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First Reformed Church of Grand Haven

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from First Reformed Church of Grand Haven, Nonprofit Organization, 301 Washington Avenue, Grand Haven, MI.

For God's glory, we exist to be a multi-generational body of worshippers, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, maturing disciples, and empowering them for active service in the Tri-Cities and throughout the world.

10/27/2026

Looking for a place to belong?

Where you're surrounded by family and loved deeply.

Where the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached unapologetically.

Where there's something for everyone.

Join us at First Reformed Church in Grand Haven, Michigan. Sunday service is held at 9:30 am in our historic downtown church. Church Online streams live on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and is available on demand throughout the week. Find out more on our website firstgrandhaven.org

10/23/2026

DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?

I recently stayed at a hotel where breakfast was included. Unfortunately, there wasn't much breakfast to include.

The waffle machine was out of batter. The bacon was gone. There were one or two lonely pieces of potato left in the serving tray. Even the table where I sat down was sticky with syrup from someone else's breakfast.

After a few minutes, the woman responsible for the breakfast buffet emerged from the kitchen. She didn't look particularly happy to be there. But what really caught my attention was her T-shirt.

Printed across the front were the words: "Does it look like I care?"

I had to laugh. Because, quite frankly, no. No, it did not.

I wondered how the hotel manager had allowed an employee to wear that shirt to work. I'm not sure what job you could show up to wearing a shirt like that, but I'm pretty sure hospitality isn't one of them.

Of course, most of us would never wear a shirt like that to work. But if we're honest, there are probably times when we've felt exactly what it said. Times when we're tired, frustrated, or simply don't feel like giving our best.

The apostle Paul offers a different way to approach our responsibilities:

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." (Colossians 3:23)

Paul wrote these words to bondservants: people whose work was often difficult, thankless, and unappreciated. People who had plenty of reasons not to care.

But Paul gave them a reason to care that went beyond their circumstances:

"You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:24)

Paul's words weren't just for bondservants in the first century. They speak to every follower of Jesus Christ today. He calls us to serve Him faithfully, even when the work is difficult, the appreciation is scarce, or we'd rather be doing something else.

But why? What should motivate us to live that way?

Because we belong to Jesus Christ. He purchased us with His own blood, and His lordship extends over every part of our lives. Whether we're teaching a classroom, caring for children, cleaning a house, or refilling a waffle machine, there is no task too ordinary or insignificant to matter to Him.

And consider what it cost Him to make us His own. Jesus gave Himself for us when we had done nothing to deserve His love. When we understand what Christ has done for us, serving Him becomes more than an obligation. It becomes an expression of gratitude.

We may never wear a T-shirt announcing whether or not we care. But our actions are sending a message just the same.

The question is, what message are we sending? And does it reflect the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we serve?

- Pastor John Kenny

10/16/2026

WHAT TIME CANNOT ERASE

My wife and I recently spent an evening walking through a local cemetery. We were following a self-guided tour, which, apparently, at this stage of life, qualifies as a date.

The tour led us past the graves of people who had lived in our community many years ago. Some of the headstones were quite elaborate, with names and dates carefully carved into stone. Others were much simpler.

But as we walked, I began noticing something else.

On some of the older headstones, the lettering had become so worn that the names were barely legible. On others, the names had disappeared altogether. A few stones had cracked, and some had fallen over.

I found myself thinking about the people buried there. Each had lived an entire life. They had families and friends, hopes and disappointments, joys and sorrows. They had worked, loved, laughed, and wept. And at some point, someone had carefully placed a stone over their grave so that their name would not be forgotten.

But now, not only were these people gone; time was slowly erasing even the reminders that they had ever been here.

There is something sobering about that. We spend our lives building, working, raising families, and trying to make a difference. Yet eventually, even our names fade from memory.

But Scripture gives us a very different picture of what it means to be remembered.

In Revelation 3:5, Jesus makes a remarkable promise to those who belong to Him. He says, “I will never blot his name out of the book of life.”

The Book of Life is the Bible's picture of those who belong to God and will share in His eternal kingdom. To have your name written there means more than simply being remembered. It means that you belong to Christ, and that even death cannot separate you from Him. The grave will not be the end of your story.

And this promise is a gift of God's grace, secured for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He entered the grave Himself and rose again, conquering the very death that awaits us all.

And that changes how we think about our lives. What matters most is not the mark we leave on this world, but that our lives have been marked by Jesus Christ.

