A Wedding Song -- Psalm 45

 

psalm 45 six stanzas SATB by George vP

O Faithful Father, Hear our Plea.

Another prayer for preachers and congregations. This one was written in 1986 by Lenze L. Bouwers and was translated from Dutch. It is published here with permission. Prayer for the Preaching of the Word b by George vP

A prayer for preachers and congregations.

A Prayer for the Preaching of the Word by George vP This song is based on the prayer of Jan Utenhove, 1557. It is translated from the Dutch "Bedezanng voor de Predikatie, 1773 Oude Berijming."

Ascension Day

(As published in Clarion)

THE ASCENDED LORD GATHERS HIS CHURCH

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. They gathered in the upper room along with the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)

The ascended Lord was gathering his church.

Just six weeks earlier, things had looked bleak. The crowds had abandoned him. Even his closest disciples had fled. Mark records those bitter words when the soldiers seized Jesus: “And they all forsook him and fled.” The Shepherd was left with no sheep. He died alone—a leader without followers.

After his resurrection, he sought out his scattered flock. Two had left for Emmaus. Mary was weeping in the garden. Judas had taken his own life. Ten disciples cowered behind locked doors. Thomas had disappeared, convinced all hope was lost.

But Christ gathered them again. He sent the two back from Emmaus to Jerusalem to report that they had seen him. He sent Mary to tell the disciples that he had arisen. He appeared to the Eleven. Now, in Acts 1, we see the fruit of his labour. His church is together again, gathered in the upper room, united in prayer.

Luke names them. Peter, who had denied his Lord three times, was there. John and James, the sons of Zebedee, who once vied for the best seats in the kingdom, were there. Thomas, who had doubted that Christ had arisen, was now worshipping his Lord and his God. Matthew, the tax collector, had not returned to his old ways of exploiting his people. Simon the Zealot, once part of a violent revolutionary movement, had come to see that Jesus would establish his kingdom not by the sword, but by the power of God. The other five disciples, of whom we know little, were also there.

Then there were “the women”—the wives of the apostles who were married, as well as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others who had supported Jesus from their own means. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also there. She, too, had been gathered in—now worshipping her son as her Lord and God.

Even his own brothers, who had once thought him mad, were there—James, Judas, and Simon. They now believed, and all three would become leaders in the church.

And there were more. Verse 15 tells us that soon the number grew to about 120—men, women, and children.

The ascended Lord had gathered his church.

And he is still gathering today. Across the nations, he continues to build, defend, and preserve his people—his church, chosen for everlasting life. And we believe that we are, and forever shall remain, living members of that church.

 

For personal reflection  

1. How does Jesus’ gathering of his scattered disciples after his resurrection encourage you in your own faith journey?
2. Many of those gathered in the upper room had past failures, doubts, or misconceptions about Jesus. How does this challenge the way we view ourselves and others in the church today?
3. The early church was united in prayer as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. How can we foster that same spirit of prayer and unity in our own churches and communities?

 

Envy

11. ENVY

Envy is one of the worst afflictions among us Dutch immigrants in Canada. Sometimes I think you should count yourself lucky if you don’t yet own your own business or farm in Canada. Because once someone achieves their ideals and finds particular success, they become the centre of attention; their name is often on the lips of their fellow immigrant brothers and sisters.

Take, for example, butcher De Kort. It’s only been four years since he arrived in Halifax at Pier 21 as a penniless immigrant, and now he owns a thriving butcher shop. How did that man get so lucky?

People SAY he worked terribly hard for it. Worked himself to the bone from early morning until late at night. And frugal! It was supposedly so bad that his wife couldn’t buy a new dress for the first three years, the children never even had a bottle of Coca-Cola, and the family had so little to eat that his school-aged sons would steal sandwiches from their classmates. They also say De Kort isn’t exactly honest in his business. Someone reportedly saw him under cover of night leading three tough, senile horses to his butcher shop—those old nags surely ended up in his sausages.

If I were a dog or a cat, I’d make sure never to go near De Kort. I’d value my canine or feline life too much. Yes, that De Kort. . . .

But don’t forget baker Dalinga: Three years in Canada and already his own bakery. How is it possible? 

THEY say Dalinga did quite a bit of black market trading during the war and sold many cream cakes to the Jerries, and that he somehow managed to smuggle his ill-gotten gains into Canada. Surely there’s no blessing on that; Dalinga will find out!

They also say he kneads the dough with his bare feet, and when he recently appeared in church limping, THEY claimed he had innjured his big toe on an overly dry raisen. That may be an exaggeration, but still. . . . Watch out for Dalinga! 

And now take Klaas Rietma! He deals in brushes, doormats, and insurance—not exactly a goldmine. Yet his wife wears a heavy fur coat, and last year he bought a fancy luxury Ford. That can’t be on the level. PEOPLE claim he won five hundred dollars through that worldly game called bingo. That’s one way to live large. But who would have expected that from such a seemingly principled brother?

And look at Van Boeyen. Last year he bought a little farm near the city. As immigrants, we all laughed heartily about it at first, because the so-called experts among us said it was a dump and that Van Boeyen was heading straight for disaster. But that disaster still hasn’t shown up, and some spectators are starting to lose their patience. Every Sunday he appears in church looking like a gentleman, and it’s leaked out that he gave an extra hundred dollars to the church at Thanksgiving last year out of gratitude. But there must be something fishy about that money. . . .  

Now take a man like Arie Dof! An immigrant among immigrants! A man who doesn’t stand out, who owns no business or farm, and whose wife lives life without a fur coat. Truly an immigrant who hasn’t outpaced his fellow travellers on the road to success.  

He has a decent bank balance, but that belongs to the hidden things which do not overshadow his radiant simplicity. With passion and fire and Bible in hand, he warns against the grinning monster of materialism. No, Arie doesn’t suffer in the conversations of Dutch Canadians—he is no capitalist like De Kort, Dalinga, Rietma, or Van Boeyen. Arie is a proletariat, and thus his position is secure.  

He is not a money magnate but belongs to the proletariat—but not the communist kind: he is merely a SIMPLE Christian. Let all behold his Simplicity!  

Arie is a wicked and sinful man.  

While he mused on envy, Satan had filled his immigrant heart. 

Please, God, make this man a simple CHRISTIAN.

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Dof, Arie. (1958). “11. Nijver.” (George van Popta, Trans., 2025). In Arie en Katrien in Canada (pp. 47-49). Hamilton, Ontario: Guardian. (Original work published in Calvinist Contact [Christian Courier]). Published with permission.