873

Praise and Thanksgiving

Scripture References

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

When we sing about the offering of our gifts, we quickly find several thoughts interwoven with each other. The first is the foundational thought that God’s generosity in Christ has brought us salvation and all good things in life. God has “created heaven and earth and all other creatures from nothing” (Belgic Confession, Article 12) and he continues to “provide whatever I need in body and soul” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9, Question and Answer 26). But God’s greatest act of generosity is shown in the gift of his Son “by a most perfect love” (Belgic Confession, Article 20) through whom we find the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. This generosity of God is always in the background of each song in this section.

 

God’s children are called to respond thankfully to God’s generosity. Our gifts, therefore, take on the nature of a testimony of thankfulness to our generous God. We aim that “with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, so that he may be praised through us” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 32, Question and Answer 86). Indeed, all our living, including our gifts, are intended to show “how I am to thank God for such deliverance” (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1, Question and Answer 2). It is natural, therefore, that our giving of offerings is accompanied with songs that express this gratitude.

873

Praise and Thanksgiving

Additional Prayers

An Acclamation and Dedication
 
Generous God, you pour out riches on your grateful people.
Praise and thanksgiving let everyone bring.
 
You are great beyond our imagining and good beyond our deserving.
All people, join us and sing out God’s praise.
 
We have a message to bring and a song to sing.
May we go out from here sharing God’s love in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
873

Praise and Thanksgiving

Tune Information

Name
LOBET UND PRESIET
Key
F Major
Meter
10.10.8

Recordings

873

Praise and Thanksgiving

Hymn Story/Background

Stanza 1 of this text was originally a traditional German round from the Alsace region ("lobet und preiset"). Edith Lovell Thomas translated the text and published it in her The Whole World Singing (1950).
 
Marie J. Post added two stanzas, and all three were then published in the Psalter Hymnal Supplement (1974). The first two stanzas call everyone to join in joyful song to praise God for his many blessings, "for every good thing." The final stanza is a prayer for all of us to live a Christian life of love in the world.
 
Congregations may want to try singing LOBET UND PREISET as a three-part round; that works well with a text that enjoins everyone to sing. The original first stanza has often been sung as a table grace. Marie J. Post expanded the text to continue the joyful singing. The expanded text and melody were first published in the 1974 Psalter Hymnal Supplement. In 1985 Dale Grotenhuis provided the keyboard accompaniment, which is suitable for unison or canonic singing.
— Bert Polman

Author Information

A graduate of Boston University and the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Edith Lowell Thomas (b. Eastford, CT, 1878; d. Claremont, CA, 1970) served as both educator and church musician. She taught music and worship at Boston University (1918-1932), directed church school music at Christ Church Methodist in New York City, and co-founded the Miss Thomas Preparatory School in Collingswood, New Jersey. Through much teaching and guest lecturing, she played an active role in promoting music and singing in church education. Her publications include several children's hymnals: Singing Worship (1935), Sing, Children, Sing (1939), and The Whole World Singing (1950), and the text-book Music in Christian Education (1953).
— Bert Polman

Composer Information

Marie (Tuinstra) Post (b. Jenison, MI, 1919; d. Grand Rapids, MI, 1990) versified this psalm in 1983 for the Psalter Hymnal 1987. While attending Dutch church services as a child, Post was first introduced to the Genevan psalms, which influenced her later writings. She attended Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she studied with Henry Zylstra. From 1940 to 1942 she taught at the Muskegon Christian Junior High School. For over thirty years Post wrote poetry for the Grand Rapids Press and various church periodicals. She gave many readings of her poetry in churches and schools and has been published in a number of journals and poetry anthologies. Two important collections of her poems are I Never Visited an Artist Before (1977) and the posthumous Sandals, Sails, and Saints (1993). A member of the 1987 Psalter Hymnal Revision Committee, Post was a significant contribu­tor to its array of original texts and paraphrases.
— Bert Polman
Dale Grotenhuis (b. Cedar Grove, WI, 1931; d. Jenison, Mi, August 17, 2012) was a member of the 1987 Psalter Hymnal 1987 Revision Committee, and was professor of music and director of choral music at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, from 1960 until he retired in 1994 to concentrate on composition. Educated at Calvin College; Michigan State University, Lansing; and Ohio State University, Columbus; he combined teaching with composition throughout his career and was a widely published composer of choral music. He also directed the Dordt choir in a large number of recordings, including many psalm arrangements found in the 1959 edition of the Psalter Hymnal.
— Bert Polman
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