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Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present
Transforming Christian Worship - Twenty-six liturgies, including historical introductions that provide fresh analysis into their origins, are invaluable tools for pastors and worship leaders as they seek to craft public worship services in the great tradition of the early Reformers. Christians learn to worship from the generations of God's people who have worshipped before them. We sing Psalms, because thousands of years ago, God's people sang them. 500 years ago, the leaders of the Reformation transformed Christian worship with the active participation and understanding of the individual worshiper. Christian worship today is built on this foundation. Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey have made Reformation worship accessible, by compiling the most comprehensive collection of liturgies from that era, newly translated into modern English from the original German, Dutch, French, Latin, and early English. The structure of the liturgies, language, and rhythm continue to communicate the gospel in Word and Sacrament today. They provide a deep sense of God’s call to worship and an appreciation for the Reformers as, first and foremost, men who wanted to help God’s people worship. This book will also be of great interest to theological scholars and students who wish to understand early Reformation leaders. A useful tool for individuals, Reformation Worship, can be used as a powerful devotional to guide daily prayer and reflection. By providing a connection to the great men of the Reformation, Gibson and Earngey hope that through their work readers will experience what John Calvin described to be the purpose of all church To what end is the preaching of the Word, the Sacraments, the holy congregations themselves, and indeed the whole external government of the church, except that we may be united to God?
736 pages, Hardcover
Published April 23, 2018
42 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Gibson
28 books48 followersRev. Dr. Jonathan Gibson (PhD, Cambridge University) is associate professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary. Dr. Gibson previously served as associate minister at Cambridge Presbyterian Church in England.
He is a contributor to and co-editor (with David Gibson) of From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective. He is also the author of historical and biblical articles in Themelios, Journal of Biblical Literature, and Tyndale Bulletin, as well as “Obadiah” in the NIV Proclamation Bible. His PhD was published as Covenant Continuity and Fidelity: A Study of Inner-Biblical Allusion and Exegesis in Malachi (Bloomsbury).
Dr. Gibson’s academic interests include biblical theology, covenant theology, Genesis chapters 1–3, inner-biblical allusion and exegesis within the Old Testament, Pauline soteriology, and the doctrines of grace.
He is a contributor to and co-editor (with David Gibson) of From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective. He is also the author of historical and biblical articles in Themelios, Journal of Biblical Literature, and Tyndale Bulletin, as well as “Obadiah” in the NIV Proclamation Bible. His PhD was published as Covenant Continuity and Fidelity: A Study of Inner-Biblical Allusion and Exegesis in Malachi (Bloomsbury).
Dr. Gibson’s academic interests include biblical theology, covenant theology, Genesis chapters 1–3, inner-biblical allusion and exegesis within the Old Testament, Pauline soteriology, and the doctrines of grace.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 26, 2022
Great book. (Confession: I only read the first 70-odd pages, skipping the liturgies themselves.)
Gibson and Earngey really helpfully and concisely sum up why worship matters; why it is and has always been the pattern for our lives (it's not about whether we worship, but about who/what we worship); and lead us through the significance of changes to worship services by the Reformers. It has been a good way to reflect on the importance of service structure (spoiler: it's not just telling people, "here's what's next!") and made me think a bit more about how to we lead (and enjoy!) our Sunday services.
Key quote to take away: "For the Reformers, not only was the gospel proclaimed in the worship service, but the worship service itself proclaimed the gospel." (71)
A great introduction to thinking about worship, and I'm sure the liturgies will be of great help and interest to many. A lovely book.
Gibson and Earngey really helpfully and concisely sum up why worship matters; why it is and has always been the pattern for our lives (it's not about whether we worship, but about who/what we worship); and lead us through the significance of changes to worship services by the Reformers. It has been a good way to reflect on the importance of service structure (spoiler: it's not just telling people, "here's what's next!") and made me think a bit more about how to we lead (and enjoy!) our Sunday services.
Key quote to take away: "For the Reformers, not only was the gospel proclaimed in the worship service, but the worship service itself proclaimed the gospel." (71)
A great introduction to thinking about worship, and I'm sure the liturgies will be of great help and interest to many. A lovely book.
