Dr. Bert Polman (1945–2013) served as chair of the Music Department at Calvin University and senior research fellow for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. He studied at Dordt College (BA 1968), the University of Minnesota (MA 1969, PhD in musicology 1981), and the Institute for Christian Studies. His research specialty was Christian hymnody. He was an organist, a frequent workshop leader at music and worship conferences, and contributor to journals such as The Hymn and Reformed Worship. Dr. Polman was co-editor of the Psalter Hymnal Handbook (1989), and served on the committees that prepared Songs for LiFE (1994) and Sing! A New Creation (2001), both published by Faith Alive Christian Resources.
Last Updated: September 10, 2025
Our Worship Begins(1)Words of Welcome*Processional: Psalm 24(2)*Greetings: Pastor: People of God, receive the greeting from our God, the King of glory: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit.People: Amen! The people greet each other.*Hymn: Rejoice, the Lord Is KingWe Hear the Word of the LordPrayer for Illumination Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1—11 Word for the Children
In the second half of the 20th century, the Christian community witnessed a vast explosion of hymnody. Some of these new songs were produced by gifted authors, people like Timothy Dudley-Smith or Margaret Clarkson, who wrote hymns that built on the heritage of Christian hymnody. But a larger part of this "hymn explosion" were scripture songs—actual scriptural texts or paraphrases of scripture set to music, often in a popular style.
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