Joyce Borger

One Friday morning recently I had the opportunity to reminisce with Reformed Worship’s art director, Dean Heetderks, about the visual aspects of the journal. Because Dean has been involved with Reformed Worship from the first print issue to this last one, the conversation became a reflection on the history of the journal in general. This article highlights some of what we talked about.As art director, Dean gives guidance on layout and graphics and oversees the design process. But you may know him best as the author of seventy-nine “Come and See” columns that appeared on RW’s back cover. We are grateful for Dean’s leadership and the work of his team, including our current designer, Frank Gutbrod, who has been with us since RW 63. —JBWhere It All BeganDean: It was an interesting exercise going through past issues. It brought back lots of memories—problems we had, decisions we made, the publishing process—but it’s all right, it’s all good. We had lots of conversations about covers and colors. Oh, and I remember the long titling meetings to decide on the titles of all the articles. I’m not sure where we found the time! Joyce: Yes! I remember when I started we would meet at least quarterly with at least ten people in the room to talk about titles and marketing. It certainly was a different day with a much bigger staff. Dean: The titles were one thing, but we also spent a lot of time on the layouts. Of course there was a different process—in the early days it wasn’t digital.   RW 1, Fall 1986Issues 1–12-RW issues 1–53 were two-color, and eventually the colors followed the pattern of the liturgical year.-RW 5 introduced the color band wrapping over the spine. When issues were shelved in a row, this colored spine was helpful for identifying the liturgical seasons, making it easy to grab what you needed when planning worship. RW 5 was also the first time a color photo was included.-RW 1, 3, 7, 9, 12, 13, and 17 all included an insert of choral music.Education and InspirationDean: The conversations we had as a team were lots of fun. But by far what I’ve appreciated about working on the magazine since 1986 has been the worship education. I learned so much about the theology of worship and worship planning, and I received a lot of inspiration as well. It’s also been interesting to watch the transition as more church members became involved with worship planning and creating visuals. Prior to the ’80s and for some churches well into the ’90s, it was only the pastor who planned and led worship, with an organist or pianist receiving a list of songs a few days or hours before the service. Reformed Worship marked a shift toward including lay people in worship planning, and as they became involved they learned the theology of worship. Just as they needed to learn about worship in order to plan it, I needed to learn about it in order to design for the magazine. Vertical habits? What is that? Lament? Some might learn about such things through a seminary class, but for me that significant education happened through RW. Joyce: I think many of us—writers, designers, editors, and readers—received worship education through Reformed Worship. It was the curriculum for worship planners, committees, elders, and even pastors. When RW began, many of our congregations hadn’t been attentive to the Christian year outside of celebrating Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and Ascension. We certainly didn’t know anything about the liturgical seasons or colors. While Reformed Worship encouraged the observance of the Christian year, we approached it as a tool that could help us deepen our understanding of the arc of Scripture and the salvation story, but we’ve never claimed it was the only tool that could do so, and that flexibility has allowed more space for creativity.  Changing TimesJoyce: Truth be told, I have taken and even taught worship classes, but I’m still learning from the resources that people send in for publication. The world changes, and the acoustics of our worship change. While God remains faithful, the conversation we need to have with God changes over time, as do some of the tools that we use as a medium for that conversation. It’s not surprising, then, that Reformed Worship has also changed over time. Dean: That change is visually evident in the covers and layouts.  RW 13, September 1989Issues 13–34-In these issues we began to include bulletin cover designs that churches could photocopy.-RW 14 was the first full-color cover with a banner. (RW 21 also had a full-color cover.) But full color covers were not consistent until RW 54.-In RW 25 we started offering for purchase a diskette that included print versions of some of the worship services.  RW 35, March 1995Issues 35–53-RW 35: No color band on spine, but the colored band returned with RW 40-RW 37: One spread in full color-RW 40: Tenth anniversary-RW 42: Nine pages of full color-RW 45: This issue began offering devotions connected with a worship series that could be purchased through CRC Publications / Faith Alive.RW 50: First mention of an RW website-RW 51: First mention of an RW email address-First appearances of “eyebrows” indicating the types of articles and resources; back covers featured banners with patterns downloadable from RW’s website.                                                                 