December 9, 2025
Thoroughly excellent. Gibson (and Earngey) does what he does best; systematically trace the history of a thing (in this case, liturgy) and apply its principles to the present. Our Reformation forefathers thought a lot more about the order and structure of worship than we do, and it plainly shows in these pages, which the editors have done painstaking work to show. The attention to translation was particularly gratifying. Comparing the 'liturgies' of some modern churches to the rigid forms of the past is shocking. The significance of the order, especially, has been entirely lost. Why do we read the Word, pray the Word, sing the Word, hear the Word, and only then see the Word? This is just one case of how rich the meaning is behind worship, and why it oughtn't to be something lackadaisical. Some really helpful contemplations on worship from reformers, as well as some sample liturgies. Great stuff.
July 5, 2021
A fascinating dive into the liturgies of the reformation.
The authors did an amazing job at selecting, editing and translating some liturgical texts of the reformation, to give us a very nice perspective into how worship and services were structured at this times, as well as the motivation of the reformers.
I was struck by the foreword of Sinclair B. Ferguson, who convincingly shows how the reformers worked to construct a liturgy where we wouldn't be spectators, but actors of the worship of Christ, in Spirit and in truth. The preface nicely lead us into the topic, and the rest of the book contains various liturgies, some familiar ones (Form of Ecclesiastical Prayers, Book of Common Prayer, ...) as well as many that I did not know, from all around Europe.
The editors chose to focus on the parts that deal with the order of service and the Lord's supper. I would have wished to have access to the full liturgies and would have liked for instance to learn more about what singing looked liked at these times, but this probably wasn't feasible while keeping the book reasonably long (around 670 pages). However, the selection is nicely devotional, an allows us to join in the prayers of Christians of the past, that remain very relevant in present times.
The authors did an amazing job at selecting, editing and translating some liturgical texts of the reformation, to give us a very nice perspective into how worship and services were structured at this times, as well as the motivation of the reformers.
I was struck by the foreword of Sinclair B. Ferguson, who convincingly shows how the reformers worked to construct a liturgy where we wouldn't be spectators, but actors of the worship of Christ, in Spirit and in truth. The preface nicely lead us into the topic, and the rest of the book contains various liturgies, some familiar ones (Form of Ecclesiastical Prayers, Book of Common Prayer, ...) as well as many that I did not know, from all around Europe.
The editors chose to focus on the parts that deal with the order of service and the Lord's supper. I would have wished to have access to the full liturgies and would have liked for instance to learn more about what singing looked liked at these times, but this probably wasn't feasible while keeping the book reasonably long (around 670 pages). However, the selection is nicely devotional, an allows us to join in the prayers of Christians of the past, that remain very relevant in present times.
April 21, 2018
Many American Presbyterian and Reformed believers are either out of touch with their Reformation roots, or have only snippets of information. One area where this is glaringly clear is in regard to worship, and specifically liturgy. Jonathan Gibson, assistant professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, and Mark Earngey, doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, have accomplish a yoeman’s job in their new 736 page hardback “Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the past for the Present”. This weighty tome is ideal for liturgists, worship leaders, pastors, seminary professors, and highly interested parties. It is a reference work that “aims to recover and reaffirm the significant part that worship played in the Magisterial Reformation, both for the Reformers and for their churches” (xxiii).
The volume’s Foreword, penned by Sinclair Ferguson, lays out the benefit of this work. It gives “impressive testimony to the way the Reformers in various countries devoted much attention to the subject of worship” (xv). As Ferguson goes on to note, the rediscovery of the gospel and the reforming of worship were two sides of the same coin! And so the liturgies spelled out in the book “should stimulate careful thought, and cause us to ask how we can apply their principles today in a way that echoes their Trinitarian, Christ-centered, biblically informed content, so that our worship, in our place and time, will echo the gospel content and rhythm they exhibit” (xix).
Gibson then pours forth several pages unpacking the worshipful structure of the biblical story, from the primeval Eden to the perpetual Eden of the new heavens and new earth. He remarks that since “grace restores nature, and with it worship, the general structure of worship in Eden remained: call-response-meal” (8). Earngey makes his own contribution by mapping out the Reformers’ ideas and principles in fashioning their liturgies. Then both authors team up to give examples and thoughts to how these historical liturgies can inform the way we worship. As they noted, the “recovery of the gospel in the Reformation was ultimately a worship war – a war against the idols, a war for the pure worship of God” (49). They state firmly, that their work is meant to be “an irenic plea for the Church (and especially her ministers) to engage again with the two-millennia-old question: “How then shall we worship?” Through examination of the Reformation liturgies from the past, there is a wealth of treasure for the present” (73).
