As our family prepares to leave for our first sabbatical from May 4 to June 17, we are so deeply grateful. A decade ago, this May, I graduated from Westminster Seminary California. The Lord has added three children and called us to a year-long internship in San Diego, and to two different calls in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Sacramento area and now West Michigan). It’s hard to express how grateful we are for the many friends and co-laborers with whom we share this Gospel work.

Our denomination’s Committee on Ministerial Care reminds us that a sabbatical is more than a vacation; it is a "Sabbath" season—a time to cease ordinary labor to rest, worship, and enjoy God’s creation so that a pastor may return with "sustained excellence in ministry."

Harvest is uniquely proactive in our denomination to serve our pastors in this way. As a church, we devote time and financial resources for pastors to take these periods of rejuvenation, growth and rest. Our congregation’s Sabbatical policy explains its purpose: “A sabbatical will enable the pastor to be renewed through the vital pursuit of continuing education, extended time spent in spiritual formation, and fresh mentoring by respected teachers and pastors and rest. A sabbatical should enable the pastor to return to the responsibilities of Harvest with new energy, spiritual vision, and increased effectiveness.” If you would like to read a copy of our Sabbatical policy, please reach out to Harvest’s Sabbatical committee member, Ken VanderMollen. I am so grateful for Ken’s heart for pastors, serving both our congregation, and our denomination’s committees in this work.

So what are we most excited to get to do on our time of rest and renewal? Here are 5 things we are praying the Lord would work in our life:

1. Ministry Rejuvenation and Rest:

If you visit my office you’ll see hosts of books on shelves that are at least partially unread. I look forward to sustained times to read, take notes and pray.

Some books I plan to read/re-read:

• Sustainable Youth Ministry and Family Based Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries

• Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry by Cameron Cole

• Gospel-Centered Life for Teens by Rubert Thune

• How the Local Church Goes Global by Andy Johnson

• Mission Affirmed: Recovering the Missionary Motivation of Paul by Elliot Clark

• Prioritizing Missions in the Local Church and Prioritizing the Local Church in Missions (Crossway & 9 Marks)

• The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever

• Teaching and Christian Imagination by David Smith and Susan Felch

• Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves

• Come Back Barbara by C. John Miller

• A Faith Worth Sharing by C. John Miller

• The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

• True Grit by Charles Portis

   

2. Exploration of Historic Churches and Societies that Sent Missionaries

England is a "living classroom" for a pastor passionate about missions. I look forward to visiting historical sites and witnessing a legacy of sending missionaries around the world. By engaging with the history of those who were raised, taught and sacrificed their lives to be sent around the world, I hope to return with vivid stories of robustly biblical and Reformed churches who sent their dear members to reach the lost around the world.

3. Refocusing Evangelistic Vision

As your Associate Pastor focusing on evangelism, my heart is for our neighbors in Wyoming and beyond. Distance often provides clarity. I plan to use this time to study different models of community outreach and "bridge-building" within a secular culture, looking for fresh ways we can winsomely proclaim the Gospel to those who are far from God.

Having just completed a study in Rebecca Manley Pippert’s Uncovering the Life of Jesus, I look forward with connecting with a ministry called “The Word One-to-One” to try to gain insights into ways they train a culture of evangelism in local churches in the greater London area. UK is further along the path of secularization and we have much to learn from believers who are continuing to share the Gospel in a more pagan culture.

4. Developing New Resources for Youth Discipleship

I’ll be spending time reading and planning for our next season of Anchored Youth. My goal is to return with a refreshed curriculum that helps our teens navigate the unique pressures of 2026 with a Christ-centered confidence, ensuring our youth group remains a place where our young people are learning to faithfully interpret and apply the Bible to their specific lives.