RW 52, June 1999Dean: This cover of the woodcut by Robert Hodgell has always been one of my favorites. There is so much expression—and not happy-clappy expression—in the face and energy in the arm reaching toward heaven.  Dean: Until RW 54, the journal was primarily published with only two colors: black and the color that represented the liturgical season. Starting with RW 54, the front and back covers were printed in full color while the inside continued with two colors. For each interior page, we had to indicate to production which parts were to be printed in the second color. Then two different printing plates were made, one for each color. It was a fun challenge that required a lot of clear communication and review. Everything changed, of course, when printing became digitized. I’m not sure when we switched to digital page assembly and digitally assisted printing, but it coincided with the time that churches began to think more about projection, beginning with the overhead projector. This change affected church architecture: there needed to be room for projector screens, then flat screens, and now entire video walls with snazzy lighting.   RW 54, December 1999Issues 54–56-Every issue included full-color front and back covers.-RW’s description was changed to the still-used “Resources for Planning and Leading Worship.”   RW 57, September 2000Issues 57–63-The color band on the cover moved to the top of the page.-The nameplate was changed.-With most people having web access, RW stopped offering the diskette with printable versions of resources.  RW 64, June 2002Issues 64–80-The nameplate changed again.-RW 64 showcased the winners of a visual awards contest we held and included multiple full-color pages.-Starting with RW 71, the index occasionally published on paper moved to Calvin University’s web-based library catalog.  RW 80, June 2006This issue marked RW’s twentieth anniversary, Emily Brink’s last issue as editor, and a new website that included scans of all the articles and resources from previous issues thanks to a gift from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. This was a big help for worship planners, who could now digitally cut and paste liturgies instead of retyping them. The digitization also made articles and resources available to anyone around the world, expanding RW’s ministry reach.  RW 81, September 2006Issues 81–99-RW 81: Joyce Borger became RW’s editor.-Slight design changes added a color band across the tops of pages and increased the size of the front cover image.“Eyebrows” indicating article types moved from the side of the page to the top. Starting with RW 82, the accompanying icons were dropped.  RW 100, June 2011Issues 100-156-RW 100 marked RW’s twenty-fifth anniversary and debuted a new design with full color on every page. Other than a few tweaks and color palette updates, this design has stayed through this last print issue. Initially we often used images of people on the front cover, but over time we began to use more art.-RW 121 was the beginning of the celebration of RW’s thirtieth anniversary. This was a big year for RW. We moved to online subscriptions and payments, and we launched the digital library for subscribers. While the website served as a text-only archive of every issue, the digital library contained flip-through versions of each issue and retained all the visual and formatting elements. -RW 140: RW’s thirty-fifth anniversary.-RW 149: The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship replaced the Christian Reformed Church in North America as RW’s publisher.-RW 156: Last print/digital issue. RW 121, September 2016 Gifts from Our SubscribersDean: RW certainly changed over the years, which is evident visually. The art and images originally had a more homemade feel. Then the internet gave us access to a world of art created by professional artists. When you look back at the first issues, it’s not all great work, but it is what we could do with the tools we had and our own experience—or inexperience. Joyce: Something I’ve noticed is that in the earlier issues there were always bulletin covers to go with the worship series. There would even be instructions on how to photocopy the image from the printed journal for bulletin use. Over time we stopped doing those. I’m guessing that the “homemade” look of bulletin covers also became dated, and photocopies of black and white images no longer made the grade. Or maybe folks simply stopped sending them in? Dean: I certainly do appreciate those who send in artwork and photos to accompany their resources, especially when they provide ideas that other churches can use or adapt. Joyce: One of my hopes for the future is that this generosity of spirit among those who use the RW website will continue and that it will be a place where ideas from worshiping communities around the world are curated and then shared to bless others. Dean: Folks shouldn’t be afraid to send in their ideas. You don’t need to be a professional artist, and the work doesn’t need to be fancy or high-tech either.  