A friend of mine, the inimitable Justin Schneider, recently shared a quote from John Calvin on his blog and I thought it was perfectly applicable in the ongoing COLLIDE conversation. Here’s Calvin talking about the changing form of worship in Institutes of the Christian Religion:
I mean that the Lord has in his sacred oracles faithfully embraced and clearly expressed both the whole sum of true righteousness, and all aspects of the worship of his majesty, and whatever was necessary to salvation; therefore, in these the Master alone is to be heard. But because he did not will in outward discipline and ceremonies to prescribe in detail what we ought to do (because he foresaw that this depended upon the state of the times, and he did not deem one form suitable for all ages), here we must take refuge in those general rules which he has given, that whatever the necessity of the church will require for order and decorum should be tested against these. Lastly, because he has taught nothing specifically, and because these things are not necessary to salvation, and for the upbuilding of the church ought to be variously accommodated to the customs of each nation and age, it will be fitting (as the advantage of the church will require) to change and abrogate traditional practices and to establish new ones. Indeed, I admit that we ought not to charge into innovation rashly, suddenly, for insufficient cause. But love will best judge what may hurt or edify; and if we let love be our guide, all will be safe.
Yes, that’s a lengthy and somewhat dense passage but I think it’s worth a read and a re-read. Above, I bolded two phrases concerning contextualizing worship to fit the time and place in which the saints are gathered. In many ways, that’s what COLLIDE (and Echo, of course) endeavors to explore. Hopefully, it’s something you endeavor to explore for your time and place, too. But I also want to draw attention to the two sentences that conclude the passage:
Indeed, I admit that we ought not to charge into innovation rashly, suddenly, for insufficient cause. But love will best judge what may hurt or edify; and if we let love be our guide, all will be safe.
Centuries removed from the writing of those words, I sense that they were written with a pastor’s heart. Calvin begins with an argument for (and justification of) cultivating new worship forms and practices, but he takes care to pair this pursuit with a caution against rash innovation. After all, Calvin was well aware of the toll that rapid change in the Church can take. Finally, he exhorts his readers to rely heavily upon love to guide us through. Good words for his time, our time, and the time to come.