5. Nourishing Relationships with Rachel and my 4 Girls

Finally, and most importantly, this time allows me to be a husband to Rachel and a father to Addy, Maggie, Lucy and Emma. The last 6 months have been some of the most fruitful and exhausting months of my life. Ministry longevity is built on a healthy home life. A pastor unable to shepherd his home, may not shepherd the family of God (1 Timothy 3:1-5, Titus 1:6-7). I am excited to read the Bible with my wife and girls, sing new worship music we may not have discovered yet, and worship each Sunday with believers in congregations that will be different than ours, yet united to the same Savior. The Lord has also provided a wise retired pastor within our denomination, along with his wife, to meet with, counsel and care for our marriage. Please pray that marriage counseling will be fruitful as well.

Thank you for your prayers and for the way you love our family. We look forward to sharing the ways the Lord grew and restored us with you all when I return in June!

In Christ,

Pastor Adrian

This update is overdue. The service in which Harvest sent out nearly 100 people to River Presbyterian is still clearly etched in my mind—and yet this coming Sunday will mark six months since our first public worship gathering as a church plant.

It was a joy to celebrate our first Easter service this past Sunday. Although meeting in a different part of the city, we joined with you in singing many of the same joyous resurrection hymns—Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, Up from the Grave He Arose, and Thine Be the Glory. The same gospel was preached. The same Jesus was lifted up. The same Spirit was depended upon. These are sweet reminders of the unity that Harvest and River continue to share.

We were especially encouraged by several visitors who joined us the last couple weeks. Several of these people do not have an active church connection. These are people who have found us by the mailer we sent out, by our website, and by personal invitation. These stories remind us why we are committed together to planting River Presbyterian on Grand Rapids’ west side.

While some weeks are more ordinary than others, God has been blessing us as we take steady steps toward becoming established in our new location. We now have six growth groups meeting throughout the city. In January, we launched Sunday School, with approximately 30 children spread across three classes (ages 3–13), as well as a weekly adult class.

Our next major step will be launching evening worship services beginning April 19 at 5:00 p.m. While we will miss worshiping with you regularly, we believe this is an important and necessary step in establishing River as a worshiping community on the west side.

We want to express our heartfelt thanks for the love and support you continue to show us as your daughter church. Though I can’t speak from personal experience, I’ve observed that having a baby isn’t easy—and the same could be said for church planting. As our mother church, you have sacrificially filled ministry gaps left by our departure, supported us financially, encouraged us, shown genuine interest in the work, and prayed faithfully for us. We are deeply grateful.

As River Presbyterian continues to move forward, here are a few ways you can continue to support us:

• Pray. Please pray that we would be faithful in inviting others to River and that God would bring people without church connections our way. Pray for unity among the launch team, sustained energy for the work, and a growing love for Christ.
• Share our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, consider sharing our page (Facebook) with a personal note inviting others to learn more about this new church plant on the west side. Word-of-mouth is invaluable. You can also share our visitor page at https://www.riveropc.org/visit, which helps newcomers know what to expect.
• Invite a friend. One of the most encouraging things you can do is personally invite a friend and bring them along—especially those who live closer to River. We’ll leave personal invitation cards at the Harvest welcome desk, with space for a handwritten note. Please make use of them.

Thank you again for your love, prayers, encouragement, and continued partnership in the gospel. We remain grateful for you and for the privilege of planting River Presbyterian together.

On behalf of River Presbyterian,
Pastor Wayne

Thank you for your prayers for Joanne and me, and Steve and Susan on our recent trip to Bali. Pardon the belated nature of this report — I’ve needed a few weeks to pull my thoughts together. I’d like to share them with you now.

1.  A Deeply Pagan Land

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell."

This is a dark land that is in desperate need of the Light of the world!

2.  A Warning Unheeded

Though Bali is very Hindu, the rest of Indonesia is strongly Islamic. There is a sad story to tell here as well. Back in 1910, Samuel Zwemer, a world-famous missionary from Vriesland, Michigan, urged Christians from the Western world to send missionaries to Indonesia, saying that the land was very open to hearing the gospel. Zwemer was a graduate of Hope College (1887) and held a robust, Calvinist theology of missions. He believed that the glory of God was the primary goal, and God’s sovereignty in salvation was the great confidence. He spent most of his life oversees and was known as “The Apostle to the Moslem’s” (that’s how they spelled “Muslim” back then).