The remainder of the book consists of looking extensively at twenty-six liturgies from the Reformation; twenty-six! They begin with Martin Luther and his various orders of worship, and work their way to the Palatine Church Order and the Middleburg Liturgy. Did I say they rehearse twenty-six liturgies? It is a full volume! Each chapter begins with a brief historical sketch of the liturgical craftsman, the immediate environment, and the responses each received. Then the form of worship is charted in an easy-to-peruse diagram. And finally, the whole order is presented in a modern English version translated or updated by the authors. Twenty-six in all! I was happily exhausted when I finished reading through them! But I was also better informed and encouraged in how my congregation worships and follows much of these older patterns.
“Reformation Worship” will inspire worship leaders who have roots in the Reformation. It has the potential of interesting those whose traditions are more independent but are finding their existential rootlessness problematic. Not only will this be a worthwhile volume to take up and read; but it will likely remain a primo reference work for many years to come. I highly recommend the work!
Thanks to New Growth Press for providing, upon my request, the free copy of the book used for this review. The assessments are mine given without restrictions or requirements (as per Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255).
The volume’s Foreword, penned by Sinclair Ferguson, lays out the benefit of this work. It gives “impressive testimony to the way the Reformers in various countries devoted much attention to the subject of worship” (xv). As Ferguson goes on to note, the rediscovery of the gospel and the reforming of worship were two sides of the same coin! And so the liturgies spelled out in the book “should stimulate careful thought, and cause us to ask how we can apply their principles today in a way that echoes their Trinitarian, Christ-centered, biblically informed content, so that our worship, in our place and time, will echo the gospel content and rhythm they exhibit” (xix).
Gibson then pours forth several pages unpacking the worshipful structure of the biblical story, from the primeval Eden to the perpetual Eden of the new heavens and new earth. He remarks that since “grace restores nature, and with it worship, the general structure of worship in Eden remained: call-response-meal” (8). Earngey makes his own contribution by mapping out the Reformers’ ideas and principles in fashioning their liturgies. Then both authors team up to give examples and thoughts to how these historical liturgies can inform the way we worship. As they noted, the “recovery of the gospel in the Reformation was ultimately a worship war – a war against the idols, a war for the pure worship of God” (49). They state firmly, that their work is meant to be “an irenic plea for the Church (and especially her ministers) to engage again with the two-millennia-old question: “How then shall we worship?” Through examination of the Reformation liturgies from the past, there is a wealth of treasure for the present” (73).
The remainder of the book consists of looking extensively at twenty-six liturgies from the Reformation; twenty-six! They begin with Martin Luther and his various orders of worship, and work their way to the Palatine Church Order and the Middleburg Liturgy. Did I say they rehearse twenty-six liturgies? It is a full volume! Each chapter begins with a brief historical sketch of the liturgical craftsman, the immediate environment, and the responses each received. Then the form of worship is charted in an easy-to-peruse diagram. And finally, the whole order is presented in a modern English version translated or updated by the authors. Twenty-six in all! I was happily exhausted when I finished reading through them! But I was also better informed and encouraged in how my congregation worships and follows much of these older patterns.
“Reformation Worship” will inspire worship leaders who have roots in the Reformation. It has the potential of interesting those whose traditions are more independent but are finding their existential rootlessness problematic. Not only will this be a worthwhile volume to take up and read; but it will likely remain a primo reference work for many years to come. I highly recommend the work!
Thanks to New Growth Press for providing, upon my request, the free copy of the book used for this review. The assessments are mine given without restrictions or requirements (as per Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255).
May 31, 2020
This is a magnificent compendium of liturgies written during the period of the Protestant Reformation. Each selection contains an historical introduction helping the reader understand the specific historical contexts and exigencies that produced the given liturgy, followed by the text of the liturgy itself (in English translation where necessary). The value of this book is twofold: it serves admirably as a kind of history of the Reformation itself (replete with primary sources, no less!); beyond that, however—and much more importantly, in my judgment—it has superb devotional value. I profited greatly from reading a selection or two on Sunday mornings before church. The liturgies contained here are all deeply reverent, deeply faithful reflections on Christian doctrine, and they provide a sense of what the Reformers felt were the key priorities for authentically Christian worship. It’s a slow-moving text at times (especially among those liturgies that are more specifically historically situated), but it always repaid the effort. Highly recommended.