RW 99, March 2011Dean: RW 99’s cover and spread is a great example of supplied art. This is often the one that first comes to my mind when I think of creative, low-tech (and low-budget) installations.  RW 134, December 2019Dean: RW 134 is another example of supplied art. It was great to have a quality image sent in with the worship service that could be used on the front cover. The action photos of the installation were terrific. This checks all of my boxes for creative worship visuals that involve lots of people of all ages for a result that carries a strong message and is beautiful to boot.  Highlighting ArtistsJoyce: You talked about how much you learned about the theology and practice of worship through Reformed Worship, and as a parallel to that, I grew in my appreciation of beauty. Some might think that spending money on art or installations or purchasing fabric for banners or paraments might be a waste, but our Creator God obviously delights in beauty. How can we worship the Creator of all things beautiful without attending to beauty? Over the years it became more important to me to find Christian artists whose work we could highlight—not only to encourage them, but to encourage the use of art in the church and to help make RW a beautiful offering to God. I like so many of the covers—it’s hard to choose which ones to highlight.   RW 86, December 2007  Dean: I still love this art:   Crossroads by Rachel E. Durfee.   It is a hand-colored woodcut.  Joyce: It is one of my favorites as well.   It’s a visual reminder of how we bring our   worship into the whole world,   for Christ came to save the world.   RW 97, September 2010Dean: I’ve always appreciated the art of Wayne Forte, which may be why we have featured one of his works on the cover twice: RW 97 and RW 125 (Holy Family, Small 91, by Wayne Forte).  Challenges Joyce: I’ve been on RW’s editorial team for 21 years. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything left to say or if this is the year we will run out of ideas. Truthfully, some issues come together more easily than others. Yet time and again I’m surprised at how the Holy Spirit manages to bring articles together—sometimes singing in harmony, sometimes as counterpoints to each other. Dean: We face a similar challenge visually. It’s great when we find an image that communicates something unique, providing a different angle from which to see what has become too familiar.  RW 103, March 2012 Dean: This cover is a great concept for Ascension. I generally like the challenge of Ascension Day and Pentecost covers. The subject matter doesn’t lend itself well to easy illustration like, say, Advent, Christmas, and Easter do.  Joyce: There are lots of challenges facing the church now too. Statistics tell us that the majority of Christians attend a megachurch. These churches, often with multiple sites, are very professionalized and high-tech. Yet most churches are small and becoming smaller. The trend in these churches, it seems to me, is to use less technology and be less professionalized. In a sense, we may be coming full circle to the homemade, folksy feel of the earlier days of Reformed Worship. Dean: I like that term “folksy.” It is more permission-giving than simply thinking it’s only about how many paid staff a church has. I want to attend the church where I am needed, where everyone is needed to make worship happen, because worship is the work of the people. I get a little worried about how, with the hiring of worship staff and tech staff, we’ve stopped including lay people. In the process of reprofessionalizing worship, something was lost. Many people like myself need the worship education, need the involvement, need to hear other people talk about worship and learn about worship, but all of a sudden we’ve once again become observers and consumers of worship that is being done for us. But I think there’s hope. I read an article recently from a blogger on design and culture (Tobias van Schneider, “One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards—From the Desk of van Schneider—Edition No. 255,” January 20, 2025). The blogger points out a trend toward less-than-perfect images. You may have a very large, high-resolution image, but before users put it on Instagram, they are applying filters that break down the high resolution and break down the color quality, and the resulting image has this “chromy” sort of look to it. Van Schneider goes on to talk about fashion being sort of thrown together rather than coordinated, he talks about interiors becoming less minimalist and more lived in, and he mentions dumber electronic devices—instead of having a smartphone that can do everything, we have tools that do just one thing. This trend has been driven by younger people. He suspects it’s a shift to something a little more organic. I’m curious about what that trend might mean for worship and worship visuals (though I’m not wanting to get back to using only felt!). Joyce: Indeed, though it’s not that there isn’t a need for those with the professional skills. I don’t think either of us is ready to give up the art of Rachel Durfee or Wayne Forte (See sidebar p. 22). It’s a question of balance. But it is also a call for those who do have gifts to constantly be looking for someone to mentor and for ways to engage more people in the process. The pastoral and formative aspects of worship and worship planning have certainly been a consistent theme across RW’s history.  