. The service concludes with a powerful reminder that because Jesus lives, physical death and spiritual despair never have the last word. The congregation is sent out with a benediction to live as people whose "inheritance is hope," empowered by a God who sustains and fulfills His promises even in the midst of life's "jagged edges".