Truly Free - LLM translation 1

Truly Free

#grandfather

Cover

Life sketch of Dr Kornelis Sietsma

By

C. J. Sickle

Kidchner Publishing - Amsterdam-C.

1. Sietsma in Rev.

At the end of the last century, 1896, when summer was already past its peak, Kornelis Sietsma was born on August 25, at a borderij at Nijega, in the Smallingerland municipality.

The birth of little Kees was for his parents a compensation the Lord gave them for their seven-year-old daughter, who had died the year before. Including Kees, they now had four sons and later they were given another boy.

Father Sietsma came from a family that in 1834 consciously sympathised with the reformation of the church and was at the forefront of the fight against the illegal synodal organisation. Heine Sietsma himself was a sober man, who remained loyal to the tradition of his fathers and brought up his children in a strict way. Although he had a sharp mind and was well educated, he had much less influence on the spiritual formation of his sons than his wife.

Mother Sietsma, called Grietje Akkerman by name, was a pious woman of great faith. She came from a purely modern family, whose father was decidedly hostile to the Christian faith. But she and her sister, who later became the mother of Dr C. Bouma from The Hague, had come to know and love the Lord Jesus. These sisters owed a lot to a servant at their father's house, who talked to them about the way of salvation. These talks often had to be held at night, because their father did not allow it. The Lord blessed this simple teaching wonderfully and converted both sisters. Grietje Akkerman became a determined Christian and a faithful Christian mother, who prayed and did a lot for her children in all simplicity. She had a great influence on her sons, including Kees. It is therefore striking that the dedication in Dr Sietsma's dissertation reads as follows:

"To the memory of my Mother and to my wife".

The frontier farm, where the Sietsma family worked in Nijega, was not a capital Friesian frontier farm. The land was not very fertile; hard work had to be done and every effort had to be made to provide a decent living for the family. Later, after moving to Donkerbroek, where father Sietsma bought his own farm, things improved. In Nijega, the years were tough and that burden weighed on Kees Sietsma's youth.

During his school years, Kees showed immediately that he could do something and that he liked learning. He had an excellent teacher in master H. Stiksma, whom he later testified had made a mark on his life. He understood that Kees wanted and was able to do something else than receive an education in farming. The desire to become a pastor that was awakened in Kees's heart at a young age was encouraged by Master Stiksma and his mother.

But would that go? There was an aptitude and a desire to study, but for the time being at least, the normal path was not open. When Kees finished school, his two eldest brothers were farming, while the third son was training to become a teacher. In any case, Kees had to wait for his brother to get his teaching certificate and even then it seemed impossible to train him directly to study theology.

So off to the farm to learn everything: ploughing, sowing, weeding, harvesting, milking, driving - and learning here means doing, hard tiring work. But Kees did not give a camp. He learned farm work and gave himself in it; did not do it with a drooping head but as a sense of duty. In the meantime, he kept himself busy with the books in free hours and persevered well. He still wanted to go to the state examination. When his brother passed the teacher's exam, he initially refused to take that course too, because he wanted something else. Then he persevered in his spare time.

In the long run, this was not possible, because the farm and studies both demand the whole person. After consultation and advice, it was finally decided in the spring of 1915 that Kees would go back to school in Drachten, at least to get his teacher's certificate and then see. And so it went, because it turned out that this boy had also worked well at home and already in the spring of 1916 (13 May) he passed, so that he had been in training for less than eighteen months.

Meanwhile, a new difficulty had arisen: The Netherlands had been mobilised since 1914; already a year earlier, Kees Sietsma should have enlisted, but had managed to get study leave for a year. Now delay was no longer possible and he had to join the army. So once again his perseverance was put to the test, but once again the Lord, his God, strengthened him.

Four months of military training passed in Amersfoort and then followed transfer to the field army in North Brabant. There, he was assigned administrative work at the office of the court-martial in 's Hertogenbosch. The service was not difficult and, moreover, he had the advantage of being billeted with civilians, so that he could study during free hours, all evenings and many nights, using written courses. Things were moving forward and the initial goal was getting closer. When demobilisation came in 1918, he could continue his studies at his parents' home, now supported by private lessons from the rector of the Groningen gymnasium. In 1920, he took the state examination and was admitted as a student on 28 September 1920 by the rector of the Theological School of the Reformed Churches in Kampen.

The Lord has His own ways with each of His children. Afterwards we can see, at least partly, what the Lord meant and how great His wisdom and love was. We can point that out here and will come back to it, but while we ourselves are walking in such difficult paths, it takes a lot of strid to keep courage and persevere. Sietsma's journey towards his student days must have been marked by many a dark hour, many a restless night, but just as surely by much prayer and holy clinging and finally by great joy in the Lord. He had fought for it and received it from His God. He did not get much support from people, though his mother's support remained of great value, but the Lord had known his path.

As a student in Kampen, Sietsma made the best of it. He was and remained a hard worker and was held in high esteem by his professors and friends. Later, he always spoke highly of his teachers, praised Prof. Honig as a teacher, Prof. Bouwman for his fabulous memory, enjoyed Prof. Ridderbos' neat exegesis and Prof. Hoekstra's practical training, but was most impressed by the figure of Prof. Greijdanus, whose deep scholarship and strong faith he honoured and admired and in whom he saw a shining example for the students.

His studies proceeded smoothly: he passed the propaedeutic exam on 17 June 1921, and two years later, 28 June 1923, he took his candidature for the first part and a year later, 27 June 1924, for the last part, so he finished in four years.

From this short period of study, which was obvious in view of his slightly higher left age and his great zeal for the preaching ministry, no one should conclude that Kees Sietsma did not give himself to student life. On the contrary, he was with heart and soul a member of the student fraternity: "Fides Quaerit Intellectum" and found friends there, of which we only mention two by name: the later preachers H. Steenhuis and P. Kuiper.

Meanwhile, he also used his stay in Kampen for something else. It was a good thing he had a teaching certificate, although at first he did not want to obtain one. Because of this, he was asked to work at a school in Kampen as a vacancy and found Ms J. Dekker, who also worked there for two months. Due to circumstances, they were practically together for the whole job during those months and got along a lot. After her engagement ended, Ms Dekker went to England, but the two colleagues continued to correspond. Later, they became engaged in the Netherlands and became colleagues for life, because Sietsma found in her a woman who supported him in all his work and stimulated him in many ways. She found in him a husband whose dedication and selfless love could hardly be surpassed.

