Rev. Dr. Harry Boonstra (1935–2017) was a theological editor of Reformed Worship and emeritus theological librarian of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Boonstra earned a PhD from Loyola University, Chicago and an MDiv from Western Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1992 at age 50 and went on to preach at many churches from Indonesia to Grand Rapids until he retired in 1999.
Last Updated: September 10, 2025
For many congregations the Tenebrae service, usually held on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, is one of the most moving and meaningful worship services of the year. In a candle-lit sanctuary Christ's suffering is commemorated through Scripture and song. Candles are extinguished one by one as the congregation listens to the account of Christ's suffering and death.
The practice of preaching according to a lectionary is an old one, although Reformed and Presbyterian churches have not always used this method. The lectionary encourages both pastor and congregation to focus on the great salvation events recorded in Scripture. (See the article on page 14 for further background.)
By William H. Willimon. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1984, 116 pp., $7.95 Those who prefer to keep worship frozen in always-the-same forms like to quote C. S. Lewis's essay "Liturgy." Lewis felt that a service "works best ... when, through long familiarity, we don't have to think about it. ... My whole liturgical position really boils down to an entreaty for permanence and uniformity."
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