1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
A worship service from the 2021 online Calvin Symposium on Worship.
Participants: Tony Alonso, Kate Williams, Chris de Silva, Mollie McKeever, Jack Warnock, and Ella, Jack, and Will Hooley
For further information see https://www.tonyalonso.com/
Location: Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Omagh, UK; Maghera, UK; and Woodbury, Minnesota
Order of Worship and Copyrights: (see attachment above for the lyrics and music)
Song: "Invitatory"
Text: ICEL © 1974 ICEL
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
Song: "Everyday God"
Text and Music: Bernadette Farrell © 1996, 1999 Bernadette Farrell, published by OCP
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
Song: "Psalm 27: Belong"
Text and Music: Based on Psalm 27 and 1 Corinthians 1:10; Chris de Silva © 2008 GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
Psalm Prayer
Song: "Psalm 42: Como busca la cierva / Like a Deer"
Text: Psalm 42
Music: Tony Alonso © GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
Psalm Prayer
Scripture: Philippians 4:4-8
Canticle: "Holy Is Your Name"
Text: Anonymous; adapted by Tony Alonso © 2020 GIA Publications, Inc.
Music: Traditional Scottish; arr. Tony Alonso © 2020 GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
Intercessions: "God Is a Good God"
Text and Music: Ray East © 1987, additional arr. © 1999 GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
The Lord's Prayer
Closing Prayer
Blessing Song
Text: The English translation of the Psalm Response from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
Music: Tony Alonso © 2012, 2014 GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. OneLicense.net A-703303.
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
As inhabitants of the modern age, we are deeply marked by skewed ways of thinking that thwart our humanness, our involvement with the world, and our spirituality. This is a philosophical tune-up that directly challenges and dispels modernity’s implicit philosophy. My philosophical proposals in my 2023 book Doorway to Artistry target the creative process, but they positively affect and bring healing to all arenas of life and work and worship. I pose that we as human persons are meant to live out a joyous “yes” to the real, and our involvement with the real takes the form of intimate encounter and communion. My approach reflects especially on God’s creative act and God’s created things. It taps epiphany, the redemptive encounter, and the Eucharist as paradigms for our knowing, our artistry, and all our everyday involvement with the world, so it should make us better at our stewardly dominion and voicing creation’s praise in worship.
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.
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
As inhabitants of the modern age, we are deeply marked by skewed ways of thinking that thwart our humanness, our involvement with the world, and our spirituality. This is a philosophical tune-up that directly challenges and dispels modernity’s implicit philosophy. My philosophical proposals in my 2023 book Doorway to Artistry target the creative process, but they positively affect and bring healing to all arenas of life and work and worship. I pose that we as human persons are meant to live out a joyous “yes” to the real, and our involvement with the real takes the form of intimate encounter and communion. My approach reflects especially on God’s creative act and God’s created things. It taps epiphany, the redemptive encounter, and the Eucharist as paradigms for our knowing, our artistry, and all our everyday involvement with the world, so it should make us better at our stewardly dominion and voicing creation’s praise in worship.
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.