Both their circumstances were such that after a short engagement, nothing stood in the way of their marriage and they decided to get married on 17 July 1924, which they did. Later, he would tell about this with a very expressionless face and say: "I had the bad audacity to get married before I had taken the preparatory exam". That's how Sietsma was; if he thought something was good and justified, he didn't care whether it was "customary".

After passing the regional exam, this candidate proved to be a desirable man, because he received no less than thirteen calls. In his heart he chose between Grijpskerk and Schoondijke, but after a conversation with Rev L. Bouma, who knew Zeeland so well, he decided in favour of Schoondijke. So he went there and was confirmed by Rev Moene on 23 Nov

1. His inaugural sermon stuck to the crossing. Everything had to be transported across the Scheldt and the sermon was in a crate that had not yet arrived.

When waiting was no longer possible, Sietsma set to work again the night before and made a new sermon. It all worked out anyway.

Schoondijke is in the nice, in so many ways attractive country of Zeeland Flanders, a prosperous Zeeland village with wide fields. The church congregation was very large. It had been vacant for quite some time and there was a lot of pastoral work to be done. The spiritual life of the local Reformed Church was sad. In this fertile land it was like a piece of heathland in spiritual terms. Sietsma therefore focused on pastoral work in his own congregation and on evangelisation. Even then, preaching came easily to him. Sietsma was in a hurry and never dawdled. He did serious work, but did it quickly. This was also because he did not get in his own way, served the Lord's cause and had a very sharp sense of what the Lord was asking of him at a particular moment. And then he did it.

That is why in Schoondike sense staying at home was little, he rushed a lot on the long and sometimes not so easy roads. In pastoral loyalty he spoke a lot there and achieved a lot, creating bonds that stayed. He was loved there and for many years. When Amsterdam became scarce because of the cruel war, people in Schoondijke were concerned about his family and gladly offered help. Because even then they could not forget him.

The gift of speaking to dissenters, which Rev Sietsma had strengthened and practised because God had repeatedly thrown him into the fullness of life, also came to his aid in evangelism in his first congregation, and he also profited from this talent.

So time flew by. The church flourished and his family grew. His wife gave him two sons. The busy life of the busy preacher never stopped him from devoting himself to his family with intense interest and great love.

It was obvious that the stay in the first congregation would not last too long. When appeals to Hooddorp and to Eindhoven were on the table at the presbytery at the same time, the pastor felt called to follow up the latter appeal. It was no wonder that this active strider was attracted by Eindhoven with its moving life, labour and entertainment and with its peculiarly growing population.

Appointed in June 1928, Sietsma was confirmed in Eindhoven on 9 September. There too, he was a full-fledged minister of the Word, devoting himself to his busy work. But right away, during the discussions with the Church Council before his arrival, the appointed pastor had requested that it be taken into account that he considered himself obliged to continue his studies and take his doctoral examinations and, if possible, a doctorate. This was not surprising, as studying was ultimately Sietsma's passion and his life. In Eindhoven, where a considerable circle of intellectuals belonged to the congregation and was also well represented in the church council, as it should be, his desire was immediately - and continually - understood and encouraged.

This remarkable congregation demanded a lot from him, but also stimulated him greatly. With heart and soul, full of zeal and using all his strength, he lived and worked here and spread many blessings under God's leadership. The task was hard, because the congregation was growing, doubling in membership in two years, requiring good, faithful work and making high demands, also on the preaching. In his preaching, in his approach to life, Sietsma too grew into a living Christian thinker and Christian strategist with an open eye for the needs of modern man. He was not afraid, worked hard and above all loved with all his heart, deeply imbued with the privilege of working in the Kingdom of God. To his realisation, though he toiled hard, he did only the bare necessities. He stayed at home and preached, loved to catechise (he also went to Valkenswaard for that purpose), was keen on youth, founded a youth centre, initiated a men's association and worked a lot in evangelism. He enjoyed working on the church council, also because it represented the congregation so well and decided on people of all types and backgrounds. There was momentum in the church work, grip in the preaching and Sietsma left his mark on many and cultivated a generation that had knowledge of the truth and the ways of the Lord.

Yet studies were not compromised: 7 Feb 1930 the doctoral examination was taken at the Free University and three years later on 12 May 1933 the doctorate followed on a thesis entitled: Adolf von Harnack mainly as Dogma Historian. This dissertation is a bulky volume of over 500 pages. It falls into three parts, the first of which describes Harnack's life, the second Harnack's principles and the third Harnack's history of dogma.

A fine book, this thesis. The young doctor showed himself at home in the history of culture and theology in Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, eminently familiar with Harack's life and writings and able to draw and criticise this great figure.

For anyone who knows what a busy pastoral job requires of a person, it may be surprising that Sietsma was able to give himself completely to his congregation and yet obtain the doctoral degree in such a way.

This was certainly helped by the fact that people in Eindhoven not only had great confidence in him, but also respect and interest in his scientific work. These are certainly not occasional words, when in the preface of the dissertation the author expresses himself thus: "In particular I mention with great thanks the rare appreciation my work has received from my church council and in my congregation."

That the assignment in this thesis mentioned his wife in addition to the memory of the writer's mother was entirely consistent with her part in her husband's life. His scientific work had her full interest and she was to him in this too "a helper as towards him."

The family had expanded in Eindhoven with two children, a daughter and a son. In Amsterdam, only the youngest son was born. In the parsonage in the Fazantlaan, adjacent to the Oosterkerk in Eindhoven, a happy family lived in those years, on which the Lord's blessing rested.

While Sietsma was completely at home in his own congregation, he also worked with honour in classis and province. He was one of the church trustees during that time, became a delegate to the Private Synod of North Brabant and Limburg and attended the General Synod in Middelburg in 1933 as its delegate.

But this period, too, began to come to an end. Less than a year after the promotion, on Tuesday 30 January 1934, news reached Sietsma that the church in Amsterdam-Zuid had called him that evening. This appeal would mark a new turning point in his life. He received it with serious interest, but his ties to the Eindhoven congregation were strong. As usual, he was invited to Amsterdam to "take a look". I remember that visit well. It was a rare inclement day. As we crossed the Surinameplein, a veritable sandstorm hit visitors in the face. So far, not an attractive reception. However, the Church Council was much friendlier and it was obvious that the Amsterdam side put forward everything that could move the preacher to come and serve the congregation of Amsterdam South. The decision must have been difficult for Sietsma, but in the end he accepted the call.

