The Importance of Creeds

The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are incredibly important to the Christian Faith. They say in a very direct way what we believe and help non-Christians to understand the core of our faith. In this blog I’ll be sharing a little about the history of the Creeds, when they were created and the differences between the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.

The Nicene Creed actually came first of the two. It was written at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Constantine, who had recently come to power in the Roman Empire, wanted to unite the church under one idea and make sure everyone knew what they believed. Thus, the Nicene Creed was born. The Apostles' Creed was obviously inspired by the Nicene Creed but has a few changes. We do not know exactly who wrote it or when it was written but since it was mentioned in writings from the Council of Milan in 390 A.D. we can speculate it was written sometime before that. The Apostles' Creed is a much more concise version of the Nicene Creed but both express the Story of Christ and the essential beliefs of the Christian faith. Both reflect core Christian beliefs but their use in worship depends on your denominational background and preferences.

So why is it important for us to know these Creeds and say them together? They were originally created because Theological attacks were being made against the deity of Christ and so the church leaders wanted to protect the church against heresy. The Creeds not only answered the questions of early Christians but united them under one banner. When we say the Creeds as a congregation several things happen. One, we are letting those around us, Christian and non-Christian, know who we are and what we stand for. Not just that, but we show a united front against opposing beliefs. Two, we become joined with the Ancient church in affirming the beliefs held by all Christians since the earliest days of the church. So not only are we a community of believers in the here and now but we are part of a larger community through the ages. This is what Ancient-Future worship is all about. Lastly, it is a reminder to ourselves that God’s Story did not just take place hundreds of years ago, it is still happening now and we are part of it. This is incredibly important for us to remember. Take time this to look at the Creeds and remind yourself of your core beliefs. Here’s the article I got some of this information from if you want a closer look: http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/churchhomeleadership/nicene-apostles-creeds.html

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen

The Body of Christ: Part 2

Since writing about what it means to be part of the Body of Christ last week, I have had some more thoughts on the subject. Mainly, being a part of the Body is not a passive experience. It's not “you’re saved, now sit back and enjoy the ride. No, we are called to do a job and that job is to both foster relationships within the church and spread God’s message outside of the church Two songs come to mind when I think about this subject. One is by the band Casting Crowns called “If We Are the Body” and the other is by the band Petra called “Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows.” Some of you might not know you Petra is, but they are amazing. They are 80’s and rock and wonderful. There are links to both of these songs below, so give them a listen before you continue reading.

• If We Are the Body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAWeHo8E70E 

• Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahcvBSbdces 

Both of these songs touch on an important subject: We cannot ignore what is going on in the world outside of our church walls. There are people out there hurting and in need of Christ and we might be their only avenue to finding Him. We cannot allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in our own groups and social circles that we “never allow the world to come in” as Petra says. God put us here to be “ the light of the world,” to be “disciples to every nation.”

So, should we be focused on becoming a close and unified community of believers? Absolutely! But we cannot forget that, being the Body, we have two goals: Inside and Outside the church. How can you focus on your work outside the Body this week?

The Body of Christ: Part 1

Worship was designed by God to take place in a community of believers. God knew the humans he created. He knew that humans long for companionship and interaction with other human beings. Knowing this, he made it very clear through his word that we should be worshipping together.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” We are not meant to face this world alone. God encourages community throughout the Bible because he knows that a person has a better chance of staying on the straight and narrow if he has others to help him than if he goes it alone. That is why the Ecclesiastes verse goes on to say in verse 12 “a cord of three strands is not easily broken.”

Are you trying to live your life outside of community? Do you come to church, interact as little as possible with those around you, and then after the benediction head straight for the door? I encourage you to take the time to form bonds with the people of the congregation. I am an introvert so this is not an easy thing for me to do but once I have broken the ice and gotten to know someone, I am usually blessed and encouraged by that relationship. Even just asking someone to pray for you or taking time to pray for someone else can lift weight from your shoulders. God wants us to be in community with one another and for us to grow spiritually through our connections. Let’s take time this week to consider our community in Christ and how we can grow closer and also expand it for His kingdom.

The Eucharist

Since we are approaching October and will be partaking in the Eucharist (otherwise known as
communion or the Lord’s Supper) on Sunday, I thought it would be fitting to discuss the Eucharist and
what it means for our lives. Why do we celebrate it? Where did it come from and how has it changed
throughout history?

Growing up in the church, all I knew was that the first Sunday of every month we
would take communion, which meant eating those gross wafers. If I had to take it more than once a
month I would often get annoyed because that meant the service was going to be long. Since I have
started my studies at IWS I have found a renewed interest in the Eucharist. It has become more personal
and has a deeper meaning than simply eating bread and drinking juice. Let’s talk a little about the
history of the Eucharist.

We all know about the Last Supper. It happened on the night before Jesus was going to be
crucified. Jesus took the bread and broke it, and the cup and drank it. The language used by the pastors
during the Eucharist comes directly from this scripture. That is they say things like “On the night Jesus
was to be betrayed, Jesus took the bread and broke it and said ‘This is my body which is broken for you,
do this in remembrance of me’” and so on with the cup.

Throughout history, the way the Eucharist was celebrated has changed. Jews and Gentiles
continued the celebration after Jesus ascended to Heaven and, in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul mentions the
bread and the cup which is actually the first time the Eucharist is referred to apart from the gospel accounts. These suppers used to be giant meals where large groups of people would come and eat
together. In the 6th- 8th century the Lord’s Supper became removed from the people. The Monks were
performing it but were not educating about what it meant and so the people were watching with no
knowledge of what was happening. At one point in history, the Eucharist was only being taken once a
year because people were afraid they were hurting Jesus by literally eating his body and drinking His
blood. Today in our tradition we usually celebrate the Eucharist once a month and everyone partakes
together.

So now that we have a little background, let’s talk about what the Eucharist should mean for us
today. Is it just another thing we have to do at church or does it have personal meaning for our lives? The
word Eucharist actually means Thanksgiving. When we partake in the Eucharist we are literally thanking
God for his sacrifice and remembering that sacrifice through the taking of the elements (the bread and
cup). Therefore as we prepare our hearts for the celebration we should thank God for his sacrifice and
all he has done for us. This point alludes back to last my last blog about Christ Centered worship. The
Eucharist and all language surrounding it should be fully centered on honoring God. We do it so that we
can be connected with Christians throughout the ages and around the world who are honoring God but
also to simply magnify the name of the Lord.

Lastly, through the Eucharist God works to make us holy and bring us closer to Himself. But what if on
Communion Sunday you don’t feel like you should partake because of a sin you committed during the
week? God asks us to come as we are. If you had to be sinless to take communion, no one would be able
to. However, that time of confession is there for a reason. Before we take communion we should make
our confessions to God and get as much off our shoulders as possible beforehand. Not because God will
not accept us if we don’t, but because it will help us to engage more deeply with Christ. A phrase I heard
during my studies that has stayed with me is “You cannot be holy enough for the Eucharist, the
Eucharist makes you holy.”

Eating the bread and drinking the cup is a sacred ritual that should not be  taken lightly. We are coming before the Almighty God and communicating with Him through the taking of the elements. This week, in preparation for Communion, take time to center your thoughts on God, confess anything you need to Him, and enter into a mindset of thanksgiving. The Lord deserves reverence when we come to Him. Let’s prepare ourselves to receive Him and worship Him this Sunday.

- Kendra Mikols