“With God’s sovereignty as basis, God’s glory as goal, and God’s will as motive, the missionary enterprise today can face the most difficult of all missionary tasks — the evangelization of the Muslim world.”-Samuel Zwemer

Zwemer warned that Indonesia would become either Christian or Muslim, depending on who got there first. The church failed to respond and Indonesia currently has the largest Muslim population in the world — around 240 million people.

3.  The Faithful Workers

For the sake of their security, I cannot share many details about the wonderful people I met there. But let me highlight some of what struck me deeply:

❖  They are young — the great majority between the ages of 25 and 35.

❖  Many are raising young families in remote villages and islands over 10,000 miles away from family and the comforts of home.

❖  They are doing extraordinarily difficult things: learning new languages, building friendships across cultural barriers, starting businesses from scratch, and bringing the good news to places where it is unwelcome and the risks are real.

I was humbled to be there. These are very ordinary people doing extraordinary things for the cause of Christ. Their sacrifice is real. And yet, so is their joy. They are doing something of eternal value.

4. Things We Enjoyed

	There was a beautiful path along the ocean that went for several miles. We rented some bikes and enjoyed several trips along the coastline.
The cafeteria was all open-air, right near the pool and the ocean. I greatly enjoyed coming here early in the morning, around 4:00 am, for devotions and reading while the world around me came to life.

The evenings were wonderfully warm, and we enjoyed several lovely dinners on the beach. It was a great honor to be invited and a joy to be there. We are so thankful for your prayers and support! 

Harvest Family,

From all of us on the Harvest Pastoral Staff – Happy New Year!

Indeed, the Lord has done great for us as his people over the past year.

Let’s take just a moment to celebrate and rejoice at the goodness of God in 2025.

Pastoral Provision

In 2025, the Lord called two men to Harvest to serve in the gospel ministry: Daniel Miller and Eddie Mercado.

Not only has this been a blessing to Harvest, but it has been a great blessing to the men who have been called here.

Speaking for myself and the Miller family, this has been a season of great joy and rejuvenation for us. We have felt welcomed and loved by the saints at Harvest and are glad to be settling in in West Michigan.

Church Planting

The Lord also called away one of our pastors, Wayne Veenstra, along with almost 100 Harvest members, to plant River Presbyterian Church this past Fall.

We continued to be encouraged by how the Lord is blessing this work. There continue to be stories of first-time visitors who are new to Christianity, strong participation in small-group ministry, and a general sense of ministry momentum heading into 2026.

One of the great joys throughout this process was seeing how the Lord provided not only for River, but also for Harvest as a sending church.

We have had many resource and volunteer needs as we have planted River, and in every need the Lord has provided richly. Praise be to God for his grace!

Let us continue to keep our brothers and sisters at River in our prayers, and let us continue to pray for the Lord to gather in his flock through ministry of this new church.

We are also excited about the possibility of a new “granddaughter” church that Grace Fellowship is seeking to plant in Jamestown in connection with several families from Redeemer OPC. Let us pray for the Lord’s blessing on Trent Hordyk, the core team, and for the saints at Hanley CRC as this work, Lord-willingly, begins in earnest in 2026.

Walk and Witness Ministry

This past Summer we had the privilege of hosting another successful Vacation Bible School. Close to 200 children gathered to hear the good news of Jesus Christ for 5 nights in July. We praying that the Lord would water those seeds of grace that were sown in their young hearts – for his glory!

In the Fall 2025, we kicked off a reorganized and revitalized Walk ministry at Harvest. This included a new Adult School class, 8 small groups, several men’s and women’s bible and book studies, and a senior’s ministry that continues to bear fruit.

We also reorganized the Harvest Fellowship Team in the Fall of 2025 after sending out most of the team to the church plant. Their first event was a very well attended Fall Fellowship gathering where we enjoyed good food and time together as a church family.

