Rev. Dr. Arlo D. Duba (1929–2023) was a preacher, teacher, and administrator, whose career included Westminster Choir College, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He was a graduate of the University of Dubuque and Princeton Theological Seminary, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1955. In 1968, he did post-doctoral research at the Liturgical Institute of Paris. In 1969, he was appointed director of daily chapel worship at Princeton Theological Seminary where he also taught worship and liturgical studies. In 1982, he was called to be the professor of worship at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where he was also the dean. Duba was active in the North American Academy of Liturgy, Societas Liturgica, and the Association for Reformed & Liturgical Worship. Duba's contributions to thoughtful, rich, and biblically rooted worship practices continue to bless the church.
Last Updated: September 10, 2025
Baptismal renewal must be reflected in our services of worship. This means baptism, in all its power, must become visible in all our worship services—not only when the sacrament of baptism is administered, but every Sunday.
From the Psalter Hymnal (PsH) (CRC Publications, 1987) and the Presbyterian Hymnal (PH) (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990)
I remember well my boyhood ideas about the ascension of Jesus. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and, after lifting up his hands in benediction, he just "took off"—not like an airplane, but as if he were in an invisible elevator. He just started to go up, up, up, up—straight up, until he disappeared. If the disciples had owned telescopes and other twentieth-century technology, I assumed, they could have watched just a bit longer.
Not long ago I asked a group to identifiy distinguishing marks of Reformed worship. “A unison prayer of confession,” one of them responded. Actually, we have not had a spoken unison prayer of confession for very long. Before the invention of the mimeograph, spoken, unison prayers were not possible. In fact, there was no such thing as a worship bulletin.
I was reading the paper the other day and ran across the line, "That was a real epiphany for me!" No, it wasn't in a church publication; it was the daily paper. And the context made it clear that the author meant something like, "It was a real eye-opener!" But it got me thinking: What is an epiphany anyway? How did a word with such a focused doctrinal Christian meaning come to be used this way in everyday speech?
Easter Sunrise services have been in vogue for many years, but an Easter Vigil is largely unknown among Reformed and Presbyterian churches. A "vigil" suggests waiting—an alert, expectant watching when one is normally asleep (Matt. 24:36-25:13). During a vigil one is full of anticipation and hope.
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