I think back to those weathered headstones in the cemetery. Time may eventually erase every name carved into those stones. And one day, even our own names may be forgotten.

But take heart. Our names are written somewhere that time cannot reach.

- Pastor John Kenny

10/09/2026

WHEN THE MIRACLE BECOMES BREAKFAST

In our worship services lately, we have been working our way through the book of Numbers—the story of Israel’s journey through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.

And much of that journey is marked by complaining.

We saw some of that this past weekend. After spending nearly a year at Mount Sinai preparing for the journey, Israel finally set out. And it took only three days before the complaining began.

Three days.

God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. He had parted the Red Sea. He had provided food and water. He had made His presence known among them.

And still they complained.

After the service, someone mentioned something they had recently heard on a podcast that struck them because it connected so closely with the message:

Sometimes the things we complain about—or simply find ourselves frustrated with—are the very things we once prayed for.

That thought has stayed with me.

Maybe we find ourselves frustrated with our spouse, focusing more on the things that bother us than the person God has given us. But there may have been a time when we prayed that God would bring someone into our life to love and with whom we could build a life.

We become frustrated with our children—the noise, the mess, the behavior, the constant demands. But there may have been a time when we prayed desperately for God to give us a child.

We get tired of our job—the hours, the people, the stress. But perhaps there was a time when we were asking God to provide work so we could pay the bills and care for our family.

We get annoyed by the house that needs to be cleaned, the yard that needs to be mowed, or the car that needs another repair. And yet there was probably a time when having a home or a reliable car was something for which we prayed.

It is remarkably easy for yesterday's answer to prayer to become today's frustration.

Maybe part of the problem is that answered prayers eventually become ordinary. What once felt like a gift simply becomes part of our life. And once it becomes ordinary, we can forget that it is still a gift.

Israel did the same thing.

Every morning they walked outside and found manna on the ground. At first, it must have seemed miraculous. Bread from heaven! God was feeding them in the middle of a wilderness.

But eventually the miracle became breakfast.

And in Numbers 11, they began complaining about it.

That is one of the dangers of familiarity. We can become so accustomed to God's goodness that we stop recognizing it as God's goodness.

Psalm 103 begins with the words:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Maybe there is a reason Scripture so often calls us to remember.

Because we forget.

We forget what we prayed for.

We forget what God provided.

We forget how grateful we once were for some of the very things that now irritate us.

Take a look around your life today. Some of it may be difficult. Some prayers may still be unanswered. Some circumstances may genuinely need to change.

But I suspect that mixed in with all of that are things you once asked God to give you.

We are living in the middle of answered prayers.

So before we become consumed with what frustrates us today, perhaps we should remember what we prayed for yesterday.

And thank God again for the gifts that have simply become familiar.

- Pastor John Kenny

10/02/2026

Several times over the years, I have stayed at a monastery for a personal retreat. During one weeklong stay, I joined the monks in a vow of silence. The first few days were surprisingly difficult. I kept catching myself wanting to say something. Sometimes there wasn't even anyone around to talk to. I just wanted to hear a voice—even if it was my own.

And I began to realize that was exactly what I had been doing. I used words to fill empty spaces because the silence made me uncomfortable.

But somewhere around the middle of the week, something began to change. I became more comfortable with the silence. My mind began to slow down. There was a sense of peace in no longer feeling the need to fill every moment. Without so many words, I had space to think more deeply and honestly about myself, my life, and my relationship with the Lord. The silence that had initially felt empty began to feel spacious.

In fact, I discovered something that surprised me: A day with very few words could somehow feel fuller than a day filled with words. And I began to wonder if what I had discovered about words was also true of the rest of life. Maybe we fill our lives with activity for the same reason I filled the silence with words: leaving space unfilled makes us uncomfortable.

When there is nothing to watch, no one to talk to, and nowhere we need to be, we are left alone with our thoughts. Sometimes that means facing grief, hurt, or questions that are much easier to avoid when we keep ourselves busy. So we fill the space. We fill our calendars with activities and appointments. We constantly reach for our phones whenever we have a quiet moment. We make sure there is always something playing in the background.

But this isn't how Jesus lived. Luke describes a time when Jesus' life could easily have become more crowded than ever. Luke 5:15–16 says: "But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray."

Don't miss the timing. The crowds were growing. People wanted to hear Him. Sick people needed to be healed. There was more ministry to do than ever. And Jesus withdrew. Jesus did not treat every available moment as something that needed to be filled. He deliberately made room to be alone with His Father.

