We Gather Together

Sophomore year, 1966

Here we are gathered together. Yup, I’m in that picture. Can you find me? I can’t. It was the Nykerk competition for the women at Hope College between the freshman and sophomore classes coached by the juniors and seniors. (The men’s competition is a tug-of-war.)

This three part annual competition includes a speech, a play, and for everyone not in those events, a choir.

My freshman year, I was too intimidated to participate. But my sophomore year I was determined to! There was one SIGNIFICANT issue: I knew I wouldn’t make the cut to give the speech or participate in the play AND I am tone deaf. But the choir was my only hope to be involved.

My friend Jan took it on to mentor me, to try to help me learn the notes. Bless you Jan and thank you. But in the end, the choir director looked at me and suggested, why don’t you mouth the words. And that’s what I did. (BTW, the our class lost that year, but remember I was mouthing the words.)

Why would I share this story on Thanksgiving Day?

Because God used it to plant spiritual seeds that have germinated and grown through the years.
And, I am thankful.

We sophomore women gathered together and created a special memory, even though we lost.
My faith was clarified during my college years at Hope. The Nykerk seed has blossomed.
I am thankful for life long friends who formed from my Hope years, including my husband.
I am thankful to have learned about the fun and the necessity of community.

And speaking of gathering together, one of my favorite Thanksgiving hymns is “We Gather Together”. As I was reading (not singing) through the words recently, I took the liberty to re-write the third line of each stanza to reflect my personal thanksgiving. This is my thanksgiving prayer for you as well.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing –
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
He loves us completely, He calls us sons and daughters:
Sing praises to His name – He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
His purpose transcending, our lives without ending:
Thou, Lord, wast at our side – all glory be Thine.

We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our defender wilt be;
Let thy congregation live in great anticipation:
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

With a special thank you to Theodore Baker who translated the words of this 1625 hymn from the original author who remains anonymous.