Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, and much more

Thomas Cranmer wanted to get the major reformers of his today together in one room to form a consensus about doctrine and worship. It never happened. But when you’re a couple of 21st century editors, you can do it. Just get their liturgies—17 of them from the 16th century—together between two covers, freshly translated into contemporary English; add some introductory comments to each—including charts showing the shape of each—and some general essays and it’s done! It’s called Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present edited by Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey (www.newgrowthpress.com ). Although you can see some differences (ones Cranmer hoped to resolve), you mostly notice the similarities. Lots of examples here for the 21st century church.

When Lois and I opened the package from the mail, we sat around and discussed it as we read. Listen in.

Lois: Wow, this is a heavy book (688 pages)! It begins with a Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson, who calls the reader to return to the Bible and the Reformation. The liturgies were written and shared by religious leaders from many countries and theologians, and Ferguson calls readers to use this collection “wisely and well,” even as a “benediction to the church.”

Larry: One of my favorites is John Calvin’s Form of Prayers that he used as a pastor in Geneva from 1542 until he died in 1664. The translation here is accessible for public reading of the exhortations, prayers, etc. Calvin’s sentences and paragraphs can be long and complex, but I think the average congregation would not get lost, especially if they had the text—adapted to fit the contemporary situation—in front of them and became familiar with it, almost memorize it from use. This is what gets the words “into the bone,” as they say, so that they can form the spiritual life of the believer. Calvin’s extended paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer is especially good for shaping the prayer life of the worshiper. With Martin Luther’s Form of the Mass (1523) and German Mass (1526), the editors have included the music for chanting the Gospel and other standard texts, like the Sursum Corda; a definite plus!

Lois: I liked seeing Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552) and comparing it with the 1979 revision that I often use. In 1979, some people were eager for a contemporary version and others wanted to keep the 1928 form. I like to imagine what it would have been like in 1549 when the first BCP was introduced. How would the people have adjusted to the prayers in English, instead of Latin? How long would it have taken for them to relax and enjoy the service?

Larry: I think it needs one more chapter. It’s great to have all these resources, but I wonder about how useful it would be for a busy pastor or a worship committee of lay folks without some hints about how to use it. For instance, if you’re Presbyterian, I’d take “what we’ve always done” and compare it with Calvin’s Form of Prayers. I’d look at the shape, the sequence of items, and notice how they fit together, play off each other to make a powerful and helpful guide for the congregation. Why did he place the intercessory prayer after the reading and preaching of the Word? What would happen if we did that instead of our usual placement earlier in the service? Would it be better as a response to the Word? Go one by one through the elements and ask similar questions compared to what you’re doing. Move slowly so that people can adjust and understand why. One congregation I know took 20 years to revamp their liturgy along Calvin’s lines. A chapter that leads the reader through this process step by step would be very helpful.

—Lois and Larry Sibley