Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. This Sunday has a special name: “Gaudete” (Latin for rejoice). This is taken from Philippians 4:4-5:

"Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near."

This theme sets a tone of joyful expectation for the Lord’s birth and his Second Coming.  After this Sunday we enter the last week of Advent. Durig this week, the so called “O” Antiphons are sung. Hymn 12 of the Book of Praise “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is based on these antiphons.

What are “O” Antiphons? These hymns or carols, also called “The Antiphons of Advent”, are a collage of Old Testament titles for Christ with a Messianic theme, stressing the hope of the Savior’s coming.

Jesus is invoked by various titles, mainly taken from the prophet Isaiah. The sequence progresses historically, from the beginning, before  creation, to the very gates of Bethlehem. These antiphons add a mood of eager expectation to the liturgy that builds throughout these days, climaxing at Christmas.

Today I went to a funeral. The pastor started his message off with a story about Francis Schaeffer. When Schaeffer was asked what he would say to a perosn if he would have only one hour, he responded with: "I would speak 45 minutes about sin and 15 minutes about salvation".

The pastor continued that he was mandated to preach the gospel today, by the person who had past away. He said that it was important to read the x-rays carefully before making the diagnosis. We need to read the x-rays of our lifes and then we must conclude we have all sinned (Romans 3: 10). He spoke more and more about our sins and that there is no good in us by our own power.

He spoke about the first 33 chapters of Ezechiel and the turn around in the book. He spoke about sin, depravety, and judgement. He mentioned that we wouldn't appreciate the land waiting for us on the new earth, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the work of our Messiah unless we saw our darkness.

He spoke about genocides and that we all would be capable of doing that. We can all act like beasts. And more was said... He said Adam was first, then sin and then death. And he dwelled more on death. There was much more said. About the evangelical movement in 1940 and what they said about sin at that time.

Also a call, a strong call: If you don't have Jesus Christ as your Saviour, please go on your knees. He comes to you. He wants you to bow down, and realize that you need Him.

You might think that this was a Reformed pastor. You might think that this was a really conservative minister. You probably recognize the tone the Heidelberg cathechism. But you are wrong. No Reformed pastor, no Dutch pastor, no conservative minister, he probably didn't know the Heidelberg Cathechism. The denomination does not matter.

The person who died last week, knew his Saviour on earth, and he had a great concern for the people around him. He wanted to make sure that they knew where he is now, and that it is all grace, and grace alone. And he would't want anybody around him not get to know Jesus, our Lord.

That was my Monday morning this week. It gives a different dimension on Advent!

From July 1597 to January 1598, a terrible pestilence ravaged the town of Unna, in Westphalia. For weeks, up to 30 funerals per week were held in the church (one week 170 funerals). Over 1,300 of his church members died. A son of a Lutheran pastor, Pastor Philipp Nicolai (link) was regarded as an outstanding and influential preacher, who gained his Doctor of Divinity degree from Wittenberg University in 1594.

During this fearful time, Pastor Nicolai’s thoughts turned to death, and then to God in Heaven, and, finally, to the Eternal Fatherland. He wrote, in the preface (dated Aug. 10, 1598) to his Frewden-Spiegel (Mirror of Joy, which was a series of mediations for his congregation, in this difficult time):

"There seemed to me nothing mere sweet, delightful and agreeable, than the contemplation of the noble, sublime doctrine of Eternal Life obtained through the Blood of Christ. This I allowed to dwell in my heart day and night, and searched the Scriptures as to what they revealed on this matter, read also the sweet treatise of the ancient doctor Saint Augustine [De Civitate Dei].... Then day by day I wrote out my meditations, found myself, thank God! wonderfully well, comforted In heart, joyful in spirit, and truly content; gave to my, manuscript the name and title of a Mirror of Joy, and took this so composed Frewden-Spiegel to leave behind me (if God should call me from this world) as the token of my peaceful, joyful, Christian departure, or (if God should spare use in health) to comfort other sufferers wham He should also visit with the pestilence.. . . How has the gracious, holy God most mercifully preserved me amid the dying from the dreadful pestilence, and wonderfully spared me beyond all my thoughts and hopes, so that with the Prophet David I can say to Him "O how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee (…)"

He was especially moved by the death of his fifteen-year-old former pupil, (Count) Wilhelm Ernst, who died at Tubingen, September 16, 1598, in the middle of this horror. These feelings gave made Nicolai's write one of the most beautiful hymns: "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" ("Wake, Awake, For Night Is Flying"). This hymn has a deep scriptural basis. The text is primarily based on the story of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13) but also the following passages are included:

• Isaiah 52:8 "Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes."
   