April 6, 2020
The Reformation was above all a reformation of worship. Understanding why and how Luther, Zwingli, Bullinger, Oecolampadius, Farel, Calvin, Knox, Laski, Bucer, Coverdale and Cranmer did this is essential to understanding the Reformation. Vital source material for our own services of worship, too.
June 3, 2018
I read the first three essays and plan to use the rest as a guide for our worship services. The first three essays should be mandatory reading for those planning church services.
Read
August 5, 2025Introductory chapters are gold! I imagine the rest will be very helpful to dip into…
March 25, 2021
A spectacular resource to familiarize yourself with Reformed (and some Lutheran) liturgies of the 16th/17th century, including some that had never previously been translated from Latin (eg, Lasko). The editors did a glorious job making a resource like this available.
September 28, 2020
A rich and profitable resource.
The first three chapters are wonderful essays on worship--one providing a biblical theology of worship, the next two explaining the process and principles of the Reformers' reformation of congregational worship. Worth the price of the book.
The rest of the book feels completely different. The remainder is a collection of the liturgies (or orders of service) that different Reformers wrote and utilized. Other than Luther's 'Form of the Mass', none of these chapters provide any extended explanation of the principles behind their view of worship--it's mostly showing, not telling. This part of the book can't be read quickly (it would feel a little repetitive), nor should it be.
The two best benefits of those chapters is seeing the principled care these men put into the practice of worshiping our Lord, and the ways in which these liturgies are so much alike each other. The work put into using language in worship that not only says accurate things about God, but adores God is evident. I read this portion of the book devotionally, over the course of almost a year. Though the resource of examples is helpful for me to be aware of as a pastor planning my own church's services, using it primarily devotionally was far more profitable than just using it as a sort of worship encyclopedia.
The book focuses almost entirely on extracts from services where the Lord's Supper was being observed. It would have been helpful to also see some services including baptism, among other things. It did feel as though the editors were trying to push weekly observance of the LS (or at least, a more prominent role for the LS than most evangelical churches have in their liturgy). I'm not sure I was convinced of that, though it was very instructive to see the care with which the Reformers worked to teach people to shift their view of the LS--transitioning away a view of the LS as the Mass, while guarding against a dismissive view of the ordinance is a difficult task. Their care and patience was evident, and was a good collective example I learned from this volume.
Praise God for Christians who have been worshiping the Lord for thousands of years, and praise God for the chance to learn from just some of those saints in this work.
The first three chapters are wonderful essays on worship--one providing a biblical theology of worship, the next two explaining the process and principles of the Reformers' reformation of congregational worship. Worth the price of the book.
The rest of the book feels completely different. The remainder is a collection of the liturgies (or orders of service) that different Reformers wrote and utilized. Other than Luther's 'Form of the Mass', none of these chapters provide any extended explanation of the principles behind their view of worship--it's mostly showing, not telling. This part of the book can't be read quickly (it would feel a little repetitive), nor should it be.
The two best benefits of those chapters is seeing the principled care these men put into the practice of worshiping our Lord, and the ways in which these liturgies are so much alike each other. The work put into using language in worship that not only says accurate things about God, but adores God is evident. I read this portion of the book devotionally, over the course of almost a year. Though the resource of examples is helpful for me to be aware of as a pastor planning my own church's services, using it primarily devotionally was far more profitable than just using it as a sort of worship encyclopedia.
The book focuses almost entirely on extracts from services where the Lord's Supper was being observed. It would have been helpful to also see some services including baptism, among other things. It did feel as though the editors were trying to push weekly observance of the LS (or at least, a more prominent role for the LS than most evangelical churches have in their liturgy). I'm not sure I was convinced of that, though it was very instructive to see the care with which the Reformers worked to teach people to shift their view of the LS--transitioning away a view of the LS as the Mass, while guarding against a dismissive view of the ordinance is a difficult task. Their care and patience was evident, and was a good collective example I learned from this volume.
Praise God for Christians who have been worshiping the Lord for thousands of years, and praise God for the chance to learn from just some of those saints in this work.
December 15, 2024
Chapter 1 gives the most amazing summary I have ever read of worship through the course of human history. Buy this book for that alone!
I can’t help but notice the reformers rewrote the Catholic mass in a way that still emphasized the importance of the Lord’s Supper, now available for all to participate in both body and blood. I also notice the sheer quantity of elements in a typical service far exceeds what we do today. Obviously, the reformers also designed their services so the Bible and the gospel shone brightly from the opening words to the closing benediction. We don’t find that surprising for healthy churches today, though it was revolutionary then.
