1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary
© 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
A preaching service with sung response led by Calvin University Pastor, Mary Hulst, and Calvin University Instructor of Organ, Rhonda Edgington. Based on Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
The blessings depicted in the Beatitudes are deeply countercultural. Not only do they contrast radically with the values and attitudes generally accepted in Jesus’ context, but they also denounced the oppressive and unjust practices and systems of the time. How do Christians read and live the Beatitudes in light of the challenges of our complex societies? In this panel discussion, three pastors from different nations reflect on the message of the Beatitudes in their original context and share their insights about the art of preaching the Beatitudes faithfully and relevantly for today’s world. This is a YouTube Video Premiere panel discussion.
A YouTube Video Premiere worship service led by Rodrigo Cano based on Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
A YouTube Video Premiere worship service led by Janette Ok based on Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
A worship service led by Elizabeth Conde-Frazier and Tony Alonso based on Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
A YouTube Video Premiere worship service led by Jerry Pillay based on Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Just as lectio divina invites people to meditate on scripture, visio divina helps people pray with art. Visio divina, which translates as “divine seeing,” uses silence and images to help worshipers reflect and respond to God in ways other than listening to a sermon or singing praise songs.
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.
While funerals have often been seen as family affairs or private activities, death impacts entire communities: both the worshiping community and the community at large. The resources below explore the value and vitality of funeral worship.
In the new First Nations Version of the New Testament, Terry M. Wildman translates the good news about Jesus, Creator Sets Free, into cadences and concepts that resonate with indigenous First Nations people.
This setting of Psalm 36 was submitted by Imanol Mino, and focuses on the grace of God.
This interpretation of portions of Psalm 9 and various other psalms was created and submitted by Barbara Sartorius Bjelland and focuses on how God’s grand story of redemption of all creation is woven into the psalms.