• Rev. 19:6-9 and 21:21 - Marriage references in Revelation between the Lamb and the Bride:
  - Rev. 19:6-9 "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 
  Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' "And he added, "These are the true words of God."
  - Rev. 21:21 “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.”
   
• 1 Corinthians 2: 9 "However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (Emphasis added.)
  
• Ezekiel 3:17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me." (Emphasis added.)
   
• Isaiah 3:8 "Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence..".

This hymn apparently first appeared in the Appendix to his Frewden-Spiegel, 1599, in 3 stanzas of 10 lines, entitled "Of the Voice at Midnight, and the Wise Virgins who meet their Heavenly Bridegroom. Matt. 25." and was widely reprinted after that. In structure, it is a reversed acrostic, W. Z. G. which stands for the "Graf zu Waldeck" which is "Count Wilhelm Ernst".

Probably the opening lines; "Wachet anf! ruft uns die Stimme, Der Wächter sehr hoch auf der Zinne"are borrowed from one of the Wachter-Lieder, a form of lyric popular in the Middle Ages. While in the past the voice of the Watchman summons the workers of darkness to flee from discovery, with Nicolai it is a summons to the children of light to wake up.

The melody is apparently also by Nicolai, though portions of it, may have been suggested by earlier tunes. Someone wrote about thius hymn "It has been called the King of Chorales, and by its majestic simplicity and dignity it well deserves the title."

Musically, this hymn is well known (in England especially) from the use of its splendid chorale in Mendelssohn's "Elijah" to the words, "Sleepers, wake, a voice is calling."

Displaced while his home underwent reconstruction, J.S. Bach wrote this most famous of his cantatas, Cantata 140. This cantata remains popular with people of all ages, according to Alan C. Collyer. He writes that the fourth movement based on the second verse "Zion hears..." appeals to many young people today with its beautiful, biting counter melody against the chorale sung by the tenors. The first movement appears as an extended chorale with the sopranos singing the melody in long notes with each other part weaving around in glorious counterpoint. The final verse with its magnificent transcendent text, combined with Bach's harmonization in E flat can be called, writes Collyer, a deeply spiritual and religious experience.

Tomorrow, on Sunday morning (Dec 7, 2008), before the morning worship service (9:30 AM), after preludes by others, I will play J.S. Bach’s well-known organ prelude (which is basically to the fourth movement of his Cantata) as well as the chorale itself. When you are listening, I hope you remember the following:

1. "Wake, awake, for night is flying."
The watchmen on the heights are crying;
"Awake, Jerusalem, arise!"
Midnight hears the welcome voices
And at the thrilling cry rejoices:
"Where are the virgins, pure and wise?
The bridegroom comes, awake!
Your lamps with gladness take!
Alleluia! With bridal care
And faith’s bold prayer,
To meet the bridegroom, come, prepare!"

2. Zion hears the watchmen singing,
And in her heart new joy is springing.
She wakes, she rises from her gloom.
For her Lord comes down all glorious,
The strong in grace, in truth victorious.
Her star’s arising light has come!
"Now come, O blessed one,
Lord Jesus, God’s own Son.
Hail! Hosanna! We answer all
In joy your call,
We follow to the wedding hall."

3. Now let all the heavens adore you,
Let saints and angels sing before you
With harp and cymbals’ clearest tone.
Of one pearl each shining portal,
Where, joining with the choir immortal,
We gather round your radiant throne.
No eye has seen that light,
No ear the echoed might Of your glory;
Yet there shall we
In your victory
Sing shouts of praise eternally!

If you are not going to our church and can't listen to this, I suggest you watch and listen to this music here. This is the 4th movement of this Cantata 140 for orchestra and choir by J.S. Bach, performed by the Amsterdam Bach Chorale under the direction of Ton Koopman (link).

Now come, O blessed one, Lord Jesus, God’s own Son.
Hail! Hosanna! We answer all in joy your call,
We follow to the wedding hall.

