Psalm 90 for Reformation Sunday An Opening Liturgy with Commentary by John Calvin

Published September 24, 2026

Updated September 24, 2026

Leaders of the Reformation
By Bethany Besteman

This liturgy for Reformation Sunday blends the words of John Calvin with Psalm 90. The quotes from John Calvin are taken from his Commentary on The Book Of Psalms, vol III. Translated by James Anderson. Calvin Translation Society, 1845–1849. The scripture appears in the brown font and is taken from the New Revised Standard Updated Edition. For this opening portion of the worship service you will need two leaders, the first reads the words of John Calvin, the second along with the congregation reads Psalm 90. 

Please add the following copyright notice if projecting or reprinting the liturgy: 
Bethany Besteman © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. All quotations from John Calvin are taken from his Commentary on The Book Of Psalms, vol III. Translated by James Anderson. Calvin Translation Society, 1845–1849. Language updated by the author. Scripture text taken from Psalm 90. 

 
Call to Worship

Today is Reformation Sunday, remembering Martin Luther setting in motion the reformation of the church on October 31, 1517. We recognize God’s hand at work through the reformers and praise God for their legacy of boldness in gospel proclamation, diligence in doctrine, and dedication to scripture. This morning our liturgy blends the words of the reformer John Calvin with Psalm 90, reminding us that God’s faithfulness sustains the church through all generations.  

Leader 1:

Please join me by reading the words in bold…
 

All:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
 

Leader 1:

“The condition of all people is unstable upon earth” 
but God is “an abode…to poor fugitives 
who [are] continually wandering.”
 

Leader 2:

Before the mountains were brought forth
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
 

All: 

 from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
—Psalm 90:1–3 NRSVUE
 

Leader 1:

God is “steadfast in his power, truth, righteousness, and goodness, 
even as he has been from the beginning.”
Song(s)

“O God, Our Help in Ages Past” Watts
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” Chisholm

Greeting from God
Call to Confession

Leader 1:

When we consider the faithfulness of our God throughout generations, 
we are forced to confront our own faithlessness and frailty. 
Hear and respond to these words from Psalm 90 as a call to confess 
and humble ourselves before God:
 

Leader 2:

You turn us back to dust
   and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
 

Leader 1:

“God, placing us upon the earth, 
turns us about within a narrow circuit, 
and when we have reached the last point, 
draws us back to himself in a moment.”
 

All:

For a thousand years in your sight
    are like yesterday when it is past
    or like a watch in the night.
—Psalm 90:3–4 NRSVUE
 

Leader 1:

“Let us learn then not to judge 
but to depend upon the judgment of God.”

 

Prayer of Confession

“From Dust We Came”(st. 1–2)  Wimberly  [continue soft instrumentation while the following liturgy is read]

Leader 2:

You sweep [us] away; [we] are like a dream,
    like grass that is renewed in the morning;
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
    in the evening it fades and withers.
 

Leader 1

“Although we all confess 
that nothing is more transitory than our life, 
yet each of us is soon carried away 
by a frantic impulse to picture in our imaginations 
an earthly immortality.”
 

Leader 2:

For we are consumed by your anger;
    by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
 

All:

You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
 

Leader 1:

“[When God] draws us back from our deceits, 
and sets before our eyes the sins which we hide by hypocrisy, 
we are brought sincerely to humble ourselves before him.”
 

Leader 2:

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    our years come to an end like a sigh.

 

All:

The days of our life are seventy years
    or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
 

Leader 2:

Who considers the power of your anger?
    Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
 

All:

So teach us to count our days
    that we may gain a wise heart.
 

Leader 1

“[The faithful] acknowledge that they are nothing, 
and with true humility devote themselves wholly to Him.”
 

All: 

Turn, O Lord! How long?
    Have compassion on your servants!
—Psalm 90:5–13 NRSVUE


“From Dust We Came”(st. 3)  Wimberly 
 

Assurance of Pardon

Leader 1:

We pray in faith and hope along with the psalmist:
 

All:

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
 

Leader 2:

Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us
    and as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be manifest to your servants
    and your glorious power to their children.
 

Leader 1:

“The love which God bears towards us is unparalleled”
 

Leader 2:

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us
    and prosper for us the work of our hands—
 

Leader 1:

“We cannot undertake or attempt anything 
with the hope of success, 
unless God become our guide and counsellor, 
and govern us by his Spirit.

It would not be enough for us to be brought to the middle of our journey. 
He must enable us to complete the whole course.”
 

All:

O prosper the work of our hands!
—Psalm 90:14–17 NRSVUE
Prayers of the People

Calvin’s commentary on Psalm 90 reflects that “As God has promised that the Church will be perpetuated even to the end of the world…this should lead us in all the prayers by which we commend the welfare of the Church to him.” Please pray with me:

O God, 
our dwelling place throughout generations,
look upon the work of your church:
Establish it.
Prosper it.

On this day when we remember
your hand turning the pages of history,
your hand reforming your church.
We ask that you show your steadfast love
once again.

Enable your church, 
by the guiding power of the Holy Spirit
to be your instrument in this world
and a faithful witness to your power and love.  

[The prayer can end here or it can continue with specific petitions. If you choose to continue, consider offering petitions in the following categories: the persecuted church, the global church, your denomination, and your local congregation.]
 

Song(s)

“I Love Your Church, O Lord” Dwight
“Church of God, Elect and Glorious” Seddon