A Commentary on the Lord’s Supper Form
The Reformed Lord’s Supper Form: A Commentary, B. Wielenga. Jenison: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2023. Hardcover, 426 pages.
Few people realize the rich history and theology behind our Lord’s Supper Form. Because it’s so familiar to us, it’s easy to let its beautiful phraseology drift by our hearts and minds. That would be a real shame because the Form can really enhance the strengthening of our faith at this sacrament. This commentary will help Reformed believers appreciate what we have in this liturgical text.
The author was a minister in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands in the early 1900s. Dr. Bastiaan Wielenga (1873-1949) served in the period between the Union of 1892 and the Liberation of 1944. He served the church in Amsterdam for more than 25 years.
The preface claims that this volume is the “only genuine and thorough commentary” on the Form. While other Dutch authors did write on the Form, and Wielenga interacts with them in the book, it certainly seems that it is unique in our literature. We can be thankful the Reformed Free Publishing Association has published it in English.
It is indeed a line-by-line commentary on the Form. That might make it sound tedious or academic, but it generally flows like a book should. However, readers should be aware that the Form that Wielenga was commenting on is not exactly the Form we use today in the CanRC/FRCA. Wielenga states early in the book that making the form “a little more concise would undoubtedly strengthen it” (p.10). That’s what eventually happened. So it does happen on occasion that Wielenga is commenting on a line that’s been removed from our version.
There’s a lot to appreciate here. Wielenga is strong on emphasizing how the sacrament is meant for weak and struggling believers. He wrote in a context where there were churches in which non-attendance at the sacrament was considered quasi-virtuous, or at least humble. Our issue today might be more with self-examination and presumption – and he addresses that too. Perhaps you’ve wondered why our Form speaks about the body of Christ having been “broken for the complete forgiveness of all our sins.” Wasn’t Christ’s body kept intact with not one of his bones being broken? Wielenga addresses this question in chapter 3 and again in chapter 5.
There are strong opinions about aspects of the Lord’s Supper and Wielenga has a few of his own. You probably won’t agree with all of them – I certainly didn’t. For example, he argues that celebrating the Lord’s Supper every Sunday “would of necessity lower the bar of the celebration of the supper.” It would become a matter of routine for everyone “so that there scarcely could be mention of a spiritual activity and spiritual blessing” (p.341). Having once attended a URC for several months where there was weekly communion, I didn’t experience that at all. If the point of the Lord’s Supper is the strengthening of our faith, surely we’ll benefit from more strengthening rather than less. Yes, we’d need to focus to avoid it becoming ritualistic, but that holds true for many other regular elements in our liturgy too.
The translator generally did good work on this volume. However, there are a few places where the editor might have graced us with an explanatory footnote. On page 143, for example, we find the German word gestalt and on page 307 “the known poetic term niet-zijn” (not known to me!).
In my congregation we now celebrate the Lord’s Supper monthly. As a pastor, this gives me the opportunity to reflect more frequently on this sacrament, what it means, and how we administer it. Wielenga has given me a lot to chew on and I’m sure he’ll do the same for you.
Originally published in Clarion 74.02 (February 7, 2025)
