Apostles' Creed: And in Jesus Christ. His only son. our Lord
Rev. David Ryan
This is a great day!
Its a great day in that not only
have I had the joy already of joining with you in worship
but now, I get the chance to talk with you some
about my very best friend in all the world
I've been friends with him for -
well – I'd like to say for all my life.
But I've been especially aware of our friendship
since I started the 7th grade.
I guess before that it was more that I knew
about him -
but from that summer on – I really knew him.
He's not from around here -
well – at least not in one way -
the truth is he is sort of a paradoxical kinda guy.
He was not born here – but in another way
he's everywhere – and from everywhere -
He's older than me -
by quite a bit -
but that has never seemed to matter -
In fact – time...is not so applicable to him.
In someways he's out of this time -
and yet – has always been in this time.
He was before time, in fact, and will live beyond time
as we know and understand it today.
I am not the only friend he has.
He makes me feel like I am his favorite friend -
but I know that he makes everyone feel that way -
and that's OK – we can all be his best friend -
somehow with him – it does not seem to matter one bit.
He had an endless capacity for love.
Oh – I should tell you his name.
He's known by many names.
Alpha and Omega -
the beginning and the end
Adonai
Wonderful Counselor
the prince of peace.
Master
Savior
I call him Jesus.
We are studying the Apostle's creed -
and learning to articulate what we believe
We began last week
with God -
saying -
I believe in God – the Father Almighty -
Creator of heaven and earth -
and then the creed continues -
“And in Jesus Christ – His Only son – our Lord”
Jesus Christ – and our faith in Him
is tied to our Faith in God the Father.
It is this belief that really makes us Christian.
There are other Faiths
that Recognize who we call God the Father -
they believe that God exists
that he created the world
that he is this mighty an awesome power -
but for some – their belief stops there.
But we believe there is more -
that there is a Father -but that there is also the Son.
Not just “a” son – but The Son -
Co – eternal with the Father -
there was never a time when he was not.
The Gospel Writer John identified as The Word -
and he wrote, as we read earlier -
In the beginning was the Word -
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
In being the Son – Jesus shares the identity
of God the Father -
its something of a mystery -
we don't fully have the words
to describe this way of being
because it is unique -
different from everything else we know.
There is a oneness that exists between
the Father and the Son -
that in giving us the Son
the Father was giving us his own self.
And that same oneness is extended to
the Holy Spirit – that we will talk about next time.
John also calls him the life -
the life that was the light for all people -
a light that shone in the darkness -
and the darkness could never extinguish it.
And then John says -
the Word became flesh -
and that's the next part of the creed -
again – a thing of mystery -
We say
I believe in Jesus Christ , his ( referring to the Father) -
His only son our lord
we was conceived by the Holy Spirit -
and born of the Virgin Mary.
His conception was a mystery.
We don't know how it happened.
The bible uses mysterious words and concepts -
it says things like -
the Holy spirit - “overshadowed Mary” -
what does that mean?
I don't really know.
I know it usually takes sperm and egg
to create a human being -
but this was somehow different -
it was a miracle
Though Mary was not intimate with a man -
she was a virgin -
somehow , through the divine – she became with child
and the child within her -
again – mysteriously – was truly human – and truly divine -
We call that mystery the incarnation
That God – the same God who created the world
the same God that visited Moses in the burning bush
the same God that called David to be king
the same God who spoke through the prophets -
that same God one day
became a baby -
while still not giving up his identity as God the Father -
He could have come to this earth anyway he wanted to -
but he chose to come in what would be a pretty normal way -
by first spending nine months
in a womb of a woman -
and then being born –
coming through a birth canal – just like you and I did.
Amazing.
And he grew up just like any kid -
although all along he was aware of who he really was.
There is a story that when he was still quite young
in human years – that when His family visited Jerusalem
on pilgrimage- that when they left -
he somehow manged to stay behind -
and was later found by his panicked parents -
teaching the elders in the temple.
Why the incarnation?
Why did God take on flesh?
Just to see what it was like?
No – he knew what it was like already -
God is omniscient – he knows all things.
There is another verse , also in John -
perhaps you know it -
it says -
For God so loved the world -
that he gave his only begotten son -
so that who so ever would believe in him
would not perish, but have everlasting life.
You see, there was a terrible predicament.
God loves all of creation -
he made it – and it was good.
But something happened.