2. Sietsma in Amsterdam.

The church of Amsterdam-Zuid had been severely battered by the 1926 schism. But in these eight years it was wonderfully blessed. Rev H. S. Bouma, the first pastor after the schism, had set to work in his calm and determined way. Great unity was found in those years. Soon, since July 1929, there were two ministers; the congregation grew and doubled; unity remained. And there was great interest in the appointment of a third minister.

It was a wonderful appeal meeting, in which the appeal was made to Rev Sietsma. The congregation had gathered in the Schinkel church in numbers that were unusually large for Amsterdam. The vote was exciting, the outcome of which no one could predict with any certainty. The majority of votes was for Dr K. Sietsma.

One hoped, one prayed, that the first appeal in this vacancy might be accepted and on that late Saturday evening, 17 February 1934, that hope was fulfilled and that rebed answered.

On Whit Sunday, 20 May, Rev H. S. Bouma was confirmed and on Wednesday, Dr K. Sietsma entered the Raphaëlpleinkerk in Amsterdam-Zuid.

We still see him standing there for the first time on the pulpit in the crowded church building. A man appeared before the congregation, a man of seriousness and full of inspiration. Still relatively young, but giving the impression of a certain maturity. His facial features, which at first glance appeared somewhat stern, were softened by a kindness, which particularly spoke from his lively eyes full of life's interests.

The text chosen for the entrance sermon was 1 Corinthians 12: 3: "Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus a curse; and no one can say Jesus is the Lord except by the Holy Spirit."

The first words, with which the congregation was addressed, read thus:

"It is a somewhat peculiar situation when a Servant of the Word commits himself to a particular congregation and acts before it for the first time in preaching the Gospel. For even if it is certain that his intention is to present the full content of divine revelation and nothing more than that, even then there remains the tension, the expectation of what it will be like. Certainly, it will be one of very many voices, one of many instruments that God the Lord uses to make known to the congregation the riches of His mercy in Christ Jesus. But also in the unity of the Lord there are many ministries, also bi the unity of the Spirit there are many gifts."

"One expects a programme, a proclamation, how he will take up his task, where he will put the emphasis, how he will see the gemente and how he will see the times, in which we live."

"And if one has only experienced Pentecost! Then it is as if this question becomes even more pressing. Will this preacher only objectively present the truth to the congregation, or will he also mean something to the emotions, say something to the moved hearts of his listeners? Will he only preach the facts, the facts of salvation and the data of revelation, will he only let Scripture speak according to what it literally says? Or will it also be noticeable that the Spirit of Pentecost has worked and is working in his heart: will we be refreshed by the feeling that he himself has a part in it? And will that give warmth and colour, colour and bloom to what he says? Will what the Spirit says to the churches be added to the painting of what the Lord has revealed?"

"I am not giving you a programme today. I do not have a programme; I only have to preach to you all the time I will spend in your midst, even if it were a whole lifetime, what the Lord has revealed and what the Spirit says to the elements - that is the same thing; what the heart, and therefore the mind and the spirit, the will and the feeling of man, can control and reciprocate, the Word of God. But in order to show you that this Word has the answer to the questions raised, that it is not unilateral but multifaceted, that it governs and encompasses the whole life of the congregation, that you should not say either-or, but one-and-one, I have chosen the text that has been read to you and would like to speak to you about: Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the congregation."

While this was not a programme, it was a fundamental commitment to the ministry of the Word, in which a clear position was taken and linen was laid down for the future. The rest of the sermon also reflected this. The dividing line between the congregation of Christ and the world was drawn sharply in word and spirit:

"The world glorifies itself, upholds itself, preaches itself. But Jesus came to seek and save what was lost. Jesus convinces of the lost in itself. Jesus - His whole Name preaches it - only makes sense and is only recognised in reality, for those who lose themselves. And therefore Jew and Greek to whom the cross is an annoyance and a folly say: Anathema Jesus, curse Him."

"And who can say, Jesus the Lord, Jesus the King of the universe? Who can say: Jesus, the Man of smears is the Son of God; the mortal on the cross is the Immortal in glory; the cursed is the Blessed, the High Glorious Son of God is given in the One whom we would not have desired, if we had looked upon Him? A person can only say that if he has learned to speak through the Spirit of God. No one says that by himself; it is the first thing one says, when the Spirit of God, when the Holy Spirit renews and changes the heart..."

"But he who says that, he also has the Spirit. There are differences, many differences. Between Paul and the Corinthians, between Peter and the most hesitant believer among you. But you all say together, like a jubilant group: Jesus, the Lord. So you are Pentecostal, so you have the Holy Spirit."

"That is where we want to act. Therein we have a subject, which will not be exhausted even if I stayed a lifetime in your midst, which you will not tire of listening to: to make known to you that there are two worlds, separated by a deep gulf: the unbelieving church and the Pentecostal church. And that you can sign these two worlds with their motto: "Anathema Jesus" and "Jesus the Lord".

Just as clearly, this sermon brought to light the pure touchstone.

"Do you understand what we want to say? Even gi will always be placed before the dilemma, unavoidable as a touchstone for your life, to what extent you live out of the Spirit of God, to what extent you are Pentecostal; before the dilemma: Jesus the Lord, or Anathema Jesus, at every step you take, in your civil and political and spiritual life."

Finally, the preacher brought out from his text the "wonderful and wonderful harmony and interaction ... in the church of Christ, which is at once congregation of the Spirit, congregation of Pentecost, the harmony between Jesus and the Spirit". From the very beginning, Sietsma held the highness and glory of God's work and highlighted it, but on the other hand he also knew how to both stimulate and comfort the small, the simple in God's church.

In the congregation and in the circle of Church Council and colleagues, this entry raised the best expectations, and these have not been disappointed.

Sietsma was and remained a fresh preacher; a man who had great appeal for the people of modern times and who, on the other hand, refused to burn incense on any altar of the gods of the time. But he did know how to sympathise with people in difficulty and no less with the congregation of the Lord in its struggle, because he loved it so much.

