Examples of Successful Liturgical Innovation in Reformed Churches
Reformed churches, while often associated with a focus on preaching and a simpler aesthetic, have historically engaged in liturgical innovation, particularly concerning the sacraments and the role of congregational participation. One significant area of innovation has been in the understanding and administration of the Lord's Supper.
The Reformed tradition, as articulated by figures like John Calvin, emphasizes that sacraments are "means of grace" but denies that their efficacy depends on the inherent virtue of the elements or the administrator [1, 4]. Instead, their effectiveness is tied to the operation of the Holy Spirit and the faith of the recipient [1, 4]. This theological framework allowed for certain innovations in practice. For instance, while the Lutheran tradition maintained a strong emphasis on the real presence of Christ in the elements, even to the extent that Luther himself insisted that "the bread in the Lord’s Supper is the body of Christ" [5], Reformed churches generally adopted a more symbolic or spiritual understanding. This difference in understanding, though not directly a liturgical innovation, shaped the context in which liturgical practices developed.
A notable innovation in the Reformed tradition, contrasting with some earlier practices, was the emphasis on giving "both kinds" (bread and wine) to the laity in the Lord's Supper [6]. This practice, also advocated by Lutherans, was seen as a return to the biblical mandate, citing Matthew 26:27 where Christ commands, "Drink ye all of it," and Paul's account in 1 Corinthians 11:27, which suggests the whole congregation partook of both [6]. This was a departure from the medieval Catholic practice of withholding the cup from the laity, and it underscored a commitment to congregational participation in the full sacrament.
Another area of innovation, particularly in early Reformed contexts, involved the role of hymnody. While Reformed theology often prioritized the didactic function of worship, Charles Hodge notes that "Lutheran and Reformed Christians can find nowhere, out of the Bible, more clear, definite, soul-satisfying expression of their doctrinal views upon this subject, than are to be found in many, of the hymns of the Latin and Arminian churches" [3]. This suggests an openness to incorporating hymnody from diverse traditions, not just for aesthetic reasons, but for its capacity to articulate theological truths and foster spiritual experience. This willingness to adapt and adopt hymns, even from traditions with different theological nuances, represents a form of liturgical innovation focused on enriching congregational expression and understanding [3].
The Reformed understanding of baptism also reflects a distinct approach. While acknowledging baptism as an ordinance of divine appointment and a means of grace, Reformed churches emphasize that its efficacy is not tied to the moment of administration but depends on the Holy Spirit and the faith of the recipient [4]. This perspective led to the practice of infant baptism, not as a guarantee of salvation, but as a sign of the covenant and a means of bringing children into the watch and care of the church [2]. This practice, while rooted in earlier Christian tradition, was maintained and defended by Reformed theologians as a way to nurture successive generations within the faith, rather than limiting church membership solely to communicants [2]. This approach to infant baptism, distinct from traditions that emphasize adult-only baptism, represents a significant liturgical and pastoral innovation aimed at fostering a covenantal community across generations.
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: sunt, ant vacua: nec ad nos decipiendos aut frustrandos instituta. ” These symbols of the Reformed Churches on the continent of Europe agree with those of our own Church, not only in representing the sacraments as real means of grace, but also in denying that their efficacy is due to their inherent virtue, or to him who administers them, and in affirming that it is due to the attending operation of the Spirit, and is conditioned on the presence of faith in the recipient. This is plain from the quotations already made, which might be multi”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: cold grave with them when they die; no, but that they might with all care, and with all the obligations and advantages to that care that may be, nurse up still successively another generation of subjects to our Lord, that may stand up in his kingdom when they are gone.” 579 579 Mather’s Magnalia, vol. ii. p. 309. 4. Experience proves that it is a great evil to make the Church consist only of communicants and to cast out into the world, without any of that watch and care which God intended for them, all those together with their children, ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 27: It is fair to appeal from theology to hymnology from the head to the heart; from what man thinks to what God makes men feel. It is enough to say on this point, that Lutheran and Reformed Christians can find nowhere, out of the Bible, more clear, definite, soul-satisfying expression of their doctrinal views upon this subject, than are to be found in many, of the hymns of the Latin and Arminian churches. As a single example may be cited the following stanzas from John Wesley’s “Hymns and Spiritual Songs”: — “Join, earth and heaven to bless ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 65: § 12. Efficacy of Baptism. Doctrine of the Reformed Churches. In the section which treats of the efficacy of the sacraments in general, it was shown that according to the Reformed Church the sacraments (1.) Are ordinances of divine appointment. (2.) That they are means of grace, and therefore are not to be undervalued or neglected. (3.) That their efficacy does not depend upon any virtue in them or in him by whom they are administered, but upon the attending influence of the Holy Spirit. (4.) That their efficacy is not tied to the time of”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 71: taken and broken; and therefore it was the bread which He affirmed was, either literally or figuratively, his body. Lutherans themselves cannot avoid saying and admitting that the bread in the Lord’s Supper is the body of Christ. Thus Luther ( Larger Catechism , v. 12, 13; Hase, Libri Symbolici , p. 554) tells his catechumen to say, “Though infinite myriads of devils and all fanatics should impudently demand, How bread and wine can be the body and blood of Christ? I know that all spirits and all learned men put together have not as much i”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 1 To the laity are given Both Kinds in the Sacrament of the Lord’s: 1 To the laity are given Both Kinds in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, because this usage has the commandment of the Lord in Matt. 26:27: Drink ye all of it, 2 where Christ has manifestly commanded concerning the cup that all should drink. 3 And lest any man should craftily say that this refers only to priests, Paul in 1 Cor. 11:27 recites an example from which it appears that the whole congregation did use both kinds. 4 And this usage has long remained in the Church, nor is it known w”