Trees! Trees! Trees! Joyce: Another unintentional theme of RW has got to be trees. As I looked through back issues, it struck me just how often trees appeared. Given the use of the image throughout Scripture and how trees express both groundedness and growth, it shouldn’t be a surprise. (In addition to the covers highlighted below, trees featured prominently in RW 60, 77, 90, 104, 110, 114, and 140.) RW 116, June 2015Dean: RW 116’s cover art by Pamela Becker, was also the woodcut used on the cover of Psalms for All Seasons. There is another great image of a tree on page 5 of that issue.   RW 128, June 2018 Joyce: When I was working on this theme issue on mental illness, it struck me as particularly fitting to use a piece of art from Vincent Van Gogh, who struggled with his own mental health. This issue, while maybe not one of the most popular, might be one of the most important ones I worked on.   RW 132, June 2019 Dean: Inspiration often comes from nature. Petra Zanting’s Tree of Life is lovely. Visually, this entire issue is one of my favorites.   The Work Continues Dean: My work with the print version of RW has been wonderful, both in what I learned and in giving me a creative outlet. What a privilege it was. Every once in a while I would get a letter or email about one of the “Come and See” columns, and I would be caught off guard a little—someone is actually reading this? It was always a highlight to see how they would interpret the idea I had written about and make it their own. While my work with Reformed Worship might be done, there’s still a lot of work to be done around worship visuals. If I could leave RW readers with one charge, it would be to give people the opportunity to learn to express themselves visually in worship—especially the kids. Don’t forget that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and when it comes to visual expression, “Yes, you can!” (see article by that title).

About This IssueThough you will still find some of the columns you’ve come to expect, this issue is a bit different. Articles are broadly divided under the three themes of thresholds, stones, and doxologies. In each section you will find some personal reflections on the themes, particularly as they relate to Reformed Worship. You will also find articles on how the themes intersect with corporate worship along with practical resources for worship. As I write this editorial marking the last print issue of Reformed Worship’s quarterly subscription format, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude for all that has been accomplished through Reformed Worship thus far. Over the past three and a half decades, we have published valuable resources and thoughtful articles that have had a lasting impact on many worshiping communities. But even as we reflect on what we have done, there is growing anticipation for the journey ahead, for building on the past and embracing future possibilities, amplifying and expanding the ministry and essence of Reformed Worship. But before we cross the threshold to the new, it is worth taking a moment to reflect, remember, and give thanks.  ThresholdsThe word “threshold” evokes a literal doorway into or out of a home. Though crossing a threshold is typically a mundane, everyday act, sometimes it carries significant meaning—entering the home for the first time as its new owners or as a newly married couple, bringing a child home, or returning after a long absence or to a much emptier home after a funeral. Crossing the threshold in those moments feels like a momentous step. We pause. We take a deep breath. We open the door. We step through.As Reformed Worship crosses a threshold, this issue serves as a stone to honor the past and as a doxological offering to our triune God.Thresholds are more than spaces in doorways. A threshold is the space between what is and what is to come, the space between the known and the unknown. We often traverse thresholds without thought, but sometimes it is worth pausing and taking a breath before crossing over this liminal space that acts both as a separation between what was and what is to come and a connection between the two points in time. A healthy pause will allow for reflection on the past and curiosity about the future; it can be a time of discovery and growth. In some ways this issue serves as a threshold, marking the space between what we know and what is to come, between the familiar quarterly subscription based print journal and new ways of providing resources. As we prepare to cross this threshold, we do so wanting both to leave well and to enter well, to mark both the separation and the continuity this threshold brings. Scripture provides us with many examples of threshold moments. Though I don’t suggest that Reformed Worship’s transition compares in importance, I do think we can learn from biblical moments of transition. One such moment is found in the book of Joshua, when the people of God had just entered the promised land and were embarking on a whole new life. In the last chapter, we find a covenant renewal ceremony that includes the recounting of the story of God’s faithfulness while leaning into a future full of promise.  