He was a preacher, who also undoubtedly had his shortcomings and deficiencies and knew that about himself very well, but always the congregation was captivated, because this preacher kept stepping back to bring his Transmitter into the light, to make Jesus Christ sparkle before the eyes of the faithful in all His riches, to let God's Word speak about the life of this poor world and about the life calling of Christ's ransomed people.

Sietsma was a thinker, but in the pulpit still more of a comforter than a thinker, a good pastor even in the preaching service. Proof of this can be found in the seven sermons from the book of Job, which he published under the title The Justification of God. These sermons have the great merit that they can be read; that even those who have not heard these sermons will follow the preacher with pleasure and with edification. Here the things of the most peaceful life are calmly spoken about and the only comfort in life and death is in them. Jesus Christ is proclaimed to sinners; man is broken down into his own greatness and brought to the greatness of God in Christ Jesus and led to worship Him who rules it all.

Curiously, among these seven sermons from the book of Job is a sermon on Sunday 10 of the catechism (The providence of God). This is not entirely justified. Sietsma often preached on a chapter of Scripture in connection with a catechism Sunday. Incidentally, he was quite capable of giving a fascinating exposition of parts of Reformed truth. He loved that truth and liked to teach people. He was not only a good pastor and preacher, but also a good teacher.

So it was with lust that Sietsma catechised. He sometimes said to me: "'t zal jou net zo gaan, ik kan nooit op tijd klaar komen." Indeed once Sietsma was well underway, by a question, by a counter-argument, he was not ready immediately, his answer was elaborate and full. He always saw many more sides to a quaestion than the questioners and was then happy to continue talking.

Many he feted; seeking with intense interest to influence their thinking and lives from the gospel of Christ. He could not bear it when someone spoke ill of catechism. He would get very agitated when defending himself against the idea that in the church everything was formal and that one could find more salvation at a revival meeting like the Buchman movement. Then he would definitely turn away; then he would bring forward - quite in line with his opening sermon - that no Christian had any right to despise the simple work in God's congregation; that it was a denial of the work of the Holy Spirit on the profession of faith by carelessly ignoring the young members and talking about all kinds of revivals and house parties with so much fuss. Sietsma did not participate in any glorification of ecclesiastical debauchery, in an opposition of Jesus and the Spirit; he saw the harmony, he experienced through the Spirit what he professed ecclesiastically and what he did ecclesiastically.

He could preach so beautifully when preparing for Holy Communion. He did so with special affection, as he told us. He was also completely in his power during the preparation. Then all the beauty of Christ shone through, then he demanded decisiveness and faithfulness, but how he knew how to lure and guide. He did this so lovingly and so well, because the Lord had taught him so well through His Word to understand the church of God in its individuality, in its life, in its weakness and guilt, because he saw the church of God as the work of the Lord, in which Jesus and the Spirit were in full harmony.

Needless to say, Sietsma was also sought after as a shepherd. In his neighbourhood he was faithful, hard-working and compassionate. His advice was eagerly sought - I will speak later about the war time in this respect. At the sickbed this devoted man was completely at home. In the homes of the poor he was and spoke as easily as in the homes of the learned and better-off, the latter, however, he sought out rather than avoided.

Part of the work of the ministers of the Word also lies in the Church Council and its committees, a difficult part often. Sietsma never shirked this and in this respect, too, he endured the heat of summer and the cold of winter in Amsterdam. He did not speak so much, but once he stood up - he liked to speak standing up, even in the Church Council - he asserted himself, spoke with speed and insistence and sometimes people had to make sure they got out of his way, because then blows would fall. He could speak the truth formidably, was not afraid of a sharp word in the debate, but when the meeting was closed and business was concluded, it turned out that this sharp debater was the same friend as before. He also knew how to work together, he did not want to know it alone and could easily insert himself into things of minor importance. A best colleague was Sietsma, who remained completely himself and yet liked to listen to others and consider that. He was completely unsentimental, but sensitive, sensitive also to collegiality and friendship.

Not only were speaking talents bestowed on Sietsma, he was and became an outstanding writer in Amsterdam even more so. First of all, the modest "Kerkbode" of Amsterdam-Zuid benefited from this writing talent. For six months he too took turns writing the meditation, fresh and lively pieces with clear writing. Furthermore, he always showed empathy with the congregation, the diaconal and other official concerns of a congregation on the outskirts of a large city. But his skill in writing follow-up articles, which simply set out dogmatic and ethical issues for the congregation, stood out. He was strong in theological expositions; even when writing about "burning" issues, he avoided polemics, which usually do not bear much fruit. Even in such treatises, first and foremost, the pastor and teacher remained in charge.

On the occasion of his life, April 1941, the series on "Divine sovereignty and human responsibility" appeared in brochure form. This calm argument about an ever topical question, which can be so painfully oppressive at times in our lives, appealed with clear, scriptural exposition and simple piety. It was a piece that brought people who were willing to listen forward. Therefore it is no wonder that this booklet had a second edition.

To characterise this writing and Sietsma's written work in his own municipality, we refer to the conclusion, in which the author points out the "connection between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, a connection and not a contradiction".

"Not an either-or, but an and-and."

"Not one: God controls my life and God controls everything, so I can't do anything."

"And much less one: I can and must work and bear my responsibility, so God does not control my life; God acts only where I cannot go on."

"But one: God is the Sovereign, the Omnipotent, the Free, the Only Deciding; and I am man, His man, created by Him and called by Him and employed by Him ; so I work under His supremacy, wholly dependent and wholly carried, and so wholly responsible and so wholly active."

"If I could separate myself from God for an instant in the naturallike, I would not exist; and if I could not go on, it goes on anyway, because He rules all things."

"If I could for an instant separate myself from God in the spiritual, I could not exist, neither before the judgement of God, nor in life according to the spirit; but by Him called and grasped, I work and believe and confess and am what I am."

"And what I am and do and will and can and must is not a containment of God's highness, but a glorification of it, for He is the origin of my sense and life."

"This is a tremendous inspiration to work, work in everyday life with its many sides, with its many objections and difficulties. For this life is not sovereign and therefore can never dominate me, crush me and make my labour meaningless. For meaning to my labour is given by the Lord God who is Lord of all life."