Come Lord Jesus, Maranatha!

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."

Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 40: 4, 5

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the four weeks before Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Advent is celebrating the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process that we are now part of (of this earth), and we anticipate the completion of it (second coming). In many churches Advent reflects on the emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.

Advent has a double focus on past and future. Advent symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and congregation. Christ has come, He is present in the world today, and He will come again in power. The church celebrates God’s first coming into this world in the Incarnation, and anticipates the fullness in the Second Coming, for which all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption. (Romans 8: 22, 23) 

Could we celebrate Easter without Good Friday...? Could we celebrate Christmas without Advent...? God's church has been looking forward, waiting and anticipating the coming of the Christ for centuries - ever since God's Messianic promise in Genesis 3: 15. For over 2,000 years the church is looking forward to the Second Coming. Shopping malls ignore Advent and go straight into "Christmas", but we can't. We would loose sight of Christmas in the perspective of God's work of salvation. Celebrating Advent makes Christmas the truly wondrous event that it is. Not the warm fuzzy that is portrayed on too many Christmas cards and in the media, but the realization that, truly, there is reason to hope and faith in God. It brings people, not just to an existential moment where they feel good about the world, but to a deeply felt faith in the "long Advent": a faith that God will not always leave the world the way it is, but will come once again to "ransom captive Israel."

The spirit of Advent is expressed well in the parable of the bridesmaids who are anxiously awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom. There is profound joy at the Bridegroom’s expected coming. (Matt 25:1-13) (I will write about that next week.) And yet a warning of the need for preparation echoes through the parable. But even then, the prayer of Advent is still:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

Hymn 12 - Book of Praise (played before the afternoon worship service on the First Sunday of Advent)

Have a good preparation for Christmas this year.

Our church received the opportunity to host a concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet with organist Terence Fullerton. This concert is a Christmas concert including audience participation by the singing of Christmas songs.

These concerts by the VSO Brass Quintet and organist Terence Fullerton are a long standing tradition in the St. John's (Shaughnessy) Anglican Church in Vancouver. Their annual performances there draw a full churches and this traditional concert does not need much promotion anymore!

This is the first time that the VSO Brass Quintet and organist Terence Fullerton are performing this concert in the Fraser Valley, and the Langley Canadian Reformed Church is chosen to host this event!

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet was formed in 1965 by Ray Kirkham, 2nd Trumpet of the VSO. The current members of the Brass Quintet are Larry Knopp (Trumpet), Ray Kirkham (Trumpet), Ben Kinsman (French Horn), Gordon Cherry (Trombone), and Ellis Wean (Tuba).

Organist, teacher and conductor Terence Fullerton is one of Canada’s leading organ soloists and church musicians. Fullerton spent much of his career in Calgary where he was the Director of Music at the Anglican Cathedral and Chorus Master and keyboard player with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also the pipe organ instructor at the University of Calgary and the organ academy at Mt. Royal College. Fullerton returned to Vancouver in 2001 as the Director of Music and Organist of St. John’s (Shaughnessy) Anglican Church.

To be consistent with other concerts given by the the VSO Brass Quintet, we will charge admission for this concert. The concert starts at 7:30 PM because the musicians would like to see many children and young people! They have requested that all children under age 12 have free admission, and we are happy to pass that on!

We expect that this will be a great concert. These players are highly skilled and professional in all they do. They programmed an exciting selection of music, from the Nutcracker Suite to the Messiah! During the intermission it will be possible to speak with them, and the audience will be requested to join the brass instruments in the singing of some Christmas hymns!

No need to go to Vancouver (save fuel and time), our church parkinglot is free (no parking cost), our pews are as comfortable as the chairs in a concert hall, free refreshments are served (donations accepted), the tickets are very reasonable priced, lots of opportunity to socialize with people you probably know (not in the big city) - so only reasons to join us this evening!

Churches in the Netherlands remembered Remembrance Day with Psalm 43.

Remembrance Day was on a Sunday this year. All churches could have sung or heard a sermon about Psalm 43. This Psalm had a special meaning in Remembering. A group of ministers in the area of Dordrecht took the initiative to write a letter to recommend this was of remembering for the following reason.

