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
It is tempting to think of sermons as a solo “performance”—something a preacher prepares in isolation. What if we changed our vision to think of preaching as a communal activity from start to finish? How does a congregation shape a sermon as it is being preached? How can preachers intentionally engage the congregation as they prepare sermons and when they discuss or reflect on sermons after worship? We’ll discuss proven practices and try to imagine some new possibilities too.
This second session is part of “Experiencing the Contours of Early Modern Worship,” a series of five linked sessions bringing current-day participants into the world of Reformation Europe. What was it like to attend worship in Wittenberg in 1530, Geneva in 1550, London in 1570, or Venice in 1590? When people in different confessional contexts joined in worship and participated in the sacraments in this period, what differences and similarities were there? Join Lyle Bierma [professor emeritus of church history, Calvin Theological Seminary] and Karin Maag [Meeter Center] as they present John Calvin's theology of baptism and the practice of this sacrament more widely across the Reformation era.
A conversation with Mark Charles and John Witvliet on the Lord's Prayer.
This recording from the African American Religious Autobiographies Seminar, held in July 2022, presents an examination of enslaved narratives as a genre and primary source of the experiences of enslaved Africana people in the American context and presents select excerpts reflective of their theology and liturgical practice. Reverend Weaver joined us for a night of learning, presenting on her current historical research into the worship practices of early enslaved Americans.
This recording from the African American Religious Autobiographies Seminar, held in July 2022, includes the viewing and discussion of a musical documentary that showcases untold Great Migration [1916-1970] stories of elders from Black churches in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and connects their distinctive history to the contemporary Black Lives Matter movement.
What do our daily habits of home and work have to do with weddings, baptisms, or the Lord’s Supper? Dru Johnson and Cory Willson trace the biblical lines of ritual thinking, from the field, office, and factory to worship in the sanctuary and waters of baptism. Recording from the session held in July 2022.
This Recording from the African American Religious Autobiographies Seminar, held in July 2022, highlights the psychological and spiritual profiles of key religious anti-racist figures from the 19th and 20th Century, using practical theology and psychohistory.
The Old Testament unfolds the cosmic nature of God’s promised redemption “far as the curse is found.” Reflecting back on the coming of Messiah, Paul not only testified that it was in Jesus Christ that all things were created, but also that in Jesus Christ, God was at work to “reconcile to himself all things.” [Col. 1:15]. In this service of lessons and carols, sung by the Calvin University choirs, hear texts celebrating this all-creation vision of redemption.
In this conversation, practical theologian Hosffman Ospino [Boston College] talks with Elizabeth Tamez-Mendez about Latino Catholic youth who constitute the largest sector of the young Catholic population in the U.S. They reflect on how understanding the realities and experiences of this group will help parish and congregational leaders to build a church that is more dynamic and more inclusive in terms of culture and language.
In this conversation, Chris Schoon, director of Faith Formation Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church of North America, explores with Elizabeth Tamez Méndez the importance of equipping congregations and parents to embrace children and youth as full image bearers and active participants in worship, for the well-being of the intergenerational community.
Nicholas Thomas Wright, known as N. T. Wright or Tom Wright, is an English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of Durham from 2003 to 2010. He served as research professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Mary's College in the University of St Andrews in Scotland until 2019, when he became a senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall at the University of Oxford.
In this series of 14 videos, Tom Wright and John D. Witvliet explore key terms in public worship drawn from scripture in order to offer fresh insights for consideration.