"And also this life is not a mechanical and machine-determined life without coherence, interweaving and fruitful activity of men. But this life is in God's hand working and struggling and rushing towards the end."

"Thereby the course and end is not determined by the opposing and destructive factors, but beginning and progress and end are set in the service of God, even all that, why I should and may grieve and mourn."

"This is also a tremendous force for calm, for peace, for certainty."

"For in the midst of all the upheavals and turns of human life, I am, in connection with this life and by a thousand ties to it, carried by the hand of God."

"That not so, that the happenings in world coherence cannot take or bring me what I would like to keep or avoid. But so that all that happens to me happens to me from the hand of the Lord, and not from men as independent from and independent of God."

"And this is in the sense that I am not merely under God's supreme direction in connection with all this and therefore dependent, but much more so, that in all things I am guarded and guided by the Lord as His beloved child, as His special property, sheltered and cared for with His favour and in His grace, for Christ's sake."

"Even in times like ours, precisely in times like ours, this divine sovereignty as governing human activity under the responsibility of the creature is an unspeakable and unscriptural consolation and foothold."

"This is also a tremendous inspiration to work in the things of God's Kingdom in the spiritual world, there, where I cooperate according to the commandment and directly in the enduring, ruling, continuing and triumphing in the world."

"Again, to two sides. So, that with great joy I pray my prayers and speak my word and do my deed, because this my working and watching, my cultivating and preserving, is enabled and included with its own value and place in God's work, by which He leads the whole to His end and purpose."

"And so I see the course of life with peace and confidence, in the knowledge that in the end only this Kingdom of God remains, and thus, against all appearances, my standing in the service of God is a standing on the side of victory, where after all God's Christ has already won the victory and history serves no other purpose than to work out this victory and bring it to completion. And finally, so that I stand in my place, grounded for time and eternity with all that is in and about me in God's faithfulness and God's certainties, and from this nothing, not even my own errors and mistakes, can storm me, much less the violence of the evil one and what serves him."

"While in this I always cooperate actively and responsibly and with great joy in faith and love and struggle against sin to minus perfection through Him, Who teaches me and works me and thus gives me the temporal and eternal beatitude of being a co-worker of God to the consummation of my joy, namely of the joy of my King and Christ."

"From Him and through Him and to Him are all things, including man's responsibility and his conscious and active life in all directions and relationships."

"To Him be the glory in Christ Jesus for all eternity. Amen."

It is touching now, in retrospect, as we know the suffering and end of his life, to read this piece again, but then how much Sietsma comforts us himself and teaches us to bow down and conform to God's holy will.

In this piece, he wrote out the Word of God, but also wrote out himself, his believing heart, and we understand his active life, his sacrifice for God's Name and cause as a gift, as a work of the Lord.

Not only in the local Church Bulletin did he write follow-up articles. Also in "De Bazuin". From both magazines together, the series on "The idea of ministry" was reprinted, published after the liberation.

Sietsma contributed to many other periodicals: his articles could be found in "De Standaard", in "De Studam", in the evangelisation magazine "Horizon", while for some time he wrote the chronicle in the "Gereformeerd Theologisch Tidschrift". Dr Sietsma wrote a remarkable and worthwhile article in the brochure "De eenheid der Kerken" (Unity of the Churches), published in 1941. Prof J. Severijn and L. H. van der Meiden also wrote about the Reformed Church and the Christian Reformed Church and unity, while Dr K. Sietsma wrote about the Reformed Churches and unity. In the anxious wartime, it was quite understandable that people started thinking about this "unity". Nevertheless, for the author it was first and foremost: "Nevertheless, the commandment of the Lord and the demand of the Word take precedence". On this basis he made his detailed and calm plea, which, even now and especially now, although circumstances have changed in the Reformed Church as well as in the Reformed Churches, deserves to be read again.

When the printing press in the Netherlands became free of enemy printing again, it turned out that Dr Sietsma edited the book of Job in the series "De Bijbel toegelicht voor het Nederlandsche volk", while another brochure appeared: "Het gezin in de Branding".

If one now adds to this the series of writings Sietsma wrote in connection with his work in evangelisation among intellectuals and the better-off, a short treatise on "De wedergeboorte" (in the series by the publisher S. J. P. Bakker) and a course on "Gereformeerde Geloofsleer" (Reformed Doctrine of Faith) for the nurses of the Juliana Hospital, one will have to agree that in the less than eight full years that Sietsma worked here in Amsterdam, his press work took off.

Of his work of evangelisation we must say a little more; that was a separate chapter of his ministry. In it, he spoke and wrote with great love and great talent.

He was nevertheless in favour of evangelisation; he accepted the appointment of the "Home Visiting and Reading Distribution" department and acted as its chairman, became a member of the Evangelisation Commission, but then found a field in which he could develop his full strength. Before that, all 'tandere.

At the time, work among intellectuals and the better-off was often discussed in the Netherlands, but not yet put into practice with much success. In Amsterdam-Zuid, under Sietsma's leadership, a committee "Levensvragen" (Life questions) was set up, in which outstanding people participated and to which Mr A. Windig in particular made great efforts and sacrifices.

That work started and it went well and grew and stayed. More than once I heard him tell about it, simply, modestly, but with great love and gratitude. He could then say so calmly: "That we did it this way, that we found this way, oh, that was actually more luck than wisdom". For it had been carefully managed to collect addresses of educated and better-off people, of whom it could be assumed that, at least initially, an audience could be found for preaching the gospel, which then had to be done in a style suitable for such a circle. It turned out that people wanted to attend these closed meetings and Sietsma managed to get people talking. He also spoke there himself, but above all he was an eminent chairman for such evenings, he carried the debate, kept it high up and made sure that the discussion also reached the listeners. This discussion was often just as important and had as much of a blessing influence as the lecture itself.

Now when a number of these lectures were held for a larger audience, people who were interested could join a course, which Dr Sietsma was in charge of.

He led several of those courses. He worked on them with great earnestness and love and wrestled with people and was an eternal blessing for several of them.

To get them and many others to read the Bible again and to give guidance in doing so, he wrote: "How to read the Bible, a word to all who seek God". This booklet has been distributed to thousands of people. Certainly also in many Christian families, but certainly in a significant number of homes, where the Bible started to become dusty, if there was still a Bible at all.

