Resource Search Results

Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

A reflection on the preaching texts for the 2023 Calvin Symposium on Worship

Reflection | June 15, 2022

Cultural Intelligence and Youth Ministry: Creating Safe Spaces for Questions and Community

A youth minister reflects on the necessity of cultural intelligence in ministry alongside youth in order to create safe spaces to ask questions, wrestle with biblical concepts, and hear thoughts from people different from them, all with the purpose of loving God and others better.

Reflection | January 20, 2022

Mentors to the Next Generation of Leaders

Dale Sieverding, vice chair of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Liturgical Commission and director of LAMP So-Cal—Liturgical Arts Ministry Project in Southern California, reflects on the methodology and results of The Liturgical Arts Ministry Project.

Reflection | December 16, 2021

Worship in the Big Tent

Playwriter and worship pastor Christopher Greco reflects on the effective use of interruption, surprise, spontaneity, narrative eclecticism, motivated participation, and intergenerational collaboration as tools to engage congregants in worship in the face of significant disparities in age, culture, and Christian tradition, or lack thereof.

Reflection | December 03, 2021

Co-creating with Diverse Youth

Proskuneo Ministries, a Jesus-centered multicultural worshiping community, provides multiple spaces for the diverse youth of this town to experience safety, a sense of belonging, and individual and collective agency.

Reflection | November 23, 2021

Youth Agency and Creative Worship Ministry at a Christian High School

A campus pastor shares how Vancouver Christian High School youth are showing initiative and taking on emerging leadership roles.

Reflection | November 11, 2021

The Beatitudes: 2022 Calvin Symposium on Worship Preaching Theme

At the 2022 Symposium on Worship, the sermons in our worship services will reflect on Jesus’ famous words, pondering what they meant to those who first heard them and what they still mean for us today as we navigate a complex world in our efforts to live like Jesus.

Reflection | October 15, 2021

Reflections on Online Sacraments

Both before and after the onset of COVID-19, Christian congregations around the world have been exploring the prospects and constraints involved in engaging the Lord's Supper/Eucharist and baptism online--inviting participation either through watching a celebration or participating as a communicant, prayer leader, baptismal sponsor, or in some other way.

Reflection | February 16, 2021

Romans 8 and the Renewed Life of God

We have been and are living in a time of upheaval, fear, unrest, and finally so much death. The pandemic has in many places revealed cracks in the veneer of civilization, casting into bold relief the social and economic inequities that run like fault lines through most societies. Racially motivated violence, including at the hands of police forces, have unleashed deep desires for reform and for justice for all people. In and through it all, believers everywhere cry for reassurance, for comfort, for a hope that points to a better path ahead.

Reflection | December 03, 2020

Words to the Church from Another Time of Pandemic and Racism

The Rev. Francis Grimké’s thoughts from over a century ago are just as relevant during our current COVID-19 crisis and ongoing pleas for racial justice.

Reflection | June 15, 2020

A Prayer for the Grieving

A prayer during COVID-19 written by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Reflection | May 18, 2020

Prayer for the Celebration of Ascension

An Ascension Day prayer during COVID-19 written by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Reflection | May 07, 2020

An Evening Prayer to the Good Shepherd

An evening prayer by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Reflection | April 24, 2020

Michael Hawn: Ten Favorite Hymns on Psalm 23

In observance of the Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of the Easter season, Michael Hawn, professor emeritus of church music at Southern Methodist University, shares his ten favorite hymns on Psalm 23.

Audio | Reflection | April 13, 2020

Spiritual First Aid during a Time of Crisis

Drawing from her past experience of shelter-in-place in Central African Republic, Ann Plantinga Kapteyn offers insights and resources for coping with trauma during COVID-19 pandemic.

Reflection | April 09, 2020

Una oración para la Pascua / Easter Prayer

A Bilingual Easter Prayer in the time of COVID-19 pandemic

Reflection | April 08, 2020

Prayers for Protection in Places of Exile, Fear, and Uncertainty

In a time of fear, uncertainty, and isolation because of COVID-19, ancient prayers of protection can remind us of God’s sovereignty and care. Here, Debra Paxton-Buursma, professor of education at Calvin University, explores St. Patrick’s Prayer of Protection, set to music by a modern composer who himself faced danger and exile.

Reflection | April 07, 2020