Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene Creedਨਮੂਨਾ

Focus of the month: 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:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
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],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who 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.

He’s Got This!

As spring sports are in full swing, the armchair coaches analyze every detail of offense or defense. Plays are scrutinized in the minds of team members and spectators. Cheering or cajoling, the news can be exciting or dire. Sometimes, when the team is down, there is a star player who won’t give up and inspires the game. From then on, the rhetoric is to praise or defend the plays made or blown.

In defense of God, Hezekiah tore his clothes as a sign that his royalty meant nothing compared with the honor of God. This was an honest and humble response to the hopeless message of a bully. God’s message of encouragement is that ‘He’s got this’! He does not need defending. He can defend Himself in ways we cannot imagine. This does not mean that we should not recognize injustice, nor does it mean that we sit back and wait hopelessly. We can learn from Hezekiah, as he sought guidance from Isaiah the prophet, that we can be active in our pursuit of what we are to do next and where God wants us in the playbook.

This is displayed remarkably as Jesus responds to the trickery of the Pharisees. Jesus, who is God incarnate, needed no outside defense. His response not only answered their query but also silenced any other point in the matter. Then, with a 3-point shot at the buzzer, Jesus asked them a question that they were unable to answer. He’s got this! We may think, “game over”, but our merciful Savior, as both star and coach, next uses this opportunity to teach about His ridiculers’ outlandish acts of hypocrisy in demonstration of devotion to God.

While God needs no defense, He does expect our participation in the game. Jesus taught because we need to learn from God’s responses as well as from the bullies, tricksters, and hypocrites. We should ask ourselves where we fit in the story. Are we in the armchair, giving honor to God but trying to defend when He needs no defense? Are we in the game, but on the offense of hypocrisy, trying to find the loopholes in Jesus’ message? Are we participating and allowing Jesus to be the coach, calling the plays, making the star shots, and guiding us to the win?

* Primer contributed by Gaylyn Mott, Teacher, Musician, Yarn Artist, Member of Cornerstone Community Church