Much richer still are the books, in which the courses are given on: "Our General Christian Faith", The Christian Life, The Kingdom of God. Neatly edited in modern typography, with a good and fluent style, written with passion and inspiration, calmly arguing yet gripping, moving here and there, these books form a trilogy that will retain its significance for the church for years to come, but much more so as first-rate evangelisation literature.

How dared, how could Sietsma handle this work so well? First of all, this was due to his faith in God, his devoted Christian life and his zeal for the Kingdom of God. But it also involved his peculiar, loving and yet penetrating view of the circles he sought with the Gospel. At the beginning of his "Christian Life" he wrote these typical sentences about it: "The life of modern man is uncertain and directionless to the highest degree; this is sad."

"But he feels something of this, he does not deny it; this is hopeful".

How optimistic this serious man was !

He dared to speak to these modern people and testify and confess before their ears. He was then quietly decided and presented them with a choice. He did so from the beginning.

In the first meeting to discuss the Christian faith, we hear him say, among other things :

"I believe in God."

"And then, of course, it also comes down to the truths that faith professes about this God, to what it says about God. It is not that it does not matter much what you "fill" your faith with, as long as the faith is there. It is not about faith, but about God. Faith is not only an attitude, but above all a relationship, a relationship to the living, real, so-loving and so-acting God; to that God, Who reveals Himself - otherwise I could not believe in Him either - and Who is no other than He reveals Himself. And the truthfulness of "I believe" depends on the real relationship of faith to the true and real God, not to a fantasy product I call God. Then the relationship is one of disbelief, just as much in principle as when I deny in so many words the existence of God.

"God Himself of course decrees the content, i.e., what I now confess further concerning Him. So that I will believe in Him alone. Anything else would be idolatry. Idolatry is runaway faith, faith that has gone off the rails, faith that still seeks its own content; that seeks compensation for inner emptiness and finally wants to find it itself, even when it expresses itself in Christian terms."

"Here, too, there is no middle ground. One can only believe in God or reject Him. And I do the latter even if I replace Him with a God of my own invention; if I do not let God indicate the content of my faith. One cannot haggle here and actually replace God with: my conscience, my inner voice, my conviction. God Himself says who He is and what it means if I believe in Him, or else I cannot believe in God because I do not know who God is. And to make a separation between God and His Self-witness, whereby I do accept God and deny or also correct that self-witness, is self-deception, is impossible and fatal."

That is strong language at an evangelism meeting, but so it should be. Sietsma did speak with wisdom and love, but rightly refused to apply one reductionist method or another. If one wants to see how calmly he kept his own course, one should read again the piece on, "I believe a holy general Christian Church". 1)

footnote 1: Our General Christian Faith p. 101 vig.

Its I have to cite from it anyway. First this:

"I believe: the Church, that it is there."

"That is, I believe that the work of Christ and of the Holy Spirit has borne and bears and will bear fruit, and that this work has effect in the gathering together, in the life, and existence of the Church, i.e. the people and assembly of Christ, i.e. in the being and gathering together and gathering and remaining of Christ believers.

"To deny the Church would be to deny Christ's work, would be to deny the fruitful nature of Jesus' suffering and dying and overcoming; would also be to deny the work of the Holy Spirit; would be to claim that God's Spirit can work on earth and be unfruitful. Even if I saw no Church, no life of faith on earth, no service of God and no worship of Him, I would still have to say, for the sake of the first statements of faith: I believe a Church."

After this Church has been confessed in its unity, holiness and catholicity and has been presented as a piece of faith on all sides, its task and signs have been mentioned, its struggle and danger are also mentioned and Sietsma does not hesitate to continue talking in that circle. A single quote from that :

"Through these and many other struggles in the midst of Christendom, in which unfortunately the struggle was not always between the world and the Church, between unbelievers and believers, but in which often, when there was a difference of outlook and a difference of faith, one believer fought against another and one group of confessors against another assembly, because of this struggle and also because of all kinds of separatist tendencies, the unpalatable and sinful situation has arisen, that the Church of Christ on earth does not manifest itself in one institution, but that we have several institutions, which we cannot deny the name Church of Christ.

"That therefore in one particular place, several Churches call themselves the Church of Christ, revealed in institut. This is an abomination and a sin against the one universal Christian Church and against the commandment of Christ, which is contained in his prayer, "That they all be one!"

"That can never be right. One cannot get rid of it by saying that these different Churches express the diversity that exists in the world of man, because this diversity should be expressed within the Church of Christ, not in its diversity. Nor can it be concluded that one's own Church is the only Church of Christ, and that the other organisations are no Church, but mere sects and human associations, for that is a denial of the work of the Spirit and the truth of the Word. If there is an institution, of which it cannot be said that the proclamation of the Word, the ministration of the Sacraments, the supervision and discipline, the assembly and motherhood of the faithful are absent or have become almost unrecognisable, then we have to recognise that there is still the Church there, also in the organisation and living together of the faithful, even under the leadership of the ministry. And of this we can only say, that next to the legitimate the illegitimate Church, and next to the actual diversity, stands the disunity of Christ's Church, to the sorrow of every child of God!"

"It does not help that we gloss over the issue at stake. That we say: oh, it doesn't matter. As long as you believe in Christ, it does not matter which Church you belong to. That is not true. Everything matters. In everything the Christian must be obedient, including in the matter of membership of and joining the true Church."

The play continues and the book continues and in subsequent years the series was continued in the books already mentioned. We cannot follow these closely; there is no need to, as we are only concerned with characterising this part of Sietsma's work. One constantly senses how great a trust he enjoyed in the circle of his students, because he could speak completely and deal with all kinds of issues without the risk of losing his audience. He had become the counselor for many of them, the adviser on the path of life.

So Sietsma was busy in Amsterdam, involved in all kinds of work. He gave himself completely and did not spare himself, took the church to heart and spread God's truth to the outside world. Much could still be expected of him and we hoped to find in him the academic preacher of the Reformed Churches of Amsterdam, and we hoped for as much ...

Then war overtook him and us.

3. Sietsma in the war

The days of May 1940, those short, exciting days full of noise, turmoil and rumour had Pentecost in their midst. Although not undisturbed, short services could still be held in the Reformed Church of Amsterdam-Zuid. Difficult was this commemoration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but also a great consolation. The Spirit of Christ could not be resisted even by modern warfare. There remained a place, a task for Christ's church and her labour could not be hopeless, despite all the suffering. That Pentecost in the days of war was like a prophecy: God's Word endures forever and will not budge an inch.

