“And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6, regarding the promise of descendants and God blessing the world through Abram) “For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-collectors and prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” (Matthew 21:32, Jesus addressing religious elite when asked where he got his authority, and he asks them where John got his and they did not respond)

I’ve had several occasions where I have been asked, “What do you believe?” This idea of profession of beliefs is what lies at the heart of the Creeds! The word creed comes from the Latin credo meaning belief! Sometimes we are filled with doubt or questions and cannot believe just as the religious elite from the Matthew passage. And sometimes, we’re filled with such hope that we believe in God’s ability to do like Abram (soon to be Abraham). Creeds, however, let us enter the space between hope and doubt to trust in something beyond our understanding. Creeds are statements of belief and hope of what God has done and what God promises to do!

There are three historic creeds in the church called Ecumenical Creeds: The Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian. The oldest is the Apostles’ Creed. This creed is the simplest and foundation of our faith, theology, and the other two creeds. It has three sections, each discussing the work of one part of the Trinity: Father/Parent, Son, and Spirit.
“I believe in God, the Father (Parent) almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” This article addresses the reality that God made all things and is above and creating the world/reality in which we live.
“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and 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 (Parent), and he will come to judge the living and the dead.” This article is about the life, death, and risen life of Jesus Christ who is ‘God’s only Son, our Lord;’ and it asserts that God became part of creation as we are in the person of Jesus.
“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.” The third article addresses the nature of the Holy Spirit as God’s continuing work within us the body of Christ in the world today as we live in the hope and understanding that God unites us, forgives our sins, promises us the resurrection of the body in life everlasting.

I pause here to allow Martin Luther to reflect for us, especially on the third article of the Apostles’ Creed. In his explanation of that article Luther writes: “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him; but instead, the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with God’s gifts, made me holy and keeps me in the true faith, just as God calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.” (Small Catechism)

I’ve been asked in Confirmation, “Do I need to believe in everything right now?” The answer is, “No. Yet, I hope you’re willing to wrestle with it. Just because we didn’t witness something like God creating the world or Jesus dying upon the cross, or the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean it isn’t something that can be experienced in our lives. God creates every day in new life all around us. Jesus’ life is hoped for because it means God didn’t give up on creation because of humanity’s sins. And things like forgiveness and eternal life are wonderful to aspire to as God grants them and as we seek to share that hope in the world too!”

I believe… Amen.