LaGrave Live, March 8, 2026

LaGrave Live LIVE Evening Worship Service - Healing and Forgiveness - 2026-03-08 About The Service: We will hold a service of prayer and healing. Pastor Jonker 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: 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 This worship service at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church marks the revival of a communal tradition focused on bringing physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds before God for restoration. The Revival of a Healing Tradition The service represents the first "Annual Service of Prayer and Healing" held at the church since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It serves as a dedicated space for members and visitors to bring their diseases, grief, and spiritual burdens to God, facilitated by the presence of pastors and elders available for direct intercession. The liturgy emphasizes that God meets the congregation as a healer who redeems life from "the pit" and crowns the faithful with love and compassion. Biblical Foundation: The Multidimensional Healing of Jesus The theological center of the service is a meditation on Mark 2:1-12, the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man in Capernaum. The sermon highlights that while the man sought physical restoration, Jesus addressed his spiritual state first by declaring his sins forgiven. This illustrates that Jesus views human struggle differently than the world; he sees "paralysis" not just as a physical ailment but as a potential grip of fear, worry, and spiritual bondage. The Role of the Intercessory Community A significant portion of the message focuses on the friends who carried the paralyzed man to Jesus. The sermon posits that when an individual’s faith is "paper thin" or their hope is exhausted, the community steps in to carry them into the presence of Christ. This communal faith is mirrored in the church's weekly prayer team, which systematically prays through the entire congregation directory alphabetically. Liturgy of Confession and Invitation The service includes a structured litany of confession based on James 5:16, linking the act of confessing sins to one another with the process of healing. Participants are invited to approach one of four prayer stations to share specific requests written on cards, symbolizing the act of "lowering a friend through the roof" to reach Jesus. The service concludes with the assurance that while complete physical healing may not always occur in the manner expected, every prayer offered results in a flow of strength from Jesus to the believer. The congregation is sent out with a benediction to carry the peace of God into their week, grounded in the hope that they will eventually be made entirely new.