Our Fall ministry season was capped off with the great news of a new Bible Club that was launched by Pastor Adrian and our Witness team at Townline Elementary. Each Thursday, the Lord has been gathering elementary-aged students to hear the good news of Jesus taught from his Word. To get involved with this ministry, you can reach out to Pastor Adrian (Adrian.Crum@harvestopc.org).

Facility Expansion

God has provided far more abundantly than all that we could have asked or thought for our facility expansion in 2025.

Over the past 12 months, through pledges, donations, and grants; we are close to accounting for the funds needed for the base portion of our project – even as we continue to move forward with fundraising towards stretch.

As a reminder, the base project includes several multipurpose adult classrooms, a foyer fellowship expansion, and a revitalized entrance with a portico.

The stretch portion of the project encapsulated our complete vision for a ministry-ready facility. A larger and renovated office area with additional office and leadership development space.

Thank you for your continued generosity towards Christ and his church.

Matching Grant

This past month we received a generous dollar-for-dollar matching grant from a friend of Harvest, up to $100,000. The goal of this grant was to encourage new gifts towards the project.

To have your gift matched by this grant write “Facility Matching Grant” on your check or online donation memo-line.

Let’s all continue to give generously towards building for a bountiful harvest in 2026.

Looking Forward to 2026

Thank you for your continued partnership in the gospel. It is a privilege for us to serve as your pastors. As we move into a new year together, let us continue to be prayerfully dependent as we seek to know God and make him known in 2026.

On Behalf of the Harvest Pastoral Team,

Pastor Daniel

As we enter a new year of ministry in 2026, our great desire as your pastors is that you would grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

To that end, we are looking forward to a new evening sermon series that will begin this Sunday, January 4^th: Discipleship 101.

In this series, the Harvest pastors preach on variety of passages that instruct us as God’s people in the fundamentals of what is means to follow Christ as disciples. You can find a schedule for the series below.

Our hope is that through the preaching of his Word, God would create in all of us a desire for a nearer walk with Christ and a greater fruitfulness and fervency in our witness.

Discipleship Resources for 2026

We also want to take the opportunity to recommend some discipleship resources for you as the new year dawns. These will be a great companion to our Discipleship 101 series.

Articles and Videos

The Way, the Truth, and the Life: 2024 National Conference

What is a Disciple by Sinclair Ferguson

How to Deepen Discipleship in Your Church | Gospel Bound

Bible Reading Plans

One of the core elements of our discipleship is communion with God by his Word. We would like to recommend the following Bible reading plans for you to use in 2026.

If starting a Bible reading plan seems overwhelming, it can be helpful to ask a Christian friend or family member to do it with you for encouragement and accountability. If you need help selecting a good plan, or have any questions, one of the Harvest pastors would be glad to meet with you and help!

5 Day Format

Navigators Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan

Navigators

This Week: The Essence of a Disciple: Knowing God

This Sunday night, we will be looking at Ezekiel 36 to find the essence of our discipleship in knowing God. Please see below for a list of resources for you to consider in order to grow in your knowledge and love of God this new year:

Resources on Growing in Your Knowledge of God in 2026

Knowing God, J.I. Packer

Daily Doctrine, Kevin DeYoung

Amazed: 30 Days of Growing in Awe of God, Carolyn Lacey

The Knowledge of the Holy: A.W. Tozer

The Wonderful Works of God: Herman Bavinck

The Holiness of God: R.C. Sproul

God Is, Mark Jones

The Attributes of God, A.W. Pink

A Heart for God, Sinclair Furguson

Dynamics of Spiritual Life, Richard Lovelace

The Existence and Attributes of God, Stephen Charnock

The Excellencies of God: Exploring and Enjoying His Attributes, Terry Johnson

None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God, Matthew Barrett

In the Love of Jesus,

Pastor Daniel

A Carol for Moving Forward

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is one of my favorite Christmas carols. It’s one of the oldest carols, dating back to the 1500’s, though it’s been revised over the years. It was a “hit” from the beginning. You see, the Roman Catholic church was the only church in England at the time, and its worship songs were still the old, somber Latin choruses sung by the priests.  So, when this lively, English song was published, it quickly gained popularity both for its style and its comforting content.  It is said that the night watchmen in London would sing this tune while they were making their rounds.

