Every Sunday we speak in unison the words of either the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed, with the three distinct segments in which we state “I believe in God the Father . . .”, “I believe in God the Son . . . “I believe in God the Holy Spirit.” Martin Luther titled these three segments the Articles of the Creed, and gives us explanation and definition of each article in the Small Catechism. My Confirmation classes included memorization of The Ten Commandments, The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s explanations of all. Although it sounds tedious in this day and age, our young minds apparently had room to learn and retain these foundational teachings. We drilled together, serving as tutors for one another. Fortunately, there were also interesting and engaging discussions of what Luther was saying in his explanations, and that’s where the real learning took place.
Portions of these explanations remain in my memory bank, and when recalling them, I am always struck by the clarity of these explanations and the way in which Luther was both eloquent and plain spoken. These timeless words are probably the best way to express ourselves when we speak about the gift of faith that has been given to us. On a Sunday morning when we join our voices, declaring our belief in God as creator of all that exists, of Jesus as God’s only son, both human and divine, and the Holy Spirit as guiding the church, the communion of saints, we bind ourselves together in a statement of belief, and therefore purpose.
“Mission statements” have been part of corporate operations for some time, and sounding both professional and knowledgeable along with some idealism is probably quite challenging. In the business world, most of us consider the “mission” as turning a profit and keeping the company solvent. Schools, organizations and other institutions frequently have some kind of statement of their purpose, their guiding principles, and/or the goals that are the reason for their existence.
As Lutheran Christians, our mission statement, our Creed, has been spoken by our ancestors in the faith for centuries and now in the 21st century, we share it with fellow believers around the world. How blessed we are to have been given this statement of belief in the Three Persons of God, and the amazing ways in which God cares for us and is revealed to us is a gift that we can share whenever someone says, “What do you believe?”
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers