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The other day I found myself wandering a nearby garden center on their opening day. I was humming a tune to myself, as often is the case. On this occasion, it was a piece of a hymn—old words, familiar tune, but a new hymn. I’m speaking of the work of Marlene Veenstra, a dear friend and member of my church, who had a song in her head one day and decided to put the words of our Reformed heritage to music.
“I never aspired to write hymns,” Marlene says. From her telling, she was inspired by a deep experience of grief. In 2001, her father died, and she was overwhelmed by the loss. After receiving some surprising advice, she took up writing. Marlene learned that sometimes in grief people find an unexpected season of creativity, and she certainly did. In 2002, after hearing the song “Go My Children with My Blessing” in a worship service, she wondered if the same tune would work well as a wedding benediction. Marlene wrote one, and it was sung at her own daughter’s wedding the next year.
Later that year, having always been impressed by the Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 1, Marlene wrote “My Only Comfort” to the tune of “RESIGNATION” and shared it with Karen De Mol, Ph.D., who helped with revisions and sent it to the publication, Reformed Worship. Later, it was included in the Lift Up Your Hearts hymnal.
With these positive experiences under her belt, Marlene set out to put more Reformed doctrine to music. In 1986 the CRC issued a statement of faith, a contemporary testimony, known as Our World Belongs to God. In 2004 Marlene adapted many of the articles of this statement to be independent songs, finding that most of the articles worked well with musical settings. Her writing portfolio around this rich theological document grew expansively.
In 2005, the CRC re-worded the contemporary testimony, and Marlene was discouraged. She wondered if anyone would want to sing her “old words,” now that the testimony had been updated. She set her creative project aside and forgot about it for over 20 years.
But some work isn’t done until the Holy Spirit says it is. Marlene said she and her husband are in the paring-down-and-clearing-out phase of life. While cleaning house, she came across her hymns and felt like she was at a crossroads. “What should I do?” she asked herself. “Should I throw these away, or get back to the project?”
As a writer myself, I know the discouragement of rejection; whether it is from an editor, a mentor, or self-inflicted, any form can be a painful, stifling process. I, too, have set down manuscripts that were shredded by supposed mentors and thrown in the towel when I thought it was the end.
Thankfully, our God is gracious, and the conclusion of our creative endeavors are often not when we think they are. Marlene did not throw away her hymn-writing work, but instead picked it up again. This time, she alerted Carrie Groenewold, Ph.D., professor of sacred church music and organ at Dordt University, to help her words find their way to the musical page. There are now 22 independent hymns embodying the contemporary testimony. At First CRC Sioux Center, we are looking forward to using these songs in our worship services and already have plans to sing the benediction, “May the Lord Walk with You Always,” when we celebrate our graduates.
Marlene’s hymn-writing handiwork arose not for her gain, but out of a desire to serve and bless the church.
Included here [1] is a sample of her work. My hope is that you sit with the hymn. Let the tune reverberate in your heart. Let the words restore your understanding of the expansiveness of our God. Perhaps you’ll find yourself in an ordinary moment humming God’s truths to yourself as you marvel at how God walks with us.