27. What do you believe?

It seems that question just prompts a creed, really, doesn't it? Here's the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

I like the creeds. They're statements of faith that were fought for, and which have been passed down among Christians for hundreds of years. I know with liturgy, people can get into the habit of just saying the words - much like anything in church, I guess, it can be easy to go through the motions and no one really knows what's going on in your heart. But when you stop and read through the creeds, and if you actually believe what they say, they are most enriching and affirming. They remind me of the solid rock on which I stand.

The Nicene creed has a lovely pace, and a wonderful eschatology - reminding us that we're looking for the end of this world and the life of the world to come. Every day I long for Jesus to return and set this crumbling world to rights, to take away mourning and suffering and pain. I rejoice that because I believe, I am already part of God's family and will be part of that new creation forever.

But I didn't always believe all this. Even though I grew up in a Christian home, it took a long time for me to accept this truth for myself and to turn my life around (or let it be turned around!). If you want to know the thinking behind how I got here, check out Two Ways to Live. Or talk to me. I'd love to talk to you about it.