Reformation Day Liturgy Available
“Witnessing to the God of Life,” a liturgy for the annual Reformation Day global worship service, is now available for download in both English and Spanish.
“In our Reformation worship last year, we showed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in our day-to-day lives, even as we celebrated the many wonderful ways God was at work in our communion,” said Najla Kassab, president of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). “This year, even as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic and faces ongoing existential crises, we want to remind everyone that ‘we live under the promise that Jesus Christ came so that all might have life in fullness,’ as the Accra Confession states.”
The liturgy, created in partnership with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), includes prayers, confessions, Scripture, and a celebration of communion.
“The theme of the service honors the contribution of Kim Yong-Bock, who died in April 2022, to ecumenical theology. In the service we will give thanks and praise to the God of life and pray for God’s blessing on the Reformed churches, the global church, and the entire creation, which has been groaning . . . but in hope ‘will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God,’” said Kathy Smith, CICW senior associate director, citing Romans 8:20-22.
“We are very grateful to the Calvin Institute for their skills in bringing the voices of the entire communion to this special service,” said Hanns Lessing, WCRC acting general secretary as part of the Collegial General Secretariat.
“We hope that the service will not only be a remembrance of the importance of the Reformation but will also bring the churches of the WCRC together in unity. In a world that is divided in so many ways, expressions of unity in Christian worship are crucial for the witness of the gospel to the world,” said Smith, who is also an adjunct professor at Calvin Theological Seminary and Calvin University.
CICW staff members, along with WCRC leaders, will gather in Rome to celebrate Reformation Day using this liturgy. The worship service will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Waldensian Evangelical Church at the Piazza Cavour.
“The Waldensians have had a tremendous legacy of faithfulness, love, and perseverance since pre-Reformation times, even amid the most challenging conditions. It will be an honor to be hosted by the Waldensians in Rome for this Reformation Sunday worship service, especially considering their steadfast Christian witness and ecumenical vocation, said Maria Eugenia Cornou, CICW associate director and program manager for international and intercultural learning.
The entire World Communion of Reformed Churches is invited to join the live-streamed worship service beginning at 13:00 (CET) on Oct. 30. Specific details on where to watch will be forthcoming.
*this story originally appeared at wcrc.ch and is reprinted with permission