But what exactly does “God rest ye merry” mean? There’s a lot of confusion!   

Most people assume it has something to do with God wanting us to be at rest and happy. And that assumption would be false. That’s because the meaning of words often changes over time – and some words fall out of usage completely. 

“Merry” is a great example. It’s a word we hardly ever use it anymore – not even for other holidays. No one says, “Merry Thanksgiving” or “Merry Easter”. It’s just fallen out of common usage.  More importantly, the word doesn’t mean what it once did.  We use it as a synonym for joyful, happy, or jolly.  But in bonnie old England, the word meant “strong, mighty, contented in spirit”.

The word “rest” is has undergone a similar change.  In contemporary usage, it means to relax, take a breather, a cessation. But in 16^th century England it meant something very different.  It meant to “to keep, to make”.

So, “God rest ye merry, gentleman” doesn’t mean, “God give you some rest and joy”, but rather, “May God keep you strong, mighty in heart, contented in spirit”. In a world where we face so much sadness, grief, and loss, the prayer of this carol is that God would keep us strong in our faith, mighty in our spirit, and contented in our hearts.  And the stanza explains what God has done to keep us in such spiritual strength.

  “God rest you merry, gentleman, let nothing you dismay,

Remember Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas Day,

To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray,

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.”

2025 brought its share of heartaches, and 2026 will do the same.  But no matter what difficulties or sorrows we face, “let nothing you dismay”. God promises to keep us strong as we remember the great victory we have in Jesus!  Christ’s birth is a powerful reason for hope, comfort, and joy!  God has come near to save us from Satan’s power and deliver us into the kingdom of life and light! This gospel “is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:17).  And it is more than sufficient to keep us strong in the Lord in 2026. May God rest ye, merry as you trust in Him.

Remembering and Rejoicing

This past year, the Lord took the following saints home.

Emilia Copple (baby)
Jen Gilmore
Dan Sandbulte
AnnaLisa Stegink
John Torres
Ken Van Ek
Chuck Vlieg

Please keep these families in your prayers.

Our gracious God has also blessed us with many new baby boys and girls!

Brooks Copple
Hendrik DeRuischer
Adelle Gelder
Jonah Griffeth
Harper Hopkins
Hudson Hordyk
George King
John Meikrantz
Samuel Modert
Willow Murray
Christian Nylen
Hayes Oomkes
Judah VanderWall
Jama Vanderwey
Katelyn Wheeler

In all of the joys and sorrows of the year to come, may God keep you strong in the Lord and content in your faith.

Wishing you a Blessed New Year,

Pastor Dale

As you know, the Session has been prayerfully moving towards a building program. (For a video with the latest renderings, see below.) We believe this proposed addition will be a tremendous help in carrying out Christ’s command to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:20).  Let me explain.

I’ve recently read two books that have confirmed that we are on the right track.  

In Deep Discipleship, J.T. English makes the argument that the contemporary church has fallen away from the deep teaching necessary for making mature disciples. Over the past 30 years, churches have made small groups the primary, and often only, means of turning believers into disciples. But recent surveys of the American church show ever-increasing levels of Biblical and theological illiteracy in the church. Why is this? Churches are learning that while small groups are great for fellowship and doing life together, they are not great environments for deep teaching.  English points out that the soup of deep discipleship requires two ingredients: fellowship and teaching.  We need healthy small groups AND intentional spaces for deep teaching. English implores churches to establish an intentional discipleship pathway for the church: ‘What do disciples need to know to live God-honoring lives and be fruitfully engaged in God’s gospel mission? What do they need to learn about the Bible, prayer, theology, church history, mission, marriage, stewardship, vocation, etc?’ We need to teach these things.