Stones“Remember when . . . ?” we begin. “Tell the story about . . . ,” we beg. We love stories—especially true stories. We humans seem to have a built-in need to remember. Today there are whole industries to support our remembering through photography, scrapbooks, journals, videos, or other archival means. In the Old Testament, people used stones.Stones show up several times in the book of Joshua as a call to remember all that God had done and said. “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid!” resounds like a drumbeat throughout the book as the people of God experience victory after victory. Intermingled with stories of the Israelites’ forgetfulness, arrogance, and sinfulness are both God’s punishment and God’s mercy. At times these stories are completely relatable; at other times they are entirely perplexing. But the message to remember God’s covenant faithfulness is as relevant today as ever.Early on in the book, God’s people are faced with the challenge of crossing the Jordan River at flood stage. God performs a miracle, and the people are able to cross the river on dry ground. But before the water recedes, Joshua obeys God’s command to instruct representatives from each tribe to gather a stone from the riverbed. Later, Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” —Joshua 4:20–24The stones served as a witness to what God had done, and in that witness they helped people remember, which in turn led to reverence, honor, and praise of God. At the end of the book (Joshua 24), the people of Israel are gathered again and, through Joshua, God recounts their history: all the ways in which God had been faithful to them, the miracles God had performed, and how God had saved them. In response, the people promise no fewer than three times that they will serve the Lord. Joshua reminds them of what it means to serve the Lord as required by the “Book of the Law of God.” This time Joshua uses just one stone to serve as a witness to both the history of God’s faithfulness and the promise of the people to serve and obey God. Witness stones remind us of what God has done, of who God is, and of how we are to be in relationship with God—a God who is worthy of praise. We need reminders today just as the Israelites did in the past.DoxologiesWhen Jesus was entering Jerusalem the week of his death, he was surrounded by a crowd declaring who he was and praising him—though they didn’t comprehend the fullness of their words. They cried, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). These were powerful and even dangerous words—words that spoke against political and religious powers, words claiming that earthly rulers are not the ones in charge. Witness stones remind us of what God has done, of who God is, and of how we are to be in relationship with God—a God who is worthy of praise. The Pharisees didn’t like what they were hearing and wanted Jesus to silence his followers. But Jesus responded, “I tell you, . . . if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). Witness stones: Stones that will testify to who God is and to what God has done for us. Stones that will sing out God’s praises if our voices fall silent. The land of Israel is a land full of stones.But later in the New Testament, the apostle Peter transforms the idea of witness stones. He calls Jesus “the living Stone” (1 Peter 2:4)—the ultimate witness to the faithfulness of God, the living testimony to the promised resurrection, and the foundation of our faith. No longer is the witness an inanimate stone. It is a living, breathing testament. And Peter doesn’t stop there. He calls all believers “living stones . . . being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). In the rest of the chapter, Peter puts more flesh onto what it means to be a living stone, “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9). It entails testifying to what God has done, praising and glorifying God for God’s acts of mercy, living lives of witness to those who do not yet believe, and inviting others to join the doxological refrain. We do all of this in community. We need each other to remember.In Greek, the word for “glorify” or “praise” is δοξάζω (doxázo), from which we get the English word doxology. Our worship is punctuated with doxologies, often directed at all three persons of the Trinity. Some worship traditions include doxologies