And maybe that is what we miss when we are so quick to fill every available space. When the noise grows quiet, there is room simply to be with God.

We make space to listen.

Space to pray.

Space simply to be with the Lord without needing to accomplish anything.

I don't live in a monastery. Most of us don't. And Jesus isn't calling us to abandon the noise and responsibilities of ordinary life. But perhaps we could become a little more comfortable leaving some space unfilled. We spend so much of our lives asking, "How can I fit one more thing in?” Maybe occasionally we need to ask a different question: "What could I leave out—and what might God do with the space that remains?"

Pastor John Kenny

09/25/2026

Apparently, I look my age...

Today I stopped at the store to buy a bottle of w**e to make French onion soup.

I went through the self-checkout, and because I was buying alcohol, the machine stopped me and called for an employee. A clerk came over, swiped her employee ID, and a screen popped up giving her two choices.

She could ask to see my driver's license.

Or she could push a button that said something like, “I verify customer is over 50.”

She pushed the button.

Immediately.

I don't think she looked at me for more than a second.

And I have to admit, I was a little offended.

Not seriously offended, of course. But there was a part of me that wanted to say, Really? You're that sure? You don't even want to take a closer look?

Here's the ridiculous part:

I'm 53.

The woman was absolutely right.

She wasn't insulting me. She wasn't even guessing poorly. She looked at a 53-year-old man and correctly determined that he was over 50.

And somehow my vanity was still a little wounded.

Apparently, I don't need people to think I'm young. I would just like them to think there is at least some possibility that I might be.

There are plenty of ways our vanity shows itself, but getting older has a way of exposing it. We know we're aging. We know our bodies are changing. We know we don't look exactly like we did ten or twenty years ago.

But we don't always appreciate being reminded of it—especially by a stranger at the grocery store who needs less than a second to determine which button to push.

The Bible doesn't pretend that our bodies aren't aging.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16:

“Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

That's a remarkably straightforward way to talk about growing older.

Our outer selves are changing. No amount of wishing otherwise will stop that. We can take care of ourselves—and we should. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice or stay healthy.

But eventually, the clerk stops asking for your driver's license.

And that's exactly why Paul's words are so encouraging.

He doesn't tell us to deny what is happening on the outside. He reminds us that God is doing something on the inside.

He is shaping our character, deepening our faith, teaching us to trust Him, and making us more like Christ.

And maybe that's where our attention needs to shift as we grow older.

The goal of growing older isn't to convince everyone else that we aren't. It is to become more and more the person Christ is making us to be.

So I suppose I shouldn't be too offended the next time someone looks at me and decides without hesitation that I'm over 50.

After all, they're right.

And if I'm going to look my age, by God's grace, I want to be growing more like Christ as I do.

- Pastor John Kenny

09/18/2026

What I Learned About God After Losing a Friend on September 11

Twenty-five years ago this past week, like millions of Americans, I sat in stunned disbelief and overwhelming sadness as I watched the events of September 11 unfold on television. That day became much more personal for me later that evening when my brother called to tell me that our friend Todd Beamer was on the plane that had crashed in Pennsylvania.

I knew Todd from a church where I had served as an intern. We were both involved in the high school youth ministry. Todd was a natural leader. He was outgoing, funny, confident, and the kind of person people were naturally drawn to. He was also a successful businessman, a loving husband and father, and, most importantly, a deeply committed follower of Jesus Christ. I was in my early twenties, at an age when I was thinking seriously about the kind of man, husband, and father I wanted to become. Todd was one of the men I looked to as a model.

So when my brother called that night, neither of us could imagine Todd simply sitting back while his plane was being hijacked. We both said essentially the same thing: somehow, Todd had to have been involved in bringing that plane down. It was not long before we learned what had happened. Along with other courageous passengers aboard United Flight 93, Todd acted to stop the hijackers. His words “Let’s roll!” became famous as the passengers moved against the cockpit. They knew what their actions might cost them, but they were willing to sacrifice their own lives to prevent the hijackers from taking many more lives.

Todd’s example affected me profoundly. Not long afterward, following what I believed was the Lord’s leading, I joined the United States Army as a chaplain. Eventually that calling took me far from my family and into the deserts of Iraq. And there, I witnessed a remarkable work of God. In our camp, there was a significant spiritual awakening as many soldiers turned to Christ.

