Credo

“CREDO”
Psalm 117; Galatians 3:26-29; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; 1 Peter 2:9-12
Sunday May 8, 2011
Confirmation Sunday

The dictionary says that the word “credo” is a Latin word that means: “any formal or authorized statement of beliefs, principles, or opinions”

For the students in our confirmation class “credo” is also the name of the curriculum they are using to prepare themselves for confirmation.

Most of us can easily make the connection from this Latin word to the familiar territory of The Apostle’s Creed and The Nicene Creed.

We are what is known as “a creedal church” – that is, we have a clear statement of what we believe so there should be no confusion about what United Methodists profess.

It is important for all of us to understand why we make our Affirmation of Faith every Sunday.

It reminds us of who we are as Christians and what the foundations of our faith really are.

It challenges us to re-affirm who is supposed to be in control of our lives.

It is a form of praise and prayer offered to God.

Not long ago someone asked me why we don’t always say The Apostle’s Creed…

My answer is that there are several options available to us to profess our faith and I like to change things up to keep us on our toes…

We get in the habit of repeating the same words over and over again and we forget what we’re really saying…

Changing the Affirmation of Faith from time to time forces us to pay attention to what we are saying.

Since this morning we will celebrate the confirmation of four of our youth, I think it is important for us to remind ourselves of what it means to confirm our faith…

What does it mean to offer our Credo to God?

Let us pray…

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be truly pleasing to you,
O Lord, we pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

In the United Methodist Church CONFIRMATION is a rite where baptized individuals recognize the work of God's grace as well as an embrace of being a disciple.

It is the first public affirmation of the grace of God in one's Baptism and the acknowledgment of one's acceptance of that grace by faith.

In some respects, it is like “Believer’s Baptism” celebrated in other denominations.

Confirmation in the United Methodist Church is a sacred occasion.

It is a testimony to personal Christian experience.

Confirmation represents a maturity of faith that allows the youth to claim the baptismal vows made by family on their behalf during infant baptism.

During the confirmation service, young people claim their love of God through Jesus Christ in their life as they become fully participating members of the church.

In other words, the confirmand is taking responsibility for living as a member of the body of Christ and for fulfilling God's purposes.

During the service of Confirmation the entire congregation will be asked to re-affirm our faith…

Just as Baptism should always be celebrated as a congregational event, so Confirmation is a celebration of the life of the church and is shared by the whole church.

As we all prepare to profess our faith together, let us take a moment to remember what those very familiar words really mean to us…

The Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell, the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick 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.
(*catholic means “universal”)

First of all, it is important to understand that the creed is based in Scripture…

When Jesus gives the disciples the Great Commission, in Matthew 28:19 he says:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the names of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

This command was used as a teaching tool by the early followers of Christ and it evolved over the next 700 years until it became the creed we know today.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth…

First, we profess our belief that the world did not always exist…Rather, it was created by God who has always existed. There was nothing before God, nothing that has not been created by God, and God will be for all eternity.

Here we confess our faith in a spiritual being bigger than anything we can imagine and more powerful than anything we can know.

God is the singular being who was, is, and always will be; the one whose existence does not depend on our belief; the one who created us simply to love.

I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord…

Second, we believe that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, that He was born of the Virgin Mary, died on the Cross and rose from the dead, and that He will return on the last day to judge the living and the dead.

As the early church developed there were many false teachings being passed around.

This section of the creed was designed to clear up any confusion and counter any heresy about who Jesus really was and the role he played as the Messiah.

It was particularly important that believers understand that Jesus was truly and fully human AND that he was fully and truly God.

I believe in the Holy Spirit…

We believe that Christ sent His Holy Spirit, who is the soul of the Church which Christ founded, and that through the Church we receive all the graces we need to reach the eternal life for which we were made.

This is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to the Disciples…

It is fundamental to the miracle of Pentecost…

It is foundational to our understanding of God’s continued presence with us…

It is also the final piece of the Holy Trinity that helps us to understand One God manifest in Three Persons.

I believe in the holy catholic* church…

This has been a tough stumbling block for Protestant Christians for centuries, and yet it is firmly based in apostolic faith and church tradition…

First we need to understand that the Apostle’s Creed is considered an ecumenical creed used by many churches outside the Roman Catholic Church…It simply states beliefs that are foundational for all Christians…

Second we need to understand that the word “Catholic” comes from a Greek word that means “of the whole” – In other words, the words “catholic church” only refer to the whole, universal body of Christian churches, regardless of their denominational title…

The church in Rome has no more claim on the title “catholic” than Lays can claim “potato” as only their chip…There is ONLY ONE CHURCH – the church that professes belief in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity…
In that regard all Christians belong to the one holy catholic church – the one universal church, the Body of Christ…

I believe in the communion of saints…

This terminology has also provided a sticking point for some…

Does this mean we believe in and worship “the saints” like the Roman church?

No…It is actually a beautiful concept that all Christians should embrace…

This is the belief that all believers are connected to one another…Those who have gone before us, those are still with us, and those who are yet to come…This is the “communion of saints” who comprise The Body of Christ.

This communion is an unbroken connection that transcends time and unites us with every other believer.

Belief in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting isn’t so complicated...

Most of us have no real problem understanding that God forgives our sins when we come to him filled with confession and repentance…

We all share the belief that Jesus will return one day to raise up all those who die as believers and that we will all spend eternity together in the presence of God.

So, there you have it – this is what we really mean when we recite The Apostle’s Creed.

It was so important to the early followers of Christ and it became part of their regular worship liturgy…

In those early days most people were illiterate and they relied on memory to pass on the important things in life…Their faith was memorized and repeated every time they gathered for worship, just like The Lord’s Prayer was.

In this way, The Creed became an important part of their devotion to God.

It was not and is not a simple recitation of what we profess to believe…

It was and always will be a vital part of our worship…Credo – I believe.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…Amen