Sermons by Dan Vellinga
The End of Death
The End of Death Revelation 21:3-4 Sunday, October 15, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Introduction I remember visiting a woman who was in hospice and knew that she did not have long to live. Well into her 90’s, her heart had become weak and all medical science could do was keep her comfortable as she lived her last days. Strong in Christ, she referred to her impending death as her home-going and looked forward to…
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Sabbath variation) Exodus 20:11; Deuteronomy 5:15 Sunday, October 8, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Intoduction Friedrich Nietzsche I remember being in a meeting about spiritual care in a hospital setting and the presenter spoke of “making meaning,” which I took to mean that reflection on life, or a life situation, can bring meaning to a difficult situation and thus making it easier to manage. Reflecting on life, its joys and its challenges,…
Authority To Judge
Authority to Judge Ezekiel 19:29-30 Sunday, October 1, 2023, at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa One of the most unpopular theological topics is that of judgement; the idea that we must stand before God as God judges our lives. The Book of Revelation depicts an awesome and grim scene in which the people of the ages stand before God and books are opened and those whose name is found in the book are admitted into heaven and those…
The Mercy Seat
Leviticus 16:1-2; Romans 3:21-25 Yom Kippur, Sunday, September 24, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa This is the week of Yom Kippur in the Jewish Calendar. It is the religious New Year and a day of great significance. Still celebrated by fasting and spiritual worship to this day, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement was the day when the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of sacrifice upon the cover of the Ark of the Covenant and…
Creation and New Creation
Sunday, September 10, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. This Friday marks Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the civil New Year in the…
I Am
Exodus 3:13-15; John 8:53-58 Sunday, September 3, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa I recently read about a discussion a pastor had with the church office manager about his sermon for the next Sunday. It’s title, “Jesus was the Greatest” and the office manager took exception to it and suggested that he change the title. The pastor was confused. What was wrong with it? It seemed to be grammatically correct and the Lord Jesus certainly loomed large…
God Does Not Let Go
Sunday, August 20, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Matthew 15:21-28 Today’s passage is one of the more awkward moments in the narrative of Scripture. Jesus and His disciples are in hostile territory and a person keeps bothering them. So much so that Jesus says some things that don’t seem polite, and that runs counter to our image of the Lord Jesus, who we envision as someone who is always proper and never says anything out of…
Wrestling with God
Wrestling With God Genesis 32:28 Sunday, August 6, 2023 First Congregational Church of Wayne, Michigan This strange story is fundamentally about prayer, and what can happen when someone meets God in prayer. Preachers are supposed to be people of prayer, and one day a preacher’s five year old daughter noticed that he father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why. “Well, honey,” he began, proud that his daughter…
A Fork in the Road of Life
The Fork in the Road of Life Luke 5:11 “So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” Sunday, July 30, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Luke 5:1-3 1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.…
Why We Do VBS
Why We Do VBS Sunday, July 23, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 24:32-35 Introduction: VBS is hard. Why is it worth it? Every year, the biggest and hardest project takes place in the Summer, usually near the end of July or the beginning of August. It is Vacation Bible School. Starting tonight, and going through Thursday night, upwards of 60 children from the church and neighborhood will gather for skits, music, games, snacks…
The Greatness of God
The Greatness of God Matthew 14:22-33; 1 Kings 19:9-18 Sunday, July 9, 2023 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Introduction: A husband and wife were having a bad day. They were arguing a lot until the wife got fed up and said to just write her a note if he really wanted to talk to her. He agreed, so for the rest of the day they passed notes here and there. At night the husband left a note…
The Gift of Freedom
The Gift of Freedom Exodus 3:9-10; 2 Corinthians 3:17 Sunday, July 2, 2023 at the First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Introduction I remember reading an old interview in Life Magazine with young people in India who were members of the “Untouchables.” The interviewer asked of their goals, hopes and dreams for their life. They didn’t understand the concepts. They were born in a caste where such things were not allowed, so to think they could ever aspire to anything…