in response to words of pardon, after giving gifts, following creedal declarations, and at the conclusion of worship. In my tradition, the doxology is typically the final statement of praise to God before we leave worship—a final reminder of who God is to be carried across the threshold into the coming week and reverberate in our daily lives. For this final print issue of Reformed Worship, I can think of no better theme than that of thresholds, stones, and doxologies, and I hope: that even as we think about Reformed Worship’s milestone, we also explore what milestones could be marked in our own communities and what our version of “stones” may look like in the context of worship;that we take time to celebrate what God has done through Reformed Worship thus far, point out things we have learned along the way, and name the values we carry into the future, encouraging our worshiping communities to regularly do the same;that we offer words of glorious praise—a doxology to God for who God is—and provide meaningful ways to include more doxological moments in our own worship; andthat we do all of this leaning joyfully into the future with curiosity, hope, and faith, encouraging this same posture in our own congregations. As Reformed Worship crosses a threshold, this issue serves as a stone to honor the past and as a doxological offering to our triune God. Carrying the values and mission that have shaped us thus far, we eagerly step forward, trusting that this threshold is not an end, but a doorway to a bright future. To God alone be all glory and praise.A DOXOLOGY OF FAITH Timeless God, we honor you. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!Teaching God, we learn from you.Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!Saving God, we look to you. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!Keeping God, we rest in you. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! —Diane Dykgraaf, © 2025 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.WHAT’S NEXT?Reformed Worship is not going away. We are simply shifting to a web-based delivery system. As of July 1, 2025, everything on the website will be available to everyone—wherever and whenever you want to access them.We are committed to providing an easily searchable, comprehensive, and growing online resource library filled with practical resources and articles submitted by worship leaders and planners such as yourself and by experts from around the globe. The change in medium will allow us to focus on developing more multimedia content and to explore a variety of other ways to better support this growing community. While our delivery method might be changing, Reformed Worship’s values will remain the same. We will continue to be a trusted place to find resources that are scripturally based, theologically grounded, historically connected, and adaptable and creative.(Did I mention that all this will be free?)

I pray that the echoes of Sunday’s praises will continue into Eastertide and be the background against which we look at this world. And I pray that our worship will make room for both our laments and our praises, acknowledging that they can exist simultaneously in our hearts and our songs. As individuals and worshiping communities spend time this week considering the created world as part of Earth day, it seems particularly appropriate to offer these alternative stanzas to “This Is My Father’s World.”

I had never heard a woman preach, yet I had made the bold decision to go to seminary to become a pastor. Not everyone agreed with my decision. One person questioned the need for more education. “All you need is Jesus!” they exclaimed. “Who is Jesus?” I responded in jest. Yet I found that seemingly simple question was at the core of much of my seminary education.This question was also at the center of many theological discussions and controversies throughout the history of our church, even to the present day. Yes, we know that salvation is in Christ alone, but who is this Christ that we worship? Christ is Lord, but what does that mean in our everyday life? What does being a Christ follower look like? These struggles and questions were as alive in the early church as they are today. The need for clarity arose from wanting to know God and to honor God. In the early 300s, the church was struggling with the question of how best to talk about the Father God, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit, and their relationality. What are the right words to use? How do we balance the seemingly conflicting truths that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God, yet there is only one God? There is a Father and a Son, which suggests a generational timeline, but one didn’t come before the other. How does this all work? Arius, a pastor from Alexandria, Egypt, thought it didn’t work. Out of the right desire to protect the holiness of God the Father, Arius argued that God could not have become an unholy human; therefore, Christ is not God incarnate. Arius demoted Jesus Christ to a created being, though still a divine being. