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On Sunday, March 29, 2026, 17c������� and 17c������� Theological Seminary are hosting a Palm Sunday evening of worship in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium. The service will celebrate God’s faithfulness over 150 years and will include praise, liturgy, and Scripture. 
 
Musical worship will be led by instrumentalists, vocalists, and worship leaders from both the seminary and university and will include the debuting of a new hymn written by 17c������� alumnus Larry Visser ’89. 
 
“This was really an honor to be able to write a text for the school’s anniversary—probably the biggest one in my lifetime,” said Visser.  

Giving back to his alma mater

Last fall, Visser responded to a call inviting hymnwriters to submit a hymn text to be sung at the anniversary worship celebration. While he has been an accomplished composer for nearly three decades, with numerous organ and choral works published, Visser admitted he's written only a few hymn texts in his life. 
 
“I don’t consider myself a text writer, it’s not an easy craft,” said Visser of writing lyrics for a hymn. “But I knew I wanted to do this when I saw it advertised. I wanted to give back to my alma mater for all it had given me while I was a student there.”

Discovering opportunities at 17c�������

Visser, who is the minister of music at LaGrave Christian Reformed Church in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, began to discover opportunities in music while an undergrad at 17c������� in the late 1980s.  
 
One of those opportunities was performing with the Capella choir, where Visser served as organist under the direction of then-choral director Merle Mustert. 
 
“We’d go on tours all around the world,” said Visser. 

After completing his undergraduate degree in music theory, history, and composition at 17c�������, Visser would continue to see the world while earning master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan. In the early 1990s, he competed in a major international competition in France, advancing to the final round and performing in the Cathedral of Chartres. During that same period, Mustert regularly invited Visser to accompany 17c�������’s Capella choir on tours.

Delighted to debut his new hymn

While using his gifts as an organist on the world stage and faithfully each Sunday for the past 27 years at LaGrave CRC has brought Visser much joy, he’s especially delighted to return to 17c������� this Sunday to hear his hymn come to life within a community he dearly loves. 
 
“I’ll be able to accompany my own hymn on the organ. I’m looking forward to that,” said Visser. “I had such a rich experience as an undergrad, just wonderful mentors and great friends who I still keep in touch with. This is such an honor.” 
 
Visser’s hymn, titled “O God Beyond All Knowing,” is new indeed, yet its language may sound familiar to the 17c������� community and the Reformed tradition. The text is also set to a well-known tune: “O God Beyond All Praising,” with the tune name Thaxted, composed by Gustav Holst. 
 
“It’s a wonderful tune, and I wrote the text to fit that meter,” said Visser. “I took the opening line of ‘O God Beyond All Praising’ and adapted it to ‘O God Beyond all knowing.’ The first three verses correspond to each member of the Trinity, and the fourth verse focuses on the second coming of Christ—on Heaven and eternity.”

Crafted for future use

While the hymn was written specifically for this moment in 17c�������’s history, Visser intentionally crafted it for ongoing use in future worship services, recognitions, and anniversaries. In 2026, the hymn was copyrighted by the Leupold Foundation. 
 
Below is the first verse of the hymn in its entirety. The community is invited to attend the Palm Sunday evening of worship on March 29 at 4:45 p.m. in the CFAC Auditorium and to join in the debut singing of this hymn. 
 

O God beyond all knowing, 
our minds cannot conceive 
the vastness of your sovereign power, 
the love that we receive. 
Yet humbly we approach you, 
strong ruler over all, 
living all our life as worship, 
and answering when you call. 
Each square inch of all creation 
you call us to redeem; 
our hearts and hands we offer 
to you, our King supreme.