Learning from the reformers, Reformation Worship highlights several critical elements for worshipping God by the gathered church. Worship must be trinitarian, focused on the incarnate Word, saturated with the written Word, centered around the preached Word, emphasizing the visible Word (baptism and Lord’s Supper), admonishing the unrepentant, exhorting believers, full of praise, meticulously and deliberately prepared by pastors, and connected to Christians from the past. Gibson and Earngey imply the elements of the gathering should glorify God, edify believers, and call non-believers to believe.
The authors make a great case to consider why we do what we do in church gatherings and not neglect the practices of faithful saints that have come before us. Churches can naturally succeed at many of these elements without careful consideration, but several are easily missed. It’s also quite possible to have all the right elements but lack the cohesion that makes the entire service honor God and his Word.
I can’t help but notice the reformers rewrote the Catholic mass in a way that still emphasized the importance of the Lord’s Supper, now available for all to participate in both body and blood. I also notice the sheer quantity of elements in a typical service far exceeds what we do today. Obviously, the reformers also designed their services so the Bible and the gospel shone brightly from the opening words to the closing benediction. We don’t find that surprising for healthy churches today, though it was revolutionary then.
Learning from the reformers, Reformation Worship highlights several critical elements for worshipping God by the gathered church. Worship must be trinitarian, focused on the incarnate Word, saturated with the written Word, centered around the preached Word, emphasizing the visible Word (baptism and Lord’s Supper), admonishing the unrepentant, exhorting believers, full of praise, meticulously and deliberately prepared by pastors, and connected to Christians from the past. Gibson and Earngey imply the elements of the gathering should glorify God, edify believers, and call non-believers to believe.
The authors make a great case to consider why we do what we do in church gatherings and not neglect the practices of faithful saints that have come before us. Churches can naturally succeed at many of these elements without careful consideration, but several are easily missed. It’s also quite possible to have all the right elements but lack the cohesion that makes the entire service honor God and his Word.
April 23, 2018
The authors write in the Preface, "This book aims to recover and reaffirm the significant part that worship played in the Magisterial Reformation, both for the Reformers and for their churches" (p. xxiii).
And Sinclair Ferguson discusses in the Foreward how the Reformers, in seeking to pursue the Word of God as rightly and authoritatively declaring the Gospel, they also sought to conform right worship of God. It is their advocacy for a right understanding of the Gospel propels people into true worship (p. xvii).
A wonderful resource that I took a couple of hours to skim various portions. It covers brief historical context and then primary source material from the various Reformers, perhaps many American Reformed and Presbyterian Christians know little about.
And Sinclair Ferguson discusses in the Foreward how the Reformers, in seeking to pursue the Word of God as rightly and authoritatively declaring the Gospel, they also sought to conform right worship of God. It is their advocacy for a right understanding of the Gospel propels people into true worship (p. xvii).
A wonderful resource that I took a couple of hours to skim various portions. It covers brief historical context and then primary source material from the various Reformers, perhaps many American Reformed and Presbyterian Christians know little about.
August 27, 2018
I greatly enjoyed this volume, because it showed the clear desire by the Reformers to maintain the great blessing of liturgy and sacraments handed down from the ancient church. These men recognized what needed to be stripped away from Roman Catholic mistakes and inventions to more correctly lead Christians in orderly, confessional worship.
January 6, 2026
This is an incredible resource! It contains 14 different reformed liturgies. These are incredibly valuable, but the opening three chapters on "worship" are outstanding. Gibson and Earngey present the reader with what might be the best biblical theology of worship and the best historical theology of worship (Reformation focused) that I've ever read!
February 1, 2019
An excellent resource for learning the history behind the development of changes to the worship service throughout the history of the Reformation, but not the most user-friendly, as there is simply so much material here.
July 6, 2018
Glorious
July 9, 2022
This was an excellent read. The 3 essays in the beginning of the book are well worth the price! I read this in the mornings and it was very helpful to my soul!
May 17, 2024
Only read chunks of this book for class. Well written and will continue to serve as a helpful reference.
August 18, 2025
Although I am Catholic, I found this to be a very edifying and informative read! I could not put it down!
May 5, 2018
I will be returning to this book frequently. To examine the liturgical rhythms of the reformation churches is a unparalleled blessing to the modern church. The centrality of the Word is prevalent throughout throughout the entire worship service. I pray to implement these principles and practices for the rest of my ministry.
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