The Creed

I love the Apostle’s Creed. Some of that love is theological; it is the summation of the faith, accessible to and for all people. But part of the love is personal. When I was making my way to faith, I was in the Methodist Church in Greensboro, AL. I had been hunting with a friend, and when you were at his house, you went to church. Well, there in the sanctuary, behind the choir loft, was the Apostles Creed, carved into wood. From the Catholic services I attended as a child, I could remember the words of the Nicene Creed, similar to the Apostle’s Creed. So there was a point of connection. Maybe it’s part of why I became a Methodist?

And now there is something else: Melissa was adamant that her funeral would be a worship service, and that specifically the Apostles’ Creed had to be part of it. And now, the Creed rolls around in our worship service, and I think of Melissa. Not a bad thing, because the Creed remembers Jesus’ life and death. There is an element of spiritual growth in this; Can I mourn for Jesus’ death, and think joyfully of His Resurrection, and be continually convinced of that in Him for Melissa? What I feel for her is as properly referred to Him—what I feel for her is because of Him.

And then there is this humorous moment. Melissa McDonald was telling me that a fellow known to the church came in, “maybe 6 hours sober,” Melissa said. When it came to the Creed where we confess faith in the “holy catholic church,” he couldn’t quite get his mind around it and said, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy METHODIST Church…” For a few weeks there were a few people adding this in.

Before you worry too much about such a change to the ancient formula, let’s all remember that the word Methodist comes from two Greek words, “meta” and “hodos,” meaning something like “having a way.” We do have a way, the Way, the Truth and the Life! So our confused brother was not too far off the mark…

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