Howard D. Vanderwell

This confession liturgy originally appeared in the series "Picture Jesus."Liturgy of confession for Lent Call to ConfessionIn this season in which we remember our Savior’s suffering, let us confess our sinfulness to him.Our Prayer of ConfessionMost holy and merciful Father, we confess to you and to one another that we have sinned against you by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not fully loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not always had in us the mind of Christ. You alone know how often we have grieved you by wasting your gifts, by wandering from your ways, by forgetting your love. Forgive us, we pray you, most merciful Father, and free us from our sin. Renew in us the grace and strength of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior. Amen.Assurance of God’s PardonFirst Sunday: 1 Peter 3:18-22Second Sunday: Romans 4:16-17, 23-25Third Sunday: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25Fourth Sunday: Ephesians 2:1-10Fifth Sunday: Hebrews 5:5-10Sixth Sunday: Philippians 2:5-11Hymn: “Christ, the Life of All the Living” (st. 1) Homeburg et al.A Commitment to Holy LivingSince we have been saved by grace, how shall we live in obedience to Him who saved us?We will love the Lord our God with all our heart, our mind and our strength; and we will love our neighbors as ourselves.And how will it be clear that your Lord has first place in your life?We will have no other gods before God; we will not make for ourselves any substitute gods; we will not abuse the name of the Lord but speak it only in reverence and love; we will honor the Lord’s day through worship, witness, and fellowship with God’s people.And how will it be clear that you love others as yourself?We will honor our parents and hold the family in high esteem; we will not abuse, hate, or injure our friends or neighbors by word, gesture or deed; we will live sexually holy and disciplined lives; we will not steal; we will not lie; we will not grasp for what we do not have, nor reject others for having it.Will you commit yourselves to this obedience?Yes, by God’s grace we will do it!

Howard Vanderwell sees the elements of liturgy as "pregnant iwth the possibility of pastoral care," i.e., an opportunity to provide pastoral care for the many congregants who are hurting.

O God, you are like coffee to me! . . . I thirst for you in the morning when I wake. . . . Your warmth continues to travel through me. . . . I return to you throughout the day and get renewed and refreshed.

The following is a collection of building blocks for a series of worship services based on key themes from the Belhar Confession. This series is adapted from the longer version available on the website of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (worship.calvin.edu.)

Philippians has been the focus for Bible study groups on the campus of Calvin College and Hope College in Michigan during this past year. More than 1,500 students participated in small-group Bible studies, which often included a combination of faculty, staff, and students. A number of churches across the country also joined the study.

Certain experiences are pregnant with new insight, usually more than we recognize at the time. One of those experiences gave me new insights on the Lord’s Supper.

This article is adapted from the book Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning, (Alban Institute, 2005), by Norma de Waal Malefyt and Howard Vanderwell. It is a collection of their shared wisdom from many years of fruitful collaboration as senior pastor and music director at Hillcrest Christian Reformed Church, Hudsonville, Michigan. This book would make a fruitful study by worship planning teams and worship committees. 

Liturgy Training Publications, Archdiocese of Chicago, Ill., 2003. 57 pp. $4.00. www.ltp.org.

Linda Clark, Joanne Swenson, and Mark Stamm. The Alban Institute, 2001. www.alban.org. Book (137 pp.) and video. Many books and articles are written about worship today, especially about the style of worship. But these three authors and the Alban Institute have found a way to deal with the issues in a very compelling way.

Imagine listening to a conversation in which people identify themselves by numbers. One person says, "I'm a 1." "I'm a 2," says another. Someone else chimes in, "I'm a 1.5"; still another claims to be a 1.2, Everyone laughs.