The Lord and giver of life.
This is how the third article of the Nicene Creed begins. We
confess belief in the Holy Spirit, who is not only our Lord, but the one who
gives life to all creation, including the Church.
This claim, of course, stands in stark contrast to much of
the rhetoric we hear today about the decline of the Church. Why are so many
resigned to failure? After all, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and
giver of life. If this is so, then the decline of the Church is not inevitable.
By contrast, it is unthinkable.
I’m not denying the numeric downturn in mainline
Protestantism over the last forty years or so. Those numbers tell a particular
story, and there are reasons that the story has played out in the way that it
has. But the language of failure, fear, and decline is not God’s language. That
is not the language of people who confess that we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life.
Then again, the Nicene Creed doesn't get much play in many
mainline and evangelical churches today. That, in fact, could be part of the
problem. What if, each week, we confessed this creed, with the bold
proclamation of its third article? Would an awareness of and belief in the Holy
Spirit as the Lord and giver of life make a difference for our churches? I, for
one, would like to find out.
Amen, Amen, and Amen.
ReplyDeletePete B.
Amen, Pete!
ReplyDeleteSo true. Instead of teaching about the meaning and significance of the creed we avoid it all together and then wonder where the life-giving power has gone. Well, it got left out while we were trying to discern cultural trends and chase after them to be acceptable.
ReplyDeleteThinking about how and why the Church quenches the Spirit is as fascinating as it is maddening. There is a lot of fear wrapped up in it, I think. It is fear about what it will mean for us and for how we go about living our lives. And so we close ourselves off from the Spirit so that we can be comfortable doing what we know. And, of course, we reap the consequences of that decision.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I think that's right. And it's not just the Nicene Creed, but the Apostles' Creed as well.
ReplyDeleteToo true, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteI think the opposite is true. Emphasis on creeds, especially without explanation and in language/concepts not clearly understood by modern people is makes the church inaccessible to so many. If the message of Jesus is told properly, it's very compelling. Everyone, Christian or not, longs for their life to be changed in some significant way, to be made important. Rather than reciting creeds like an incantation and hoping for magic (so to speak), how about telling the story of Christ compellingly? I'm not refering to high tech video, contemporay music, etc. I referring to the message itself. If people are buying your product, you're not selling something that meets their needs.
ReplyDeleteI think the opposite is true. Emphasis on creeds, especially without explanation and in language/concepts not clearly understood by modern people is what makes the church inaccessible to so many. If the message of Jesus is told properly, it's very compelling. Everyone, Christian or not, longs for their life to be changed in some significant way, to be made important. Rather than reciting creeds like an incantation and hoping for magic (so to speak), how about telling the story of Christ compellingly? I'm not refering to high tech video, contemporay music, etc. I'm referring to the message itself. If people are not buying your product, you're not selling something that meets their needs.
ReplyDeleteStarting at Easter I've made the Creed part of all of my worship services again. I've used both the Nicene and Apostles' creeds so far but I've decided that the clear statement of belief and working from there makes the service have a nice foundation as it were. Every week, we all get to say this is what we believe and any new folks in our midst can have these words to help them understand who we are as a people of God.
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear!
ReplyDeleteI am Mariam used every single spell worker on the internet, spent untold amounts of money and discovered they are all fakes...i was the fool though; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In the end, I decided that I wanted a tarot reading to know what my future held for me; I contacted a woman who lives locally to me and she told me about a man named (Priests Irumole); he does not advertise on the internet, has another job for income, has no set prices, makes no false promises and refuses to help anyone that cannot be helped and even helps
ReplyDeletefor free sometimes, he will give you proof before taking money. He is a wonderful man and he was the only person who actually gave me real results. I really hope he doesn't mind me advertising his contact on the internet but I'm sure any help/ extra work will benefit him.contact him as spirituallighthealing101@live.com He travel sometimes.i cant give out his number cos he told me he don’t want to be disturbed by many people across the world..he said his email is okay and he’ will replied to any emails asap,love marriage,finance, job promotion ,lottery Voodoo,poker voodoo,golf Voodoo,Law & Court case Spells,money voodoo,weigh loss voodoo,any sicknesses voodoo,Trouble in marriage,HIV AIDS,it's all he does Hope this helps everyone that is in a desperate situation as I once was; I know how it feels to hold onto something and never have a chance to move on because of the false promises and then to feel trapped in wanting something
more.