Do you want to do something really counter-cultural? Do you want to engage in a subversive
activity? How about standing with
courage and speaking truth to power?
In one sense we do these things when we believingly recite the creed
together every Sunday. In our
Affirmation of Faith we have been using the Apostle’s Creed. At other times we may use the Nicene
Creed. We can, of course, get
bored with these creeds and just being to mindlessly recite words but when we
engage our minds and hearts in the confession of the Creed we are doing some
amazing things. I was helped to
see this by the words of Luke Timothy Johnson from his book The Creed when he discusses what is
happening when we recite the Creeds
“In a world that celebrates individuality,
they are actually doing something together. In an age that avoids commitment, they pledge themselves to
a set of convictions and thereby to each other. In a culture that rewards novelty and creativity, they use
words written by others long ago. In
a society where accepted wisdom changes by the minute, they claim that some
truths are so critical that they must be repeated over and over again. In a throwaway, consumerist world, they
accept, preserve, and continue tradition.
Reciting the creed at worship is thus a counter-cultural act.” (pp. 40-41)
So our commitment to the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds is a
conservative impulse—we are seeking to conserve the tradition and preserve it
in faithfulness. But we also need
to see our commitment to the Creeds and our weekly recitation of their truths
as a joyful counter-cultural protest against the folly and unbelief of our
time.
So what about you?
Will you join heart and mind today in the recitation of the Creed;
taking your stand to preserve the truth of the gospel? Will you glory in the power of communal
creedal recitation? Let us affirm
the faith of the gospel with vigor and joy!
