Des Evans Reflections

These are my reflections on many divine appointments our Savior arranged between Des Evans, Pastor Emeritus of Bethesda Community Church and myself, for which I am eternally grateful. I try to list them from last to most recent.

Restaurant

Sometime before I moved from my previous Church to join Bethesda, I had been hired to play classical guitar for lunch at a restaurant. There were few people there and Des was eating at a table alone. Listening intently as I played, obvious to me he was enjoying. I was playing for him personally. 

Psalm 46

I had written this Hebrew Psalm, which we had performed at the Seminary with Soprano Julianna Barnett, Mary Wirth on flute, Jin young Park, piano, myself on contrabass. I also performed this at SAGU with soprano and guitar. On three separate occasions while I was attending in service at Bethesda, Des preached the entire message on this Psalm. It was and is dear to us. At least once I recall having read this Psalm during my quiet time in the morning, not knowing I would hear him preach on this in the service. I had hoped to play this for you, Des, before you went home. I will now hope to when we also get home. 

Hebrew here!

After one service in which a song was sung in Spanish, he said to me, "we need to get Hebrew in here!"

Psalm 67

Once Dan Smith invited me to play as a service began. We did my setting of Psalm 67. Daughter Emily sang in Hebrew, the entire text. Wife Mary on flute, I on guitar, and a powerpoint with translation. Des was in the front row. Again, I was playing for him personally. 

1967 Penny

Once after a service, he gifted me with a penny which had a cross cutout. The date was obvious, 1967. I later remarked to him that was the date of the '6 day war', in which Israel defended herself against the onslaught of many hostile Arab nations, and re-captured Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Golan Heights and Gaza. So meaningful, as we shared and knew of each others' love for this land and people. I have this penny on my keychain forever. 

Just now writing this I thought is there a connection between Psalm 67 and the penny he gave me? 

From my Church

We were moving out of our previous Church because of replacement theology being preached and espoused. Our first Sunday becoming members at Bethesda, Des preached wearing a tallit, the Jewish prayer mantle, using text from the Complete Jewish Bible, using the Hebrew names of our Savior and his parents Yeshua, Yosef, and Miriam. 

Honduras

We were on a mission trip to Honduras, sitting in the lobby of our hotel. I had my parallel Hebrew English complete Bible, Old and New Covenants with me, as well as my Psalter, which I showed him. We conversed some time over the Hebrew Scriptures and our traditions in the Churches, both lamenting how far these have become removed from the liturgy of the earliest Church. He knew I had written many Hebrew Psalms which he had yet to hear. 

He loved and served the Body of Messiah long and well, and brought much influence in that regard.

Wish I could have spent more time with you. I will.