Psalm 43 was heard in the prison in Scheveningen on March 13 1941. This prison had the name Oranje Hotel (Hotel Orange) and was known for the terrible things that happened to prisoners there.

On this day in March, 67 years ago, 18 men were taken out of their cel. Their destiny was the execution site "De Waalsdorpervlakte" close to The Hague (http://www.erepeloton.nl/). The Nazi's wanted to set an example, after giving much publicity about this group's execution, for the Dutch nation. This execution became well-known also because Jan Campert wrote a poem that became famous, called 'the eightteen deaths'. Several of these 18 men were Reformed people who were used to go to church and sing psalms in church and at home. Knowing that their life on earth would end, and that they would meet their Saviour soon, these 18 people started to sing when they we let out of their cel 601, while the Nazi's and other prisoners listened:

O God, grant me Your vindication.
Lord, plead my cause, defending me
Against a cruel, ungodly nation;
And from a crooked generation
That loves deceit and treachery,
Save me and set me free!

Send forth, O God of my salvation,
Your light and truth to be my guide
And lead me to my destination:
Your holy hill and habitation,
Where I with You will safely hide
In shelter You provide.

Then, at Your sacred altar standing,
My hands to You in prayer I’ll raise.
With harp and voice, in worship blending,
Your courts resound; while psalms, ascending
To You, my highest joy, bring praise
For all Your wondrous ways.

Psalm 43: 1, 3 and 4 (Book of Praise)

Here (picture above), their singing ended when eighteen shots were fired...
but they continued praising their Lord in heaven.
We are still singing Psalm 43 - maybe next time you do so, you remember the 18,
who had this Psalm on their lips when they were promoted to glory.

Some churches sing only Hymns, others sing only Psalms.
Other churches sing both Psalms and Hymns.
Some sing Psalm but really like Hymns, others sing Hymns but really like Psalms.
Hymns themselves don't seem to cause too many issues, but Psalms can be a point of discussion in some groups.

Another time I would like to talk about why we should sing Psalms.
First I want to share the following letter.
Here are some interesting quotes from the letter:

"What songs are appropriate to sing in the worship service?"

"Almost every Sunday I asked myself, Why are we singing this song?"

"I did not know then that the Psalms were composed to be sung in their entirety."

"I discovered that we really could sing all 150 of the Psalms"

"...not merely about my experiences but are about the experiences of the Blessed Man of Psalm One, who is Christ."

"Who are the enemies about which I am singing here?"

"Psalm-singing became hard work."

"Hymns they could not stand up against a Psalm."

"The richest study of my life has become the Psalms."

"Pastors who really know the Psalter have tools..."

"No man can begin to equal their power and effectiveness..."

Our Canadian Reformed Churches are sometimes characterized as Psalm singing churches.
If you are a member of a Psalm singing church, do you agree previous quotes?
The letter writer explains that it took time to come to insight in singing the Psalms...

The background and experience of the letter writer is unique, but his findings, conclusions and comments could be relevant in any Reformed church, and for consideration by any church member.

Yesterday we finished the recording of the Psalm CD.

We started on Thursday morning. I was in the church at 8AM. I played through the music and pre-set the stops for the different pieces. At that time it was difficult to imagine that it would all be recorded a few hours later. It is so definite - you can't go back after it has been recorded.

I had 80% prepared, but I was not sure that I would play with conviction. Then there was the 20% that I had selected at last minute, and then there were the pieces that did not give any inspiration whatsoever. Anyway, it was too late now...

Harpert VanderWel took most of his equipement along from Ontario. When he arrived he started unloading and after that he set up. A very dry church, was his first reaction to the sound. After setting up we went for lunch and then we started to record the preludes.

The preludes would be recorded in the afternoons and the singing at night. The evenings to record just the singing would be long enough already. And we didn't want to waste peoples time by listening to the prelude. In this setup we could also focus much better on the singing. Harpert will glue the prelude and singing together in his studio later.

My first choice was Psalm 6. It was a trio, but yet very safe choice. It took some effort to get into the right mood. I started wondering about the notes, their individual length, wondering where my feet and fingers were, and I was busy with many things, except making music. Harpert was patient and gave me some time and finally I got into it again.