In High Expectations, Thom Rainer surveyed hundreds of churches asking the question, “What have you found to be most helpful to assimilate members fully into the life of the body and engage them in the ministry?” The resounding answer was, “Adult Sunday School”. There wasn’t a close second. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20, we make disciples by “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The recovery of a robust Adult SS and the additional space for fellowship seem to be the perfect addition as we strive to be obedient to Christ’s command.

Watch Expansion Aerial Transpose

The Need

We have divided the building projects into two parts: “Basic” and “Stretch”.  We’ve also used the terms “Critical” and “Complete”. The “Critical” portion (4 adult multi-use spaces, increased foyer/fellowship, portico, with improvements to the entrance/ parking lot, and refurbished auditorium.) The total cost for this portion is $5.6 million.

That is a large sum, but the Lord is able to provide!  And that’s the good news I’ve been waiting to share with you.

The Provision

A few weeks after our joyful/painful sending off of our newest daughter church, someone informed me of a newly formed Christian foundation that might be willing to help us with our building project. We provided a proposal for them, and soon received the wonderful news that this foundation has granted us $500,000 for our building! That is the largest donation we have ever received as a church, and it is a tremendous answer to prayer.

Here are stipulations:

1. The first $250,000 will be given when we break ground and confirm we are moving forward.  The second $250,000 will follow 6 months later.

2. The Foundation has given us 1 year to break ground. If we do not break ground by the end of 2026 we can provide reasons why and ask that the original funding by reinstated.

The stated purpose of this gift is to get us over “the hump” in our building project.  

In light of this wonderful gift from the Lord, the Session has decided to move forward with purchasing the construction drawings for the building, with the hopes of breaking ground this coming Fall (2026). Friends, we are moving forward!  

Here is our current progress towards our fundraising goal for base:

That leaves us about $450K short of the $5.6 million goal, but we are trusting that the Lord will continue to provide! He does not lack the finances to accomplish His mission! We believe that as we strive to faithfully engage in His mission, He will provide all that we need.

In other good news, the congregation is responding with great generosity to our current budget shortfall. We received $56,000 in offerings for the General Fund just this past Sunday. Praise the Lord for granting us the grace of generosity!  We are involved in a great gospel mission together.  We invite you to prayerfully consider giving an extra gift this December to close the current gap and launch us into a new year of ministry for the glory of Christ!

Gratefully yours,

Pastor Dale

In the bleak midwinter,

frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron,

water like a stone…

These are the words of a 19th-century poem by Christina Rossetti, which would eventually be adapted into a popular Christmas hymn. They reflect one of the realities of this Advent season that we have just entered into – there is a hardness to this time.

Even as we celebrate the joy of the birth of our Savior, we do so at the time of year when life can often feel the bleakest. The days are growing shorter and darker. Long gone are warm summer days of sunshine and ease. Indeed, the earth is now hard as iron, the refreshing water of life has turned to stone.

But the difficulty of this time isn’t simply meteorological. There is a very real emotional and spiritual darkness that can fall upon us during Christmastime. At the very time of year where we are expected to feel the most happiness and cheer we can, in reality, be feeling the most sadness and stress.

Perhaps you are in that place today, friend? This season of additional busyness and stress feels more like a burden than a relief. You are anxious about buying Christmas presents for your kids. You are dreading a difficult interaction with a family member. You anticipate the overwhelming grief of facing this season without someone you love. You regret that another year has passed, and you are still struggling with a besetting sin that you thought you would have outgrown by now. Or maybe you have just a general sense of being weary, sad, and overwhelmed, and you can’t put your finger on why.

How can we have hope when, both literally and metaphorically, the days grow dark and hard this December?