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” If Jesus was begotten from God the Father, doesn’t that suggest that there was a time he didn’t exist—that he came into being after God the Father? Meanwhile, across town, a pastor in training, Athanasius, was teaching that God the Father and Christ the Son were equally divine. Hearing this, Arius cried heresy, and quite a row erupted, with church members quickly choosing sides. This disagreement soon spread beyond Alexandria. “We Believe” or “I Believe”?The beginning of the Nicene Creed was originally written in Greek in the first-person plural: “We believe.” When translated into Latin, it became credo: “I believe.There isn’t a right or wrong choice when using the creed today. If the creed is used liturgically as a statement of unity, “We believe” is appropriate. If it is functioning as a personal statement of faith, “I believe” may be the better choice.Constantine, the Roman emperor and a fairly new convert to Christianity, was worried about the political fallout of the growing division. He summoned more than a thousand Christian leaders to Nicaea for a meeting that lasted from May through July of 325. Around three hundred of the attendees were bishops active in the debates about the nature of Christ. At this three-month meeting, participants made a variety of decisions, including when to celebrate Easter and when people were permitted to kneel in prayer. Of most significance, though, was the formulation of a new statement regarding the divinity of Christ; this became known as the Nicene Creed. In 381, at the First Council of Constantinople, the creed was expanded to include additional clarification around the Holy Spirit, finishing the work begun at the Council of Nicaea. The significance of this council’s work and of the resulting Nicene Creed cannot be overstated, even if few of our congregations make regular use of the creed in worship. FILIOQUE CLAUSEWhile it may have seemed that the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople put an end to Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ, the reality was that this heresy continued to plague churches in the West, particularly in Spain. To combat the heresy, Western churches wanted to make Christ’s divinity very clear. They did so by adding “and the Son” to the section on the Holy Spirit, insisting that the Holy Spirit proceeds from “the Father and the Son.” In Latin, “and the Son” is expressed as the single word filioque. The addition of the filioque clause  is one of the reasons given for the split between the Orthodox Church of the East and the Roman Catholic churches of the West in 1054. The Eastern church thought the clause implies the Holy Spirit is a lesser member of the Trinity; the Western church believed it didn’t change the creed’s meaning. Today, most theologians from the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions no longer see the filioque clause as a reason for division, understanding that they are professing the same truth in different ways. The Nicene Creed . . .. . . is ecumenical: The basic truths affirmed in this creed are held in common by Christians around the globe. Whether we say the creed often or not, Christian churches of all denominations—small and large, rural and urban, Eastern and Western, from the Northern and Southern hemispheres, with all kinds of worship styles—fundamentally agree with what is claimed in this creed. Given all we disagree with each other on, this is no small feat and should be what unites us as the siblings in Christ that we are. When we say “We believe,” we can truly say “we” to mean “all Christians.”. . . embraces trinitarian mystery: Ambiguity might make scientists anxious, but the Nicene Creed has no problem with mystery and contradictions. It’s able to do what Arius wouldn’t: affirm the divinity of Christ. Christ is “of the same substance” as the Father, and coeternal with him. The creed outlines Christ’s work of salvation through his incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension—all four equally important. The Nicene Creed also affirms the profound mystery of the three-in-oneness of the Trinity—three persons, yet one essence. These theological truths are foundational to our Christian faith—a faith built on mystery and truth, a faith worth declaring boldly. I don’t regret my time at seminary exploring answers to the question “Who is Jesus?” My faith continues to deepen as I pursue that question and grow in my desire to know Jesus. Still, difficult times come, and as I journey through life, I find that the creeds serve as anchors in seasons of doubt or challenge. And it’s both powerful and heartbreaking to know that these same words are being proclaimed each week by Christians in Gaza and Jerusalem, in Russia and Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, China, Haiti, and along the southern border of the United States. Together in the face of opposition, in times of unimaginable grief and suffering, immense joy, unshakeable faith, and even seasons of doubt, together we declare, “We believe!” 

