Calvin on Worship
By Andy Young
A word association game with the name ‘John Calvin’ would throw up many answers. Theologian. Predestination. Sovereignty of God. Doctrines of Grace. Reformation. Geneva. All of these and more would helpfully identity something about the man and his influence. Yet how long would we have to wait, and how surprised might we be, if someone added the words ‘worship’ and ‘liturgy’?
Calvin identified the reform of worship as the priority of the Reformation. Writing to Emperor Charles V in an effort to persuade him of “The Necessity of Reforming the Church” he says:
“If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity, viz., a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshipped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is obtained.”
For Calvin then, worship and liturgy were central to the Reformation, and as such a consideration of the liturgy he used is essential to understanding the man and the movement of Reform. Here we have his theology of worship distilled into an actual order of service that he implemented in Geneva. Below is that liturgy with a comparison to the one he used in exile in Strasbourg:
There are several things worth noting as we consider Calvin’s liturgy:
First the structure and flow of the order of service. Calvin deliberately ordered his liturgy to be gospel centred and also gospel structured. The good news of God in the finished work of Christ was rehearsed and enjoyed. The gospel was habituated by God’s people in the very act of worship. The covenant relationship between God and his people expressed, renewed and assured.
Second is the centrality of the Word and the Lord’s Supper. The whole liturgy is dominated by these two elements. Calvin battled to have the Lord’s Supper at every Sunday worship service but eventually had to settle for it four times a year at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and Harvest. As a result he devised separate liturgies for services when the Lord’s Supper was not celebrated. Notably, he did not write any for services without preaching. It was inconceivable for Calvin to have the ‘visible words’ of the sacrament without preceding them with the ‘verbal word’ of Scripture and preaching.
The third thing to note is the prayers. Whilst the liturgy was dominated by the Word and sacraments, it was peppered throughout with prayer. His order of service contains and reflects the variety of prayer that he found in the Bible – confession, illumination, intercession and thanksgiving. In addition Calvin understood prayer to be of two types – spoken (either set or free) and sung. Believing that “the chief part of worship lies in the office of prayer,” Calvin purposefully allowed ample opportunity for the congregation to both be led in prayer and participate in the prayer through song.
This leads us to note fourthly the congregational involvement. Roman Catholic liturgies left the congregation passive and ignorant. Calvin’s liturgy required participation and cognisance. The medieval choir was removed and replaced by congregational singing. The Lord’s Prayer was to be recited, the Apostles Creed sung, the prayers followed, the sermon understood and the bread and wine received – all by the people in the pews, and in their own language. It is difficult for us today to appreciate how dramatic this must have been for the average Christian in Geneva. Worship would have been meaningful, dynamic and engaging in comparison to what they were used to.
A fifth noteworthy feature is the confession of sin and absolution. Calvin argued that confession of sin should characterise the very beginning of worship. Our very first approaches to God should be marked by an acknowledgement of our own unworthiness and need. He was also convinced of the warrant for an absolution. By this he meant that public confession should be followed by promises from God’s Word that offer the hope of reconciliation and forgiveness. Whilst he was able to include this in the Strasbourg liturgy, fear of Roman Catholic abuses caused resistance to it in Geneva. He therefore omitted it in practice in Geneva whilst desiring it in principle.
A sixth thing to note is the balance between form and freedom. Calvin did prescribe set prayers as aids to ministers and as expressions of uniformity among the Reformed churches. He was also committed to only including those elements of worship that are expressly set down in Scripture. Yet some discretion was left to ministers who led the service. This was especially so in the prayers and the preaching where Calvin encouraged liberty to extemporise.
A seventh point to highlight is the joy and emotion that Calvin’s worship services could elicit. We could be forgiven for thinking, especially in today’s emotionally charged worship context, that the regular use of this liturgy left worshippers indifferent and lifeless. Yet listen to how one man spoke of worship in Geneva:
“Shall it be said that … the true Calvinian cultus was by nature cold and impoverished? Those who were present at the services have told us that often they could not keep back the tears of their emotion and joy.” (An Outline of Christian Worship by William Maxwell)
Calvin’s liturgy became the norm for Reformed churches on the Continent, influenced John Knox and the Scottish Reformation, and provided the basis for the Westminster Directory of Public Worship. Even today many books of liturgy and worship services reflect the hallmarks of Calvin’s own services, and we would do well to continue learning from him.
We need a recovery of Reformed theology in our day, but also of Reformed Worship.
This is part of a paper given at the 2017 Westminster Conference entitled “Calvin – Worship & Preaching”.
For further reading:
John Calvin Tracts and Letters, especially “The Necessity of Reforming the Church”, “Forms of Prayer”, and “Form of Administering the Sacraments”
An Outline of Christian Worship by William Maxwell
Calvin’s Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament by Ronald S. Wallace
Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past and Present ed. Jonathan Gibson & Mark Earngey
Scripture and Worship: Biblical Interpretation and the Directory for Worship by Richard A. Muller and Rowland S. Ward
