Delivered on September 8, 2024.
Bring a beach ball with words written on it
It’s my tradition after the prayer of the day to bring a message to all of God’s children. And I want to continue today talking about what we started last week – the Nicene Creed. We began two weeks ago thinking of the Nicene Creed as a rule – describing what we say about God and what we share in worship and with each other. It came out of a conversation a bunch of people had 1700 years ago about how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were united together. There was a time when someone thought that God the Father/Creator was on-top and with Jesus – and the Holy Spirit – below – like a ladder. But the supporters of the Creed said no – Jesus, the Father, the Holy SPirit – all are together because there’s no part of God that hasn’t experienced what our life is like. If you look at the Creed, you’ll notice it’s split into 3 parts – just like the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We talked last week about the first part – God as Creator. God is always active, creating, and being a part of our lives. Today we’ll focus on the second part this week which is all about Jesus by using this beachball.
But this beachball looks a bit different. What do you see? Words written on it. It’s got all kinds of words on it. We have the words – begotten. Incarnate. Scriptures. Glory. Judge. Light and more. These are all words that we’ll say, together, when we recite the 2nd part of the Nicene Creed. These are words we might know – and words we might. So it’s okay to ask and wonder what these words are.
So, for example, we have “begotten:” It’s a word that can mean brought forth – shows up – becomes real. In the creed, it doesn’t really mean born like we were born – but rather – shows how The Creator/ Jesus/ and the Holy Spirit are unique, different, but at the same level.
Incarnate – this means born. This is the christmas story. Jesus entered the world like we do. And had to grow up like we do. And discovered what it’s like to be vulnerable and to need others to provide what he needed. Growing up is hard work – and it requires a lot of support from the people around us.
Scriptures – is a fancy word for our Bible. It’s what we will read – words that God gives us to read, ponder, and dream how God is always with us.
Glory – an invitation of seeing Jesus’ power on full display – full of special effects – so that there is no doubt in our mind who Jesus is.
Judge – That Jesus – who is fully God but also fully human – who has experience the fullness of divinity and humanity and what that might mean – will be the One who will be given the authority to judge our actions, thoughts, experiences, and how we lived out God’s call to love and serve.
Light – an imagine of the divine. More than a physical form. Or a human form. Or an old man in the sky or a young guy with a beard. Jesus is everything – and a very human thing – all at the same time.
The 2nd part of the creed couldn’t put in all of Jesus’ life within it. But it focuses on Jesus being God. On Jesus choosing to be Human. On Jesus living our kind of life. And how even death won’t be what keeps us way from God’s love – and from our bonds to each other. We proclaim, confess, and trust that God knows what it’s like to be us – and that God promises to not let htis moment, this hurt, this joy, and all of this that might be hard – be the limit of what our full experience of God and Jesus will be.