Book of Faith - The Apostles' Creed

With the return of fall, we are back in conversation.  The group decided to take a little detour by discussing the Apostles' Creed.  Unlike the other great creeds, the Apostles' Creed does not have an exact date though it begins to appear around 104 A.D.   The creed was a fuller explanation of the faith than "Jesus is Lord".  The early church began to encounter interpretations of the faith that stood outside of what was understood as the gospel.  There were those who proclaimed that the God of the Old Testament was not the God of the New Testament.  There were those who proclaimed that Jesus only appeared to be human.  There were those who proclaimed that Christians had secret knowledge. Against these claims, the Apostles' Creed arose as a response.  In many ways, all of the creeds were battle documents equiping the faithful to meet the spiritual challenges they were facing in the world.  By seeing the Apostles' Creed as a battle document helps it to come alive in a very different way.  To see the creed is such a way invites us to ask what our the spiritual  challenges of our day and age that need to be address by our faith.  This served as the starting point for our exploration and conversation.

The group named a number of spiritual challenges.  First, we live in an increasing secular world.  It's more than soccer on Sundays.  Talk of God in not a part of the conversation for most people.  The need for the language of faith in ways that speak to people in our time becomes even more important.  Second, we live in a world where loneliness is a significant issue.  We are interconnected in a thousand different ways through technology and still feel alone.  The creed speaks of God connecting us and forming us into a community, a family.  Sin is what pulls us apart.  God and the work of the Holy Spirit is what brings us together.  In one way or another, we have all experienced that work of the Spirit, whether we call it the Holy Spirit or not, when we are brought together or are reconciled with another.  Third, we live in a world where the faith is either polarizing or vague.  The creed helps us to articulate who we are without being judgmental.  For me, the faith has been the answere for my life.  I share it because of what it has meant to me.  I make no demands of another.  The clearer my understanding and experience of my faith, the more patient and gracious I become.  I do not need to prove myself or my faith, I simply witness to it.  

Peace,
Pastor Summer