Understanding Reformed Worship

Most of us have attended worship services from infancy, but do we really know and understand the various parts of our Reformed liturgy? When we do the same thing over and over for some length of time we often do it without much thought, and worship may be one of those things. We know why we worship, but we may not have a good understanding of all the parts of our order of worship. There are two excellent resources that explain Reformed worship. Rev. Jonathan Cruse wrote a short and easyto-understand book, What Happens When We Worship, published by Reformation Heritage Books. Rev. Cruse takes a look at every act in the liturgy of Reformed worship, including communion and baptism, and simply explains each act. Reading his book was beneficial, and I found things I hadn’t known or even thought about.

Another beneficial book on Reformed worship is Meeting with God, a study guide to Abraham Kuyper’s Our Worship, written by Michael Kearney and published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc. Kearney condenses what Abraham Kuyper in his book wrote on the various acts of Reformed worship. One might not agree with Kearney’s personal comments on some things, but overall it is a beneficial book in helping to understand this Dutch Reformed theologian’s advice on Reformed worship.

(ISSN 8750-5754) (USPS 633-980)

“Exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

—Jude 3

Journal of Reformed Fellowship, Inc.

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Editor, Dan Van Dyke

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Al Rumph, President; Rev. Casey Freswick, Vice President; Rev. Doug Barnes, Secretary; Gaylord Haan, Treasurer; Rev. Andrew Compton, Vice-all; Glenn Hop, Rev. Jerome Julien, Michael Kearney, Tom Kooienga, Rev. Mark Vander Hart, David Vander Meer, and John Velthouse, Directors

Editor: Dan Van Dyke

Contributing Editor: Dr. Cornelis P. Venema

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This periodical is owned and published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc., a religious and strictly non-profit organization composed of a group of Christian believers who hold to the biblical Reformed faith. Its purpose is to advocate and propagate this faith, to nurture those who seek to live in obedience to it, to give sharpened expression to it, to stimulate the doctrinal sensitivities of those who profess it, to promote the spiritual welfare and purity of the Reformed churches and to encourage Christian action.

The publishers of this journal express their adherence to the Calvinistic creeds as formulated in the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Westminster Confession and Catechisms.