The Lord's Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship [Paperback]

Jeffrey J. Meyers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2003

Begun as a practical pastoral guide to worship, this book balances theory and praxis to create a compelling case for a biblical, aesthetic, and covenantal worship service as the place where the Triune God and His people renew the bonds of love and loyalty.

Jeffrey Meyers begins laying out a case for a covenant renewal service by means of Old Testament sacrificial liturgics, biblical typology, and covenant theology. He then guides us through the stages of a covenant renewal liturgy, explaining from Scripture the meanings of each step of the service. The final section addresses miscellaneous issues in worship, such as the use of creeds, the "regulative principle," and ministerial clothing.

Jeffrey Meyers provides not only a compelling biblical, theological, and historical case for covenant renewal worship, but also shows that it is beautiful, profound, edifying, and liberating.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeffrey J. Meyers is a graduate of Covenant and Concordia Theological Seminaries and pastor of Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA), St. Louis, Missouri.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Canon Pr (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591280087
• ISBN-13: 978-1591280088
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Reformed Worship in Centuries, November 11, 2003

By 

Jonathan W. Williams (Bristol, TN United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Lord's Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship (Paperback)

I have a proposal. All sides of the so-called "worship wars" should declare a truce until all sides have read the new book by Jeff Meyers, The Lord's Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship. Meyers is pastor of Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St. Louis, Missouri. Instead of going to the Bible to find support for our strongly held worship practices (whether old or new), Meyers allows Scripture to clearly teach us how we are to approach our Triune God in worship. This may require us to abandon some strongly held ideas (both old and new) concerning worship.
In Part I of the book, Meyers begins his study by asking a simple question, "Why go to church on Sunday?" Various answers are given to this question. Is the purpose evangelism? Is it education? Is it experience? Is it praise or exaltation? The tendency has been to reduce the Sunday morning service to a technique to accomplish either an evangelistic purpose, an educational purpose, an experiential purpose, or a praise purpose. Meyers shows that while Lord's Day worship should include all of these purposes, the Biblical answer to the purpose of the Sunday service is that it is covenant renewal. God's Word clearly teaches a covenant renewal pattern for worship from Genesis to Revelation. Our worship should also follow this rhythm beginning with the call to worship, to confession and forgiveness, to Scripture readings and sermon, to the Lord's Supper, and ending with the benediction and commissioning.
After laying the Biblical foundation for worship as covenant renewal, Meyers discusses the practical importance of this pattern of worship, answers objections to it, and in Part II gives us a detailed description of the covenant renewal service at his own church, Providence Reformed in St. Louis. Part III of The Lord's Service contains ten essays by Meyers on various current issues such as the regulative principle of worship, the liturgical calendar, the minister's attire both in and out of the pulpit, and covenant children at the Lord's Table. The last essay is a bibliographical essay which shows the depth of the author's knowledge of the vast subject of liturgics. This final essay alone is worth the price of the book.
Meyers points out that Reformed seminaries have generally done a poor job at training future pastors in the whys and hows of Lord's Day corporate worship. To rectify this shortcoming, you should purchase a copy of The Lord's Service if you are a pastor, or purchase a copy as a gift for your pastor. While you're at it, purchase a copy for yourself, for your elders, and for your church library.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read - Don't Miss This One!!!!!, January 21, 2005

By 

Douglas VanderMeulen (Fargo, ND) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lord's Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship (Paperback)

Saying this book is "original" would be wrong and misleading. There is nothing new or novel about it. Thank the Lord! There is just too much "new and novel" when it comes to most books on worship. Yet this book is packed with fresh insight and perspective. Chapter 6 & 7 alone are worth the price of the book. They give a year's worth of reflection on what you really believe about worship and why you are doing what you do in worship. In these chapters, Meyers discusses the relationship between practice and belief and the role of the Trinity in our worship. Nothing new about these subjects or issues - yet his approach to these subjects will leave you and your church wondering why you haven't spent more time dealing with them. It may very well cause you to significantly change what you sing, how you pray and the structure of your service.

The overall statement of the book is that worship is only rightly understood in light of the biblical doctrine of covenant. The weekly worship service is a Covenant Renewal service and therefore its style, form and content are defined by covenantal relationship between the Triune God and the church.

The book is straightforward, easy to read and packed full of needed insights. This is the kind of book you will want to read with a pen, highlighter, ruler, and notebook nearby. This is the kind of book you don't simply read - you work through it - not because it is hard but because it is full.

Michael Horton's "A Better Way" and D. Hart's "With Reverence and Awe" are great compliments to this work. Each develops a similar view of worship with nuances of differences and each with their own needed contribution. If you are seriously working through what the Bible says about how we rightly approach God in worship read all three of these books. If you can only read one, make it "The Lord's Service". Great place to start, but I guarantee that it will move you forward in your thinking and cause you to want to read more.

Soli Deo Gloria

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A much need study in how we do worship., January 23, 2005

By 

Eric William Vowles "Rik" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lord's Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship (Paperback)

Reverend Meyers has done a great job of explaining true Biblical covenant worship. As a Church, especially my fellwo Presbyterians, have often been afriad of liturgy. Anything that seems Catholic or Lutheran is to be feared. Meyers lets us know that that fear is unfounded in illogical. He is helping us, especially us reformed guys, to rethink our worship and to restore the dignity and reverance demanded at the Divine Service. The other reviews did a fine job of summing up the book. I especially enjoyed this take on Robes and the "minster's uniform". Meyers helps us renew the blessed honor of the office of Minister. Every Pastor and member of sessions or elder boards must read this book. I would also recomment, "In the Face of God: also by Michael Horton.

In His Grace,

Rik