1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Merciful God,
We need you so much. When we look around, we see disease everywhere; when we look within, we see our sin. You desire truth in our inward being, and in this season of Lent, we take an honest look at the smudges on our souls.
Wash us, we pray, and we will be whiter than snow. But as the winter snow melts from the landscape around us, we see the mess lying beneath it: the scrubby grass; the bits of litter; the withered, unraked leaves. Our hearts and souls collect their clutter, too: little grudges, occasional envy, a bad habit or two that we’ve always meant to clean up.
Create clean hearts in us, God. Renew rights spirits within us. Open our windows and spring clean our souls. Scour them with your grace, and blow the fresh, brisk wind of your Spirit through them. Restore to us the joy of your salvation.
We need you so much.
And we need each other, too. We’re grateful for opportunities like this, to gather together to sing and pray, in communion with other Christians. As the coronavirus drives more and more people away from each other, we’re reminded that we were made by you for community.
Be close to all of those whom this disease has pushed apart. Be close to those who feel too far from home. Guide Calvin University—faculty, students, and staff—as we try to figure out how to do our work and live our lives under disorienting new circumstances.
The stress of these changes doesn’t replace our ordinary burdens—the readings, the lab work, the papers, the midterms… and the fatigue all those things cause. The new challenges pile on top of all those things. God, give us patience and stamina.
And be especially close to those afflicted with the coronavirus. Do not cast them away from your presence. Give them strength and healing. Give them comfort.
Our world belongs to you. Our air belongs to you. The ears we use to hear, the mouths we use to sing, the minds we use to think and feel and pray—all yours. In your great mercy, contain this virus sweeping your good world. Spring clean that world.
And while we’re gathered here, we use the breath that you have given us to pray together the prayer that you have taught us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.For yours is the kingdom,
the power,
and the glory forever.AMEN.
Watch the chapel service video.
Explore the compelling beauty of the Bible's covenantal vision of the divine-human relationship and the transformative difference this makes for how we worship the triune God. This session will feature insights from the authors of two influential books: Esther Lightcap Meek's Loving to Know: A Covenantal Epistemology and Daniel Block's Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption.
While Christian baptism is predominantly a transcultural practice, distinct faith communities worldwide experience this initiation rite through unique contextualizing elements. Join us in a fascinating conversation with Christian leaders from five continents about the rich cultural diversity reflected in baptismal liturgies, imagery, and practices, and how they shape Christian life in their contexts.
This panel will explore the intersectionality between culture and disability. What can we learn from the experiences of people across varying cultures and contexts? What do experiences of racism and ableism in the church have in common? How do they overlap? How does belonging for people with disabilities look different in a variety of cultural contexts?
Explore the compelling beauty of the Bible's covenantal vision of the divine-human relationship and the transformative difference this makes for how we worship the triune God. This session will feature insights from the authors of two influential books: Esther Lightcap Meek's Loving to Know: A Covenantal Epistemology and Daniel Block's Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption.
While Christian baptism is predominantly a transcultural practice, distinct faith communities worldwide experience this initiation rite through unique contextualizing elements. Join us in a fascinating conversation with Christian leaders from five continents about the rich cultural diversity reflected in baptismal liturgies, imagery, and practices, and how they shape Christian life in their contexts.
This panel will explore the intersectionality between culture and disability. What can we learn from the experiences of people across varying cultures and contexts? What do experiences of racism and ableism in the church have in common? How do they overlap? How does belonging for people with disabilities look different in a variety of cultural contexts?
Teenagers’ desire to encounter God has been realized throughout history as youth ministry has grown and evolved. Indeed, teenagers have expressed needs and desires to practice and grow their faith at church, school, and home as well as at camps and conferences or on short- and long-term mission trips. On the one hand, these worship efforts have been deeply formative. On the other hand, these worship efforts have focused on attracting and keeping teenagers as much as, if not more than, on spiritual formation. This session will identify key historical patterns in adolescent worship and examine how we might engage their wisdom for faithful worship practices with teenagers today.
