A Primer on Reformed Liturgics: More Lessons from the Past Applied In the Present (Part Two)
The Pulpit in the Church of The Holy Spirit in Heidelberg
Continued from . . . A Primer on Reformed Liturgics: Lessons from the Past Applied in the Present (Part One)
Reformed Worship Supports the Church’s Discipline
Churches in the Reformed tradition “fence the table” to preserve the purity of the church and its gospel witness. “Fencing the table” refers to the practice of a church’s elders not permitting unbelievers or those who are under church discipline (as determined by the church’s elders) to receive the Lord’s Supper. Those who anticipate receiving the Lord’s Supper are exhorted to search their hearts for hidden sins and implored to offer sincere repentance before partaking. Lists of specific sins which should keep the unrepentant from the table are often included in that portion of the liturgy designed to prepare the faithful for receiving the elements (bread and wine). The Reformers were not so much concerned that sinners might partake of the supper, rather that unrepentant sinners would eat and drink judgment upon themselves (1 Corinthians 11:29), or that churches who were lax in their practice of discipline might provoke the judgment of God as explained in 1 Corinthians 5.
A proper liturgy warns those under church discipline, or who have a different understanding of the Lord’s Supper than that found in the Reformed confessions, to refrain from partaking until any issues are resolved. A proper liturgy also gives biblical exhortations to communicants to repent of their sins but then come to the table to partake with great comfort and full assurance since Christ’s merits received through faith alone secure our Lord’s welcome and access to the communion table and its benefits.
The Churches Are to Affirm the Faith “Once for All Delivered to the Saints”
The church’s doctrine truly matters since error abounds. The Reformers affirmed the historic creeds of the church because these creeds were understood to affirm the essence of Christian truth in the sense of Jude 3. The Apostle’s or the Nicene creed were usually recited each Lord’s Day. John Calvin asserted that in reciting or singing the creed, God’s people testify that “they wish to live and die in the Christian faith.” As the Reformation matured, Reformed churches composed catechisms and confessions of faith which too were often read and utilized in worship—not to replace the reading of Scripture, but to supplement it since they effectively summarize biblical teaching.
This is an important practice to maintain—especially in an age of wide-spread doctrinal ignorance as in our own. Recitation of the ecumenical creeds and the Reformed confessions and catechisms serve an important catechetical function (instruction), as well as giving us a means of professing our faith publicly, and they are a useful and important way to unite a particular local congregation to their brothers and sisters in faithful churches around the world, and across time.
Reformed Worship Should Give Serious Attention to Prayer
A prayer of the confession of sin by the assembled congregation is one of the most important elements found in almost all Reformed liturgies. Among the better known instances of the confession of sin is that of Heinrich Bullinger, who prayed that “we are not worthy to be called your children, nor lift our eyes up to heaven.” Calvin included the line, “we poor sinners, conceived and born in iniquity and corruption.” Perhaps the most well-known prayer of confession, is Thomas Cranmer’s general confession found in The Book of Common Prayer (BCP).
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men: We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, Which we, from time to time, most grievously have committed, By thought, word and deed, Against thy Divine Majesty, Provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us.
We do earnestly repent, And are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; The burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; For thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake,
Forgive us all that is past; And grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee In newness of life, To the honour and glory of thy name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers for illumination by the Holy Spirit (before Scripture reading and the sermon), prayers in preparation for communion, and general intercessions for the people and their rulers were standardized, and utilized in every worship service. Free and extemporaneous prayer was not discouraged, provided such prayer fit within the theological structure and proper context of the liturgy.
Reformed Worship Should Be Saturated with Praise for God
Praises were recited or sung in virtually all Reformation liturgies, reflecting the exhortation from Paul in Ephesians 5:19, “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,” and the elaboration in Colossians 3:16, where Paul writes “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” James 5:13 comes to mind as well, “is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
The Psalter was considered the church’s divinely-inspired songbook. The Reformers also utilized other biblical “songs” (i.e., Elizabeth’s “Song,” Luke 1:42-44; Mary’s “Song,” Luke 1:46-55; Zechariah’s prophecy, 1:68-79, and the “Song of Simeon” (the Nunc dimmitis) from Luke 2:29-32. Early Christian hymns were also utilized, such as those found in Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-26; 1 Timothy 1:17, 3:16.
Reformed Worship Is to be Conducted Decently and in Good Order
It has been said that the “true creed” of Reformed and Presbyterian churches is Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 14:40, that “all things should be done decently and in order,” which flows from the apostle’s prior assertion in verse 33, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” The Reformed sought to be faithful to Paul’s exhortation knowing that the Holy Spirit ordinarily works through particular means (Word and sacrament) and not independently of them. Where the Word of God is preached and Jesus Christ is exalted, the Holy Spirit is surely present. The Reformed liturgies endeavored to include those things mentioned in the New Testament because they were confident that by doing so the Holy Spirit would glorify Christ and create and strengthen faith in the hearts of God’s people. At the same time, such liturgies would provide the decency, order, and peace as commanded by Paul so as to avoid the chaos as found among the Corinthians.
Reformed Worship Should Include Practices Mentioned in Scripture
The Reformers point us to those particular elements which ought to be incorporated in contemporary Reformed liturgies:
1). A biblical call to worship (e.g., Numbers 6:24-26)
2). Various biblical exhortations to proper worship and godly living (e.g., Colossians 3:16a – i.e., “let the word of God dwell richly”; Ephesians 5:19)
3). The singing of Psalms and appropriate hymns (Colossians 3:16b – Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs; Ephesians 5:19)
4). The reading of the law (e.g., Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 5:17; 1 Corinthians 9:21)
5). A confession of sin and a declaration of pardon and assurance (1 John 1:8-10)
6). The recitation of creeds (Deuteronomy 6:1, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 1 Timothy 3:16)
7). The Lord’s Prayer recited or utilized as the pattern for prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
8). Prayers of thanksgiving and of general intercession for all people (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
9). Prayers for illumination of God’s word by the Holy Spirit (Psalm 19:14, 43:4; Ephesians 3:18-19)
10). Scripture reading and a sermon (1 Timothy 4:13– “devote yourself to public reading”)
11. The benediction (Numbers 6:24-26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 4:7)
For further reading, see Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey, Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2018)