Again, we don't quite know everything about what happened
Somehow, sin entered the world
a sickness
a degradation
A brokenness.
The scriptures tell of a beloved angel -
Satan – who somehow rebelled against the love of God
and wanted to BE God himself -
and so he was thrown out heaven
and somehow he ended up
in the Garden – with God's first creations on this world -
a man and a woman – Adam and Eve
And somehow , he convinced these two to disobey
the one who had made them
we call this the Fall.
We call this sin.
But God still loved all he had made
including humanity.
And from that first start of the Fall,
he had a plan to fix things
to restore things
to make things right.
Sin brought death -
but he would bring life.
Through giving us his own Son.
It would be necessary in that giving -
again a mystery – for that Son to die.
Early on God had set up this sacrificial system -
where blood would be used to atone for sin.
An innocent animal would have its blood shed -
it would die – becoming an acceptable substitute
for our death -
For God had decreed that the consequence of sin
was death.
And so these sacrifices needed to be made
time and time again -
for their atonement did not last.
Until Jesus came -
and he became the final sacrifice -
that's what we affirm when we say -
he suffered under Pontius Pilate.
Pilate was the Governor that Rome
had put over the land of Israel -
the land of the people chosen by God
to bear his witness to the world
When Jesus came, he was not accepted
by the religious leaders of the Jews -
the accused him of blasphemy -
that is saying the one is God -
but in Jesus case it was the truth -
he was God.
Never the less- they had him arrested
and brought to a trial -
and as a result of that trail,
he was executed in the manner of the day -
by having his body nailed to a wooden beam
it was called crucifixion -
and again – in a mystery -
he died.
He who was life itself died.
He became the ultimate sacrifice
the last sacrifice -
giving his life for our life.
He died, we affirm -
and he was buried.
He was buried in the tomb of one of his followers -
Joseph of Arimathea.
His body was in the tomb for three days.
Some of the texts of the Creed
include a phrase we don't usually include -
some forms of the creed affirm that
Jesus, when his body was dead -
that his spirit went to minister to those
who were already dead.
There is a great icon
that shows Jesus standing before the gates of hell
and tearing down the gates -
freeing the souls trapped there -
in another , he is pictured as grabbing Adam
and Eve by the hands -
and taking them from hell to heaven.
The problem is that the words -
He descended to hell
are not in scripture.
There are some scriptures – about 5 of them
that might describe that – then again, they may be seen
differently – and not mean that.
In the earliest versions of the creed
that phrase is not included -
but seems to have entered into about 650.
In our current United Methodist Liturgy in our hymnal
it is not included.
So - you can make up your own mind
about what you believe about that.
Adam Hamilton says this -
“I think there is great power in the image of Christ descending to the realm of the dead, tearing the doors off their hinges, and offering
salvation and life to those who had died from the beginning of the human race up until his time. In this image, Christ is seen as
triumphantly defeating death itself in keeping with his words -
I have the keys of death and the grave.”.
I know that he came to my hell.
I know that the darkness I was in
was not too dark for him
that he saved me -
and that if he could save me – he could save anyone!
The creed affirms:
He was in the grave three days -
but on the third day – he rose again!
He ascended into heaven -
and is seated at the right hand of the Father -
Jesus appeared to his disciples
he taught them more things -
he reminded them of things he had told them before -
and there came a day when he returned to His Father's side -
there he continues to rule
until a future day arrives -
We say we believe that he will come again -
those who have died believing in him will awaken -
and those who are still here on earth
with be gathered -
and all on earth will be judged by him -
the living and and the dead.
Those who have been genuine in their faith
those who have confessed him as Lord
those who have asked for the forgiveness of the sin -
those who have welcomed him as their savior
those who have asked for the gift of eternal life -
will receive it !
They – we – will be welcomed into our eternal life with God -
We have a hymn that sings out -
What a day of rejoicing that will be -
When we all see Jesus -
we will sing and shout the victory!
My my my my my.
This is good stuff!
This is my Jesus
my friend.
I am his, and he is mine.
I hope that he is yours, and that you are is.
If not – you can change that
You can change that today!
Today can be the day you become a Christian -
that you not only say these words of affirmation
with your lips – but with your heart as well.
And if this is what you believe -
then again today, commit yourself
to really being his each day
living your life as he calls you to live it.
Next week we will talk about the holy spirit -
and how the Holy Spirit brings us to Christ
and Christ to us.