There is one more detail about Todd’s story that has stayed with me. After September 11, Scripture memory cards were found among Todd’s belongings in his car. The card on top contained these words from Romans 11: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!... For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Twenty-five years later, those words strike me as especially fitting.

I can see at least some of the ways God was at work. In His providence, God had placed people on Flight 93 who were willing to give their lives to save the lives of others. And God used Todd’s life and sacrifice to change the direction of my own life—and through that, to bring the gospel to many others whose lives were changed for eternity.

But those are only a few threads that I can see. I don’t pretend to understand all that God was doing on September 11. Paul reminds us that there are purposes of God beyond our ability to trace. His wisdom is deeper than ours, and He sees what we cannot see. That does not make the terrible things that happen in this world any less terrible. September 11 was evil. Todd’s death was painful. War brought suffering and loss. But our inability to understand what God is doing does not mean that He has lost control—or that He has ceased to be good. We can trust God even when we cannot trace His ways.

And the greatest reason we can trust Him is not what we can see when we look back at our own lives. It is what we see when we look at the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus was an act of terrible evil. An innocent man was betrayed, condemned, tortured, and killed. And yet through that very evil, God accomplished the greatest good the world has ever known. Through the death of His Son, He defeated sin and death and opened the way for sinners like us to be reconciled to Him. At the cross, God was accomplishing something infinitely greater than anyone standing there could see. And that gives us reason to trust Him with the things in our lives that we still cannot understand.

Twenty-five years later, I still think about Todd and the influence his life had on mine. I think about September 11, and all that followed. And I can see at least one thread of God’s providence running through those terrible events. But when there are other threads I cannot see, I look to the cross. Because the cross assures me that even when I cannot see what God is doing, I can trust the God who is doing it.

- Pastor John Kenny

09/11/2026

THE FORMER THINGS

This week I learned that an old friend is experiencing significant decline. It was difficult news to hear. I have always known him as someone who was remarkably sharp and capable, and he has had a great influence on my life. To hear how much has changed was another reminder of something none of us particularly likes to think about: We live in a world where even the strongest among us experience weakness and decay. We see it in different ways and at different times.

Strength diminishes.

Bodies wear down.

Minds that were once sharp can fail.

Eventually, unless Christ returns first, death comes for all of us. The Apostle Paul knew this reality firsthand. His life was marked by suffering and affliction, and he could say quite plainly, “our outer self is wasting away.” But what strikes me is where Paul looked while it was happening.

“We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
Christian hope teaches us to see our present reality in light of what Christ has promised, but our eyes cannot yet see. And near the end of Revelation, John directs our vision all the way to the horizon of that hope. God shows him where the whole story is going and what Jesus will bring when He returns.

John sees a new heaven and a new earth.

Death is no more.

Mourning and crying and pain have passed away.

And the One seated on the throne declares: “Behold, I am making all things new.”

And then Revelation uses a phrase I find especially beautiful: “The former things have passed away.” Think about what that means. The things that can seem to fill our lives now will one day be former things. The weakness. The diminishment. The grief. Even the grave itself. All of it will belong to what has passed away when Jesus makes all things new. And because that is where the story is going, faith refuses to let the present become the limit of our vision. It lifts our eyes beyond the troubles immediately in front of us—even above the headstones of a cemetery—and fixes them on Christ and the world He is coming to make new.
And that changes the way I think about the news I received this week. I am saddened by what is happening to my friend. But I am so thankful that, because he belongs to Jesus, his story does not end in decline. Beyond the decline is resurrection. Beyond what is being lost is renewal. And the same is true for all who belong to Christ. There is a day coming when what has grown old will be made new, when death will give way to life, and when sorrow will give way to joy.

And on that day, we will see Jesus.

The One we now know by faith will finally be before our eyes.

And we will never need to look ahead again.

- Pastor John Kenny

09/04/2026

The Secret to Life

What is the secret to life?

People have been trying to answer that question for thousands of years.

Socrates said the secret is living an examined life.

Steve Jobs said it is finding what you love.

Groucho Marx joked, “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.”

Others would say it is surrounding yourself with people you love, living with purpose, finding happiness, or leaving the world a little better than you found it.

So who is right? What really is the secret to life?

Jesus never uses those words, but in Matthew 6, He gives us an answer.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

To seek first the kingdom of God means more than simply putting God at the top of a list of priorities. It means seeking the King and His kingdom—wanting His righteousness, His purposes, and His rule to shape every part of our lives.

