Tens of thousands of Christians gathered in Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, for the sold-out Opwekking festival during the Pentecost weekend.
The annual event features numerous bands and artists performing songs about God, drawing large crowds who celebrate together through music and communal worship.
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Sunday Sing-In Draws 40,000
The Sunday afternoon sing-in serves as the most attended gathering of the conference, drawing approximately 40,000 participants.
While many attendees consider the collective singing of classic worship songs to be the absolute peak of the weekend, others utilize the crowded hours to find quiet areas or avoid long lines.
18-year-old Meike Zandman chose to shower to avoid the usual long lines.
"I saw how long the lines were yesterday and thought: it's quieter to shower during the sing-in," she said.
66-year-old firefighter Ron sought rest in the shade while the large crowd continued singing nearby.
Speaker Esther Cozijnsen's Message
Speaker Esther Cozijnsen, 38, delivered a message during the Saturday morning session focusing on prayer and restoration within the church community.
Cozijnsen addressed the audience regarding her personal calling to strengthen the prayer life of local congregations.
"My house must be a house of prayer," she said, quoting Jesus.
Cozijnsen noted that people remarked on the power of her prayers during her childhood, though she downplayed the uniqueness of her background.
"I come from a down-to-earth Dutch family, I don't need to be special," she said.
Reflecting on her ministry, Cozijnsen stated that her personal experiences shaped her desire to see churches engage more deeply in spiritual dedication.
"I feel called to play a role in the church. That churches stand more powerfully in prayer," she said.
During her main address on Saturday, Cozijnsen drew from Matthew 21, discussing the biblical account of Jesus cleansing the temple and healing the blind and the lame amidst both growing recognition and fierce opposition.
She compared the sacredness of the temple to modern church communities and festival gatherings where believers share their lives and encounter God.
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"There, joys and sorrows are shared. It is a place where the Word of God is opened year after year.
Where sermons touch and unsettle you. And where you have formative encounters with I Am.
It is also the places where you enter burdened and weighed down. But you can leave a little lighter," she said.
Cozijnsen expressed that Jesus felt deep sorrow when the temple became a place of commerce instead of worship, questioning whether modern believers allow their hearts to become too busy for prayer.
"His holy house is full of religiosity and prestige, but it lacks prayer and worship," she said.
Cozijnsen shared a personal account from 2023, when she learned that the leader of a Christian organization she belonged to faced allegations of abusing women she personally knew, causing her own sense of security to shatter.
"I stared out of my kitchen window in disbelief for weeks.
How was it possible that behind this place from which so much blessing emanated, such a system of abuse was hidden: abuse of power, sexual abuse, cover-up practices...
How was that possible in a place where worship ascended to heaven day and night. That this happened behind the blinded windows and carefully locked office spaces.
My Christian safe ground sank from under my feet," she said.
She explained that such system failures explain why a generation of broken individuals has lost trust and left the church, emphasizing that Jesus responds to pain by bringing healing.
"We are the hands and feet of Jesus, in the midst of our time in society.
And we may, just like Jesus, mercifully distribute healing and restoration to the people around us. Are we available for the society that faces so much?
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We may be an answer..." she said.
