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What the Church Believes:  The Apostles' Creed (Part 1)
Romans 1:1-12, 16-17

​    This week begins a fall preaching series I’m calling “Back to the Basics”.  For three weeks we’ll focus on The Apostles' Creed, then two weeks each for the Ten Commandments and for The Lord’s Prayer, and we’ll wrap up with the sacraments of baptism and holy communion.  Once we cover these foundational Christian beliefs and practices, we’ll be ready for the first week in Advent. That’s the season that marks the beginning of a new church year for us as Christians. 
     This morning we all recited the Apostles' Creed.  How many of you know this by heart?  I hope that a month from now we’ll all recite, from memory, this ancient faith statement.  It’s one of the oldest and most-widely accepted creeds and it’s recognized by all branches of Christianity:  Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.   It’s often used in Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Episcopal worship services.  And from now onward, the Apostles' Creed will always be part of our worship services, with only occasional exceptions.
      So, let’s get started!  The word creed comes from the Latin word credo, which means “I believe.”  It doesn’t say “we believe,” did you ever notice that?  That’s because this is meant to be personal: each one of us gets to decide if these are things we believe in or not.  It also sets a boundary; these are non-negotiables if you choose to be a Christian. When we said these words out loud in church earlier, we made a public profession of our personal beliefs.   
     In the earliest days of the church, this wasn’t done.  Back then this was used only at baptisms; it was the public profession of faith each person had to make.  Before that special day, each person wanting to become a member of a Christian church had to spend a full year studying the Scriptures and learning about Jesus Christ.  Then, dressed in white robes, they would be taken to a body of water (if possible) and asked 12 questions, each coming from what we now call the Apostles' Creed.  Over time these faith affirmations were written down.  They broadly sum up the basics of Christian belief, starting with creation and ending with eternal life.  It isn’t everything Christians believe, but it’s a very clear set of statements that describe our core beliefs.  
       One other important thing to know about this creed is its authorship.  The 12 apostles, Jesus’ closest followers, carefully and prayerfully wrote these words.  As we dig into this creed in the coming weeks, I think you’ll come to appreciate how deliberately the 114 words were chosen.  Take for example, the first four words of the creed: “I believe in God.”   It doesn’t say “some gods” or some vague “higher power.”  Saying “I believe in God” is radical because it implies exclusivity.  We’re stating that we believe there is one true God and no others.  Some historical context can help us better appreciate this word choice.  The Hebrews in the Old Testament were usually surrounded by neighboring nations that believed in multiple gods: a god of the sun, others for the moon and the earth.  There were fertility gods and gods of seasons.  People were afraid of bad luck and disasters, so they made up many deities, and often carved wooden idols to represent them, in hopes of being healthy, prosperous, etc.
      The next two words that describe God in the creed are “Father” and “Almighty”.  The first is best translated as daddy or papa.  That gives a sense of intimacy, a personal connection.  I wish I could have been near enough to hear Jesus say “papa” when he prayed.  It’s such a loving word, and it’s what a child who’s dependent on their parent would use.  But let’s go a little deeper.  The affirmation of God as Father isn’t meant to be a declaration of God’s gender.  Unfortunately, some people throughout history have twisted the meaning of "Father" and used it to wrongly justify harm to or dominance of others.  The original reason the first followers used “Father” was likely because it was one of Jesus’ favorite words, and it also helps any one of us imagine having a close relationship with God.     
     The next word to describe God in the creed is Almighty: “I believe in God the Father, Almighty.”  In Hebrew the word is “El Shaddai”; we sing a praise song with those words in it.  Did you know you were singing in Hebrew and saying God is Almighty?  That word calls attention to God’s unlimited power.  It is good for us to pause and realize that nothing is beyond the all-surpassing power and will of God.  God is in complete control of all of history - it is truly His Story.  Almighty, Father, God (singular) - can you begin to see how amazing the specific word choices are in the Apostles' Creed?
