Resources by Harry Boonstra
Liturgy, Justice and the Reign of God: Integrating Vision and Practice
Justice
Liturgy
Reign of God
Vision
March 1, 1992
Frank Henderson, a.o. New York: Paulist Press, 1989.132 pages.
Old-fashioned Innovations: There's more than one way to celebrate the Lord's Supper
Body and Blood of Christ
Lord's Supper
Reformation
Reformed Churches
December 1, 1991
The worship team of our church met recently to discuss the Lord's Supper—not its theology or spiritual significance, but the mode of our participation. Should we sit in pews, the way we have done for the past sixty years? Should we consider gathering around tables, as our church's founders did in 1915? Should we come to the front and take the bread, dip it in the cup, and eat while walking back to the pew, as we have tried a few times (dubbed "dip and run")? Should we stand in a circle as we take the bread and wine?
Revised ed. James F. White. Nashville: Abingdon, 1990. 317 pages.
There are revisions, and there are revisions. Some publishers will add a new preface, update the bibliography, and trot out a book as a NEW, REVISED, IMPROVED, ENRICHED EDITION. White's book, even though appearing only ten years after the first edition, is a genuine revision. Although much of the earlier edition is left intact, both additions (such as a section on worship and justice) and numerous minor changes make this an honest "Revised Edition."
Gathering for Worship:
We prepare for worship in the Gathering Space. Welcome!
Choir: "On Christmas Night" [Sussex Melody]
Processional: "Once in Royal David's City" [stanza 1, soloist; stanza 2, choir; stanzas 3 and 4, choir and congregation]
(PH 49, PsH 346, RL 201, TH 225)
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:2; 42:5-9
With Reservations: a Review of Three Influential Books on the Praise and Worship Movement
Praise
Worship
June 1, 1991
Learning to Worship: As a Way of Life. Graham Kendrick. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Pub., 1985. 214 pages.
Let Us Worship: The Believer's Response to God. Judson Cornwall. Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Pub., 1983. xi, 177 pages.
Worship His Majesty. Jack W. Hay-ford. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987. 238 pages.
Praise and Worship is "in." But where does it come from?
Generalizations are dangerous, but I'll hazard one. I have visited enough churches in The Netherlands to generalize that usually not a soul or body in those congregations will so much as nod a greeting at a visitor. After the service there may be occasional "hellos" among friends, but few people linger. Five minutes after the benediction both the sanctuary and the bicycle parking lot are empty.
F. Russell Mitman. Cambridge: Harper and Row, 1987, 213 pp. $17.95