When the battle of capitulation fell, it was barely bearable. In many a home, parents and children wept together for the great humiliation and defamation of Queen and fatherland.

Sietsma could hardly believe it. When I phoned him and told him, he didn't want to hear it at first. "But where does that leave us with our waterline - we shouldn't have made such a big deal about it. This ex-military man certainly had something left over from his military service. He could not easily resign himself to capitulation.

But it had to and then Sietsma was certainly not the man to fret and hang his head. "We have to go to work," he said, "and the best thing is to work very hard."

He then immediately adopted a firm stance. He did not lose sight of caution; he understood that nothing could be gained by provocation, but was even less likely to be intimidated by the display of power and the noise of the Germans.

His sermons remained faithful proclamations of the gospel, also in the sense that the victory, reign and right of Christ were highlighted with as much clarity as before; that obedience to God's commandments was admonished in every sphere of life; that Christian fidelity was urged. He practised this fidelity himself, especially in his constant prayers for our Queen and her house and her councillors and for the welfare of the fatherland.

The questions that people had at that time were many and they often asked for short answers. Sietsma was fully involved and empathised with the questions. He saw the difficulties and dangers and considered them seriously. Therefore, he often consulted his colleagues before giving a definitive answer.

With him, as with all those who struggled in these years with the concerns raised by the occupation and the attitude of the occupying forces, a certain growth could be observed. In the beginning, it was still possible to take the land-war regulations seriously, in the expectation that this international regulation would also be based on the enemy side. In the conversations of the early war period, this document therefore came up repeatedly. Soon one violation after the other could be observed, until it became completely clear that the enemy was completely trampling on law and order and acting with brutal arbitrariness. This also sharpened Sietsma's attitude towards things and this was noticed by those who sought his advice.

Sietsma worked courageously to support the resistance spiritually, and he often engaged in "dangerous" conversations. His eyes would tingle and his whole face and posture would express his intense interest. His words and advice were then pious and cheerful. He was on end'on a man, a patriot one could count on and no less a shepherd of great loyalty.

He inspired and encouraged wherever he could, in the pulpit, in the church council and in personal contact. He warned time and again that we "these pretenders" - as he mockingly called the viandelike police - as he mockingly called the virtual police - a sad face. Despondency and depression did not occur to him. I remember that he was once reported - I don't know if it was true - that I had been so gloomy in the Raphael square church. There he protested: "You shouldn't do that, you shouldn't be gloomy in the pulpit, people really don't need that these days and there is no reason for it, because there is enough courage to draw from God's Word". It was a pleasure to hear his chastisement and his intercourse was of sterling influence. He lost neither his vigour nor his cheerfulness, although he saw more and more clearly that things were becoming more and more acute and would end in fierce resistance. Once he said to me: "Just think about it, it could come to a point where you end up behind a machine gun and just fire to get them out."

How he dedicated himself to the compassion and support of suffering brethren was very evident in the trial of Mr C. van Rij et al. The congregation was prayerfully involved in this, all the more so because several men from our church were involved. Very seriously, the lives of these "defendants" were threatened. When the main hearing of the Marinekriegsgericht came up, Sietsma went with them to The Hague and managed to get admission to the hearing. He then offered a lot of support to the prisoners and their relations. When at first the sentences were not too harsh - later they were made more severe by order of higher authority - he stayed that evening at the home of Mrs Van Rij and spoke at an appropriate moment to the family in order to point out how faithful the Lord was, who had watched over men and fathers. We should never forget that and thank and honour Him for it. Then he led the way in prayer.

Those who witnessed this did get a benevolent impression of how this servant of Christ understood his task in wartime. Little did we suspect then that it would not be so long before we would be in the greatest worry about Sietsma himself and would finally have to miss him.

One Saturday evening, 31 January 1942, I was disturbed in a meeting of the Evangelisation Committee by a telephone message brought to me by a lady. She had read in the Church Bulletin that a collection for the Jewish mission would be held the following day and informed me that the attention of the Sicherheitsdienst would be drawn to this in order to prevent the collection. I took this announcement at face value, because in my opinion it was obvious that an established collection could not be cancelled because of such a threat. Moreover, before the first service in the Schinkel Church, Dr Sietsma was informed of this telephone call by a member of the Evangelisation Committee and warned that spies were likely to attend the service.

That morning, Dr Sietsma preached on Christ's temptation in the desert, on the request for power special. I myself had the privilege of being among his audience. The preaching was scriptural and left nothing to be desired in terms of clarity, but was in no way challenging or careless. The preacher brought Christ into the light in his holy, principled battle with Satan; he also revealed that Satan still applied the temptation of power and that he sought to tempt with the kingdoms of the earth. That his application also revealed that those who are of Christ had to resist this temptation to power was self-evident.

During this service, the collection for the Jewish mission was also held and recommended, and prayers commemorated the birthday of Princess Beatrix, which fell on the upcoming Saturday. All this, too, was done as could be expected of a faithful man, but not a word too much was said.

After that service I spoke to Sietsma for the last time. He immediately informed me that there had probably been spies in the church. I knew that and we talked a bit more about the warning about the collection and he also appeared to be of the opinion that it should not have been suspended for threats.

The following Monday, 2 February 1942, Dr Sietsma was taken from his home by two men of the Sicherheitsdienst and taken to the then "Euterpestraat". At the coetus of ministers, where Sietsma was also about to go when the Germans arrived, the news of his arrest was passed on to us and caused great consternation and indignation. In the congregation no less; there was intense commotion and great sadness.

Efforts to find out what charges were actually brought against this worthy preacher finally led to Prof Dr G. J. Sizoo being informed that there were three charges:

1. "Einsammlung von Güter für die Jüden" (collection of goods for Jews);
2. prayer for the royal house;
3. pricipial opponent of National Socialism.

With regard to the first point, it was very easy to prove that this was a blatant lie, and this point of accusation (which, by the way, got the case rolling) was later dropped, and little attention was paid to the second point either. On the third point, the sermon came up, and when questioned, the question was asked, in what then is the present temptation with the powers of the earth school, to which Sietsma mentioned several possibilities. To the pertinent question of whether this solicitation of power also runs in National Socialism, he answered that this was indeed the case, although not only in National Socialism. In Amersfoort, Sietsma learned from the documents that this very statement was held against him and he was therefore deported to the concentration camp.