After that the others followed. Some took one take, others more than one. For Psalm 68 I wanted to add stops exactly at the starting of the barlines, but that was such a challenge that I asked my wife to come over and assist. And for Psalm 72 I had prepared an idea for an imrpovisation, but I couldn't get a nice ending... it just happened after three takes that Harpert rejected . Then there was the prelude idea that I had written just a few days ago, but technically I could not play it. So I decided to practice that on Thursday night after the recording and retry that on Friday.

The choir did well on Thursday. It was a small group and I could not use the organ much, because it was too powerfull. In our church Harpert could not play much with the location of choir and mics, because the sound was soo direct everywhere. It took some time to get the choir and organ balanced and then we went. Some things we had to do again. It is hard to sing on a CD with a group of 20 people that are not professionally trained, in a building that is unforgiving. But we managed and did our 4-part harmony Psalms, and unison and groups... it was fun!

The Friday morning was spent with listening to the recordings and deciding which takes should be kept and which ones should be discarded. That was not so difficult, but by listening to the recordings, the memories of sweat and failed attempts came back... In the afternoon we retook some of the preludes and got ready for the evening.

Friday evening was a big surprise. We were prepared for the same group as the hymn CD: maybe 60 people. What a surprise when the we could fill the middle section of the church to the rafters! Several hundred people showed up. The singing was like a rock! The start was bang-on, and after there was a good observance of the silence for the recording. Only a few retakes were necessary. After two hours it was all over and done! What a blessing!

That was not all... now the studio editing needs to be done by Harpert VanderWel. I will have to provide the final tracklist (after he provides me with the track times). One of my concerns is the small choir versus the large and big congregational singing: how is that going to be balanced...? Hopefully it will just be part of the variety of the CD tracks...

If everything goes according to plan, the CDs would be available in February. I plan to organize a Psalm singing evening in our church when we will officially make the CD available. We will sing some Psalms of the CD, listen to the preludes live, and hear the choir sing some of the 4-part harmony... Deo Volente!

Today is Rememberance Day in Canada. That makes us think about Rememberance Day in the old country. Rememberance Day is in May in the Netherlands (around the days when Hitler attacked in 1940 and when he was defeated five years later).

 During the annual Netherlands Military Tattoo there is also a part of remembering the fallen. In 2006 the Canadians participated with a contribution by the Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA. They performed "The Proud Canadian Soldier" (J.A. Willis), which is also called the musical poppy.

In case you are not yet familiar with this song, here is the original text:

Here on this Remembrance Day, so many years along,

I stand before your monument among the teeming throng.

The Last Post now has ended and the cannons' roar has gone,

To the skirl of pipe and drum I see the vet'rans marching on.

Here's to you, the proud Canadian soldier,

soldiers, sailors, airmen one and all

Here's to you, the proud Canadian soldier,

for ev'ry new day dawning and when evening shadows fall.

The proud procession marches past, the onlookers applaud,

And in succession one by one, we smile at them and nod.

Their numbers may be dwindling with each year passing on,

But time cannot diminish them, nor the battles lost and won.

Here's to you, the proud Canadian soldier,

soldiers, sailors, airmen one and all

Here's to you, the proud Canadian soldier,

for ev'ry new day dawning and when evening shadows fall.

Remember Ypres and Vimy Ridge the Somme and Paschendaele

And the proud Canadian soldiers, the day that Hong Kong fell.

In the skies above great Britain, on the North Atlantic seas,

Dunkirk and Dieppe, North Africa and Sicily.

 

Malta, Burma Ortona, to the Scheldt and Normandy,

Remember all the merchant seamen who were lost upon the sea.

Remember the Boer war, remember Korea,

And to this day they risk their lives for peace for Canada.

 

Here on this Remembrance Day, I watch the sunset's glow,

the pageant now has faded, and everyone's gone home.

I stand be fore your monument, where wreaths and poppies blow,

And I can hear the angels singing, now and for ever more.

Here's to you, the proud Canadian soldier,

soldiers, sailors, airmen one and all

Here's to you, the proud Canadian soldier,

for ev'ry new day dawning and when evening shadows fall.

The band score can be downloaded here, the piano version here.

On the following video a part of this song was performed in Dutch, as a gesture to the Dutch audience. Bombardier Cary McCaffery is the vocal soloist.

Lest we forget...