Do not ask me about my daughter’s adoption story.I say that only as a warning, because once I get going . . . whoo-eee. It’s a good one. God showed up to perform modern-day miracles that rival that of Elisha and the widow’s oil—blessings just kept coming in unbelievable ways that have unbelievers shaking their heads to this day. I love that story. I will drop everything at any time to tell anyone. I don’t need any time to prepare. It’s part of me and bursts from me. What story do you love to tell?In this issue of Reformed Worship, we finish our exploration of the connection between worship and mission. In the last issue we focused on Christ as the Servant-King and on our mission of following Christ’s example of service. In this issue we focus on our mission of telling the salvation story, which includes our own stories. The worship series “God Is In the Story” offers an opportunity for congregants to tell their stories of how they have seen God at work in their lives. Dr. David Music encourages us to prepare how we tell the story when we are asked to read Scripture in worship (“Reading Scripture in Public Worship” ). Lindsay Wieland Capel also reminds us to consider different ways to tell the story when we share it with people who communicate and learn in a variety of ways (“Worship for All: What Worship Planners Can Learn from Universal Design for Learning”). And because this is the Ascension and Pentecost issue, there also are resources to help you tell that part of the gospel message.God showed up to perform modern-day miracles that rival that of Elisha and the widow’s oil—blessings just kept coming in unbelievable ways that have unbelievers shaking their heads to this day.This year also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. We have included a few resources to help you commemorate that milestone by using the creed in worship and exploring its meaning. The creed itself is a wonderful summary of the gospel message and an effective tool for discipleship. How would our approach to the creed change if we approached it as a story we get to tell rather than as merely a historic document?What story do you love to tell? I think that’s an important question to ask ourselves and those in our worshiping communities. Where is God in that story? Do you have the same enthusiasm for your personal story as you do for the gospel message itself? I know the story and can tell it, but I imagine that I am like many of you—and like many of those who gather with you in worship. There are times I feel great enthusiasm and times I feel disengaged. There are times in my life when the gospel message has burst forth from my heart and lips and times when I’ve cried, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” There are times when I’m the one testifying, and there are times where my faith has been renewed by the testimony of others. The act of telling our own stories of God’s faithfulness in worship and in other settings is not just missional, but formational and pastoral. Let us not neglect this task.

This week’s sermon text, John 20:1-18, has a profound yet simple testimony: “I have seen the Lord!” Where do we see the Lord today? When the Lord reveals himself to us, through scripture, creation, words of people, books, music, etc, we should also declare, “I have seen the Lord!” Other readings from the lectionary for today remind us that we are called to give account to the hope that we have. Easter equips us with both the words and actions to give such an account. 

This week began with the joyful sounds of “Hosanna!” but now the crowds cry “crucify.” Jesus was the ultimate servant, giving his life for the sake of the world. While the price to follow Christ might not be as high for us today, Christ made it clear that following him will cost each of us something.  As Christ said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it” (Luke 9: 23-24).

Can you think of a situation in which explaining what to do wasn’t effective, so you needed to show the person how to do it? Jesus reverses this pattern: He starts by showing, then spends some time explaining. In the gospel of John, much of his final time of teaching the disciples has to do with love—his love for them, his hope that they will continue to love him, and his command that they love each other. But he begins all his teaching with a vivid demonstration of love: He washes his disciples’ feet. This act is set in the middle of John’s account of Judas’s betrayal. Jesus’ love is not dependent on his disciples’ behavior. It is offered in advance of and with full knowledge of all their coming cowardice, denials, and betrayals. And this act ends with a clear application: Show this same humble, servant-like love to each other.

It is worth noting that in Luke’s account of the triumphal entry there is no mention of the Palms; instead Luke highlights the laying down of the coats, a sign of reverence and subservience. Little did Christ’s followers understand of what true service to God requires: Nothing short of our whole lives, not merely our cloak. Yet, though they did not grasp the deep significance of the pageantry unfolding in front of them, they played a significant part. The message of the angels proclaimed in Luke 2:14 —“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” —has now been taken up by Christ’s disciples, “‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’” (Luke 19:38). As Christ’s disciples in the world today, we need to continue that refrain or else the stones will cry out in our place.

What acts of service are meaningful? Is the call to serve, to live missionally, just for those who work for the church or a mission organization ? Is it for those with a particular gift?