1. Press Into the Promises of the Gospel

The promise of the gospel is that darkness will not have the final word in our lives. In fact, the very promise of the incarnation of Christ is that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2). Because God became man in Christ, we have a hope that shines out like light into the deepest darkness of sin and suffering:

• The good news of Jesus gives you peace in the midst of your anxieties and fears: God has given up his only son for you – how will he not also with Christ give you all things? You can trust him in any circumstance. (Romans 8:32)
• The good news of Jesus gives you hope in your grief: Jesus is the resurrection and the life of all who believe in him – though they die – yet shall they live. In Jesus God has promised you an inheritance and that imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for you. (John 11:25, 1 Peter 1:4)
• The good news of Jesus gives you comfort in your sadness: as you share in Christ’s sufferings, you are promised that you will share in the comfort of Christ. Your pain and weakness are knitting you to Christ in a profound way. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
• The good news of Jesus gives you courage in your battle with sin: You have been crucified with Christ, it is now longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. The life you now live you live by faith in the Son of God who loves you and has given his life for you. Through Christ you have the power to fight sin. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. (Galatians 2:20, John 8:36)

2. Don’t Suffer in Silence

When you are saved into Christ, you were saved into his people. You are not meant to live the Christian life on your own. This means that, in the darkness of this season, you have a place to go with your struggles, sufferings, and sins. You have brothers and sisters in Christ whom God has placed in your life to carry your burdens with you. You have gospel partners to direct your heart to God’s love and to the steadfastness of Christ.

• If you are feeling particularly sad, depressed, or anxious this holiday season, I would encourage you to reach out to a friend, family member, or Harvest leader for help and support. As your pastors, we would welcome the opportunity to support you and care for you – and even to direct you towards a counselor who might be able to provide more comprehensive support. You can submit a confidential request for care at yourpastors@harvestopc.org.
• If you are trapped in a besetting sin from which you can’t find freedom, I would encourage you to confess that to someone you trust. Coming into the light is the first step towards freedom and healing. It is a difficult step, but God promises that if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

A Personal Note From Your Pastors

As we enter into this season together, the Lord has given us a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the power of the gospel to one another. To rejoice together at the wonderous mystery of the incarnate Christ – God become man for our salvation. To weep with those who weep and to comfort our struggling brothers and sisters. In the bleak midwinter, let us draw near to the light of Christ together. He will multiply our joy as we rest in him.

On my drive home that Sunday morning, I had time to reflect on the Supper and particularly on its intended effect. What should we do after partaking of the body and blood of our Lord? What does our Lord want to see in his people after sharing this holy meal? Several plausible answers could be given, but if I were forced to give a one-word answer, I’d say worship. Our response to the Lord’s Supper should be joyful and grateful worship. 

It might sound a little strange, but as I thought further, I was reminded of a Danish movie that Hillary and I saw earlier this year called Babette’s Feast. It made quite an impression on us! I don’t know whether the director was a believer, but I was struck by the sympathetic view of sincere, though flawed, Christians. Released in 1987, this story follows two daughters of a Lutheran pastor as they struggle to maintain a Pietistic Lutheran sect. They were never a particularly thriving “congregation,” but after the homegoing of their pastor, these believers entrenched themselves in an ascetic lifestyle which deemed anything belonging to this world as bad. To make matters even worse, these believers were known more for their fighting than their love for one another! 

The turning point of the story (sorry for the spoiler, but the movie is almost 40 years old…) comes when Babette, a refugee from Paris, invites this Christian sect to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime meal. Seeing the Lutheran group’s resolve to not enjoy their meal was rather humorous, but witnessing their hearts open up to Babette’s radical act of generosity was incredibly moving.  

In the end, the group of austere Lutherans understood that the things of this world (such as an extravagant meal) are not necessarily evils but should be means to an end. And that end is worship. Every gift should drive us to the Gift-Giver. After the meal, the participants stood up and sang a hymn which concluded with the words, “God, may your brightness never dim, nor mercy’s door be closed to man.” 