His will comes before our desires. His priorities come before our ambitions. Our first question is not simply, What do I want? but What does God want?

For years I have often described this as the umbrella principle.

The King and His kingdom are first—over everything else. We are to place everything else beneath the umbrella of His lordship and care.

And there is plenty of room under that umbrella. Family, career, money, relationships, plans—all of them can be genuinely important. We are meant to enjoy them, pursue them, and give thanks to God for them. They simply aren't meant to come first.

The problem comes when we pull one out from underneath God's lordship and begin seeking it first. We have taken something that was meant to be entrusted to God's care and begun living as though everything depends upon what happens to it.

And that's when the very things we seek first can become the things we worry about most.

If the relationship has to work out for my life to be okay, I will worry about the relationship.

If my career has to succeed, I will worry about my career.

If I have to reach a certain level of financial security, I will worry about money.

And there is a wonderful freedom in putting the LORD first.

Because when everything else is placed beneath His lordship, I don't have to carry the weight of holding it all together.

My family is in His hands.

My career is in His hands.

My future is in His hands.

Jesus says, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” Matthew 6:32

There is tremendous peace in those words.

My Father knows. My Father is present. My Father can be trusted.

That doesn't mean everything underneath the umbrella will always turn out the way I want.

The job can still disappear.

The relationship can still become difficult.

The plans can still fall apart.

Jesus isn't promising that if we put God first, everything else will fall neatly into the places we want it to go.

He is assuring us that our Father knows what we need, and that everything beneath His lordship can be safely entrusted to His care.

And that is precisely where Jesus takes us next: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” Matthew 6:34

And that really is the secret to life.

Get the first thing right.

Seek first the King and His kingdom.

Put everything else under the umbrella of His care—and leave it there.

- Pastor John Kenny

08/28/2026

FOLLOWING JESUS TOGETHER
Last week I had the opportunity to attend our denomination’s annual conference. One of the highlights was simply being with other Christians—reconnecting with old friends, meeting a few new ones, worshiping together, and sharing in the work God has given us.

It reminded me again how much we need one another.

We live in a time when it is increasingly common to separate following Jesus from belonging to a church. People sometimes say, “I can follow Jesus on my own. I don’t need organized religion.”

But that idea is foreign to the New Testament.

And the reason goes deeper than simply saying that Christians need the church.

The church isn't merely something Christians need; it is part of what Christ came to create.

Jesus did not die simply to save isolated individuals who happen to believe the same things. Scripture says that He gave Himself “to purify for himself a people for his own possession.” (Titus 2:14)

A people.

When God saves us, He does not simply forgive our sins and send us on our way. He adopts us into a family.

God becomes our Father.
Other believers become our brothers and sisters.
And together, we become the body of Christ.

And the New Testament shows us what life in that family looks like.

We encourage one another.
We bear one another’s burdens.
We forgive one another.
We teach and admonish one another.
We pray for one another.
We spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

You cannot live the Christian life of “one another” all by yourself.

But life together is not always easy.

The church is not a community of people who have it all together. It is a community of sinners who have been forgiven by Jesus and are still in the process of being changed by Him. We will sometimes disappoint one another. We will misunderstand one another. And sadly, there are times when Christians—and churches—will deeply hurt one another.

That never excuses our failures. Sin should be met with repentance, forgiveness, accountability, and change.

But the failures of Christians do not change God’s design for the Christian life.

We were never meant to follow Jesus alone.

Last week I was reminded what a gift that kind of fellowship really is—people from different places, with different stories, who otherwise might never have known one another, and yet, because we belong to Christ, we belong to one another.

If you are part of a church family, give thanks that the Lord has given you a community of people with whom you can walk the Christian life.

And if you are trying to follow Jesus on your own, find a community of believers and become part of it. Find a church where you can worship, serve, grow, and walk alongside other people who are seeking to follow the same Savior.

Not because the church is perfect.

But because Christ gave Himself to create a people—and by His grace, He has made us part of that family.

- Pastor John Kenny

Address

301 Washington Avenue
Grand Haven, MI
49417

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 2pm
Tuesday	9am - 2pm
Wednesday	9am - 2pm
Thursday	9am - 2pm
Friday	9am - 12pm
Sunday	9:30am - 12pm

Telephone

(616) 842-6600

Website

http://firstgrandhaven.org/

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