Meanwhile, it had not come to that yet. From the "Euterpestraat", Sietsma was transferred to the House of Detention on the Weteringschans, where he was locked up in a cell in which Rev M. Hinloopen and Rev H. Vogel were already present. One of the first signs of life, which his wife received from him, was a scrawl on the label of his laundry suit, which read "Acts 5: 41." This text from Acts says: "They therefore went away from the Council, rejoicing that they had been judged worthy to suffer reproach for His name's sake."

So we knew the mood in which he accepted his suffering. In that cell many a good moment was experienced by the three ministers. But that doesn't mean it wasn't very difficult, especially for Sietsma, who was ill for some time.

In those days, while he was there, I once visited the House of Detention to visit a detainee of the Hollands justice system. To Sietsma, I had no access. I stood in the open door separating the prison proper from the corridor along which the lawyers' chambers are located and counted out where the cell in which Sietsma was sitting should be. The section for political prisoners was closed off separately by large iron gates, which ran from the ground to the ceiling and had a large S.S. sign on them. There he was locked up like a great criminal, the man the congregation of God prayed for and hung on with heartfelt brotherly love. What a guilt the enemy brought upon himself to harass and take away such men from our people and from God's church, completely innocent. We could not reach them; I was allowed to visit a villain, I could only look at the closed cell door from afar. It was so bad to have to leave there again and not be able to do anything for him.

Mrs Sietsma did speak to him at the House of Detention. How she and many women suffered at the gates and in the quarters of our prisons. She brought a message from the visit for Rev Bouma and me: "Tell the colleagues that the Word of God remains true in all circumstances." He did not forget us and comforted and encouraged still from his imprisonment.

At last he was taken further away: on Ascension Day, they had the delicacy to take him in an over-truck first to the prison on the Amstelveenscheweg, where several others had to be reloaded, and then he left from there in front of the eyes of the distraught churchgoers, who were on their way to the Ascension service, to the Central Station and from there to Amersfoort. What must have gone through his soul on this Ascension Day. A lot of suffering, yes a lot, but certainly also a lot of consolation, as the Lord Christ can give to those who suffer for His name and cause.

In the camp at Amersfoort, things were very bad; I need not go into bizarre details. The man's strength of spirit was remarkable. He was spiritually unbroken, encouraging many of his imprisoned colleagues. He was full of plans for the future; did not give up courage; was busy setting himself up and involved the other ministers in this, in the task of Christ's church, when the hour of liberation came. He lived by God's Word and continued to proclaim it faithfully to all who came within his reach.

Finally, it became clear to him that he would be deported to Germany and he understood what that could mean, that he would no longer see his wife and children or his community. "Then I won't come home", he said to a colleague.

The journey to the final penal camp in Germany was a horror in itself. Numerous camps and prisons served as stopping points on that journey, and it took three full weeks before he arrived in Dachau. But Sietsma remained the same. In a town, on that crossing, locked up in a prison, he experienced a bombardment and his fellow prisoners were very agitated. One of them, whom he did not know beforehand, told him about it later. Sietsma then spoke to them about Psalm 91: 1: "He who is seated in the shelter of the Most High shall dwell in the shadow of the Almighty". Under this ministry of the Word, peace returned to the cell.

He remained a preacher, even in the last camp, in the terrible Dachau, where there was such hunger and deprivation (1). There he ended up in a section where people who were no longer able-bodied were grouped together. It was such that one was hardly surprised when one fainted. That happened there regularly. People did not have to work there; they suffered all the more. Here, too, Sietsma offered support with the Word of the Lord, until he could do no more. He developed dissent and after some time he fell into a flaccid state from which he could no longer raise his eyes. Then redemption was there, victory was his portion: he ascended to heaven and inherited kingdoms.

(footnote 1) It is worth noting that there was a library in Dachau and that, as a cousin of Dr Sietsma observed, it contained "The Kingdom of God" by Dr K. Sietsma.

Dr Sietsma's death took place on September 7, 1942 (2). Monday, September 14, the tidings reached Mrs Sietsma.

(footnote 2) Originally reported 7 August, this turned out to be based on a misunderstanding.

Crushed we stood. The news arrived during catechism, which was immediately interrupted. His friends and colleagues gathered at Mrs Sietsma's place. Mrs Sietsma was quite seriously ill and no less than four of his children were also ill. It was so awful.

Who would not weep! This gifted man is missed by all who knew him better. Most and most painfully in his family. But also in the whole congregation and all the work he left behind; we miss him everywhere and always.

But now, in our remembrance, we want to emulate him and turn our hearts to God. The family's obituary contains these words: "The path of the righteous shall be like a shining light, going forth and shining to the full day". Yes, God did shine the light in Sietsma, the light of His Word, the light of Christ, the light of His Spirit.

We have to miss him whom we loved so much, but we never have to miss this faithful God. There is comfort over this rich Christian life, over this faithful husband and father, over this noble friend and shepherd of the congregation of the Lord. He was caught, but he was one of those who are truly free, who have a firmness in the present and future that defies all uncertainty and whose lives end and pass into the glory promised by God. Once more we let him speak for consolation. He wrote of faith in Jesus Christ as follows:

"Christ Jesus the Lord, that is the hope and comfort for all who truly want to love God, for all who go to God through Him. And without Him we do not find God. In Him, however, God is a Father to all who believe; in Him there is no distinction. The difference in the world that matters is between those who reject Him and those who believe in Him. That is between those who are strangers to God and those who have found their Lord in Christ. The latter are the truly free, because the Son has made them free. The latter have found themselves, because they have lost themselves and have been saved. The latter truly have a firmness in the present and future that defies all uncertainty; they can withstand suffering and they can withstand sorrow and they can withstand the uncertainties and destruction of this world; they are citizens of the eternal Kingdom, which is heavenly in structure and heavenly in destiny, and which never perishes." (1)

(footnote 1) Our General Christian Faith, p. 40.

Among the latter was Dr Kornelis Sietsma, in his life and in his death. He was Christ's. And shared Dien's glory.

The enemy lost and Jesus Christ conquered.

God's Word endures for eternity!