There are themes in Babette’s Feast that Christians today can appreciate (like humanity’s resistance to accept free grace), but I admit the connection my mind made to the Supper might not hold up upon further scrutiny. I do want to affirm this principle, though: if the best meal on earth is meant to drive us to worship, why would the Lord’s Supper be any different? Just as God’s work of providence is meant to lead us to joy and gratitude, his work of redemption should do the same. As we hold the bread and the cup, reflecting on our utter sinfulness and the surpassing grace of God in Jesus Christ, how can we not sing? How can we not glory in Christ and what he has done to save us from death? The Lord’s Supper is a meal that moves us to worship; worshipping with our hearts, our lips, and our hands. 

Gathering around the table of our Lord should move us to: 

1. Express thankfulness because the Gospel of reconciliation has made us one with another and with God (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). 

1. Sing in expectation of that great day when we will “rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready…” (Revelation 19:7). 

1. Be generous with others, knowing that Christ was first generous to us in the giving up of his body and blood (2 Corinthians 8:9). 

You can take or leave the 80’s movie illustration, but I encourage you to keep these Scriptural truths in mind when we partake of the Supper. May we not take for granted what our Savior has done in preparing a table for us! 

My Recommendations: 
Babette’s Feast directed by Gabriel Axel – I know I spoiled it for you, but don’t let that keep you from watching it! There are a few twists and turns I haven’t mentioned that will keep you engaged. This is a wonderful film (and an Academy Award winner). FYI, be prepared for subtitles. 

Church Membership by Jonathan Cruse – If you’re looking for a short book on the “why” of church membership, this is a good book to read! 

A Divine Tapestry by Ryan McGraw – I’ve been reading this along with my yearly Bible reading plan. Ryan does a fine job in providing a summary of every chapter in the Bible, along with brief “thesis” statements on the 66 books of the Bible (including how they point to Jesus). I don’t always see eye to eye on his readings of certain texts but found it to be incredibly helpful after reading some rather perplexing passages in Scripture. 

Hillary and I had a lot to talk about on the two hour drive home, but what struck me was something he also taught during the MTI course. Stephen said that the church should minister to and with people impacted by disabilities. In 2022, I came into the course expecting to be trained exclusively in serving families impacted by disabilities. To be fair to myself, there are worse things to desire. But Stephen opened my eyes to a reality that is better than anything I could have imagined: a church where people affected by disability are not just recipients of service, but are actively serving as well. What a wonderful thought! I was thinking too low of my brothers and sisters, and of our Lord who equipped them with gifts for service, by his Spirit. The Lord used Stephen’s teaching to reorient my heart, and to see that ministry is not just reserved for the officers of the church.

This philosophy of ministry is not reserved for thinking about disability and the church. This should be our goal in all of Harvest’s ministries (whether men’s, women’s, young adult’s, children’s)! Imagine what Harvest will look like in 10, 20, or 30 years if as we serve those around us, we encourage and empower them to serve likewise! This should be true of our officers, and of our lay members (Ephesians 4:12). As we begin a new ministry year (which includes new offerings like our “Wonderfully Made” Sunday School class), I encourage you to pray with me that the Lord would help Harvest as a whole adopt a “to and with” ministry ethos at Harvest. Why? Because we are called to make disciples of all who come our way, and discipling all people takes all people.

Recommended Resources on Disability and the Church
Like most recommendations, there are quibbles here and there. But here are a few books that I found helpful and instructive as we seek to be a church that makes disciples:

Joni Eareckson Tada - A Place of Healing. Joni does a wonderful job in sharing her heart following a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic. There are no easy answers in this book, and this is simply one perspective, but Joni’s book may be helpful for folks who are interested in ministering to (and with!) people affected by one disability or another

Stephanie Hubach - Same Lake, Different Boat. Stephanie’s strength with this book is her use of stories to help the reader think about what the church can do to walk alongside people with disabilities.

George Hammond - It Has Not Yet Appeared What We Shall Be. This book is an adapted dissertation from an OPC minister, so it can be quite technical. But for those interested in thinking through the implications of the doctrine of the Image of God and disability, this is well worth the read.