     Next, we say God is the “Maker of heaven and earth.” The word “maker” is capitalized because it’s a title.  We tend to use the word "Creator".  John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, was a frail 87-year-old on his deathbed in 1791.   Many people may know his final words were, “Best of all, God is with us.”   But the day before, Wesley was doing his best to sing his favorite hymn.  It begins with: “I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath”.  Toward the end of the song it changes a bit: “I’ll praise my God who lends me breath.”  Both of these affirm that the world exists because God created it.  Our very breath comes from our Maker. We do not believe in the Big Bang theory.  Our belief as Christians, our worldview, is that God is the Creator of all that is seen and unseen.    
      Have you ever realized that once we know our origin, where we come from, we will naturally ponder other things like: “Why am I here; what’s my purpose?” and “Where am I going when I die, nowhere or somewhere?”  We’re going to learn those things as we continue through the creed. 
     The next section is about Jesus; almost half of the creed is devoted to who Jesus is and why He matters.  When Jesus was traveling through Caesarea Philippi early in his ministry, he asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” They had to grapple with that question and answer it for themselves.  We all have to make up our minds about Jesus.  
       Do you know that the name Jesus in Greek means “God saves”?   The Hebrew version of Jesus is “Yeshua” or “Joshua”.  Do you remember what the angel Gabriel told Joseph, the fiancé of Mary, long ago?  The angel said: “You are to give him the name of Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins.”  Historians say that Jesus was a very common name among Jews in the first century.  They’ve identified at least ten other men named Jesus who lived in the same area, at the same time as our Lord.  And records show that at least 5 Jewish high priests living then were named “Jesus”. 
      Let me clear up something else, in case you weren’t too sure.  Christ is not Jesus’ last name.  He didn’t grow up in the “Christ” family! Christ is one of Jesus’ divinely-appointed titles.  It means “anointed one.”  In the Old Testament, if you were going to be a King in Israel, or a priest or prophet, you were anointed with oil in a formal ceremony.  The oil was a sign that God had called you to serve.  So, when we say we believe in “Jesus Christ”, we’re saying we believe he is God’s anointed one who will save us.  We recognize him as the King who will usher in His Kingdom; he’s the long-awaited, promised Messiah. 
    The next phrase, which says Jesus is God’s “only Son,” seems simple on the surface.  It might easily be thought of in a numerical way, suggesting God had one son, not two or three.  But we know from Jesus that “the Father and the Son are one.” Theologians put it this way: they share the same essential nature.   The best translation of “only” in the phrase “Jesus is God’s only Son” is “one-of-a-kind” or “absolutely unique”.  We’ve all heard the expression "limited edition", right?  That means an artist might only have created 3 original pieces.  Or maybe 25 or 50.  They are signed and unique.   Jesus was and is a limited edition, absolutely unique.      
      The final word used for Jesus here is the title “Lord”.  As Christians we say Jesus is Lord, but chances are we don’t fully appreciate the meaning or the risk in doing that in the first century.  The Jews had been conquered by the Romans; their vast empire stretched from Europe to the Middle East and northern Africa.  Romans would leave locals to worship as they wished, with two exceptions. They had to pay taxes and say, “Caesar is Lord”.  The title “Lord” means “absolute ruler, the one who is sovereign”.  Christians could not and would not say “Caesar is Lord” out loud, because they believed Jesus is Lord. 
    The interesting thing about this is that Christians could say “Jesus is God” or “Jesus has risen from the dead” and the Romans paid no attention; they didn’t care what deity anyone believed in.  But if a Christian said “Jesus is Lord”, that would start an immediate riot.  Soldiers would be called and once verified, the punishment was death.  Great numbers of Christians were persecuted and cruelly put to death while Romans ruled.  Following Jesus, saying what you believed, was a dangerous thing.
     Let’s see now if everyone can begin to master this important creed that others wrote, affirmed, memorized, and defended for almost 2,000 years.  I’ll say a phrase and ask you to repeat after me. 
   I believe
      in God the Father Almighty,
         Maker of heaven and earth,
             and in Jesus Christ,
                 his only Son,
                      our Lord.           
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.   Amen.

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