Bishop Eric Menees
In our examination of the service of Holy Eucharist in the
2019 Book of Common Prayer last week, we looked at the role of the Sermon in
the service.
This week we examine our response to the sermon – the Nicene
Creed. This is how it is presented in the prayer book. Note the red lettering.
These are “Rubrics” or directions to those leading the worship as well as the
participants. According to the dictionary, a rubric is: “ru·bric … a heading on
a document. 2. a direction in a liturgical book as to how a church service
should be conducted. 3. a statement of purpose or function.”
The Nicene Creed
On Sundays, other Major Feast Days, and other
times as appointed, all stand to recite the Nicene Creed, the Celebrant first
saying
Let us confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the
Almighty,
maker of heaven
and earth,
of all that is,
visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten
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
from the Holy Spirit and 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],
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.
The phrase “and the Son” (Latin filioque) is not in the
original Greek text. See the resolution of the College of Bishops concerning
the filioque in Documentary Foundations.
We respond to the preaching of the Word of God with our
confession of faith. Our confession of faith is a proclamation of our identity.
At best, this is seen as an oddity by the world around us and, at worst, it is
seen by the world as threatening. This is because the world is constantly
encouraging the individual to define themselves based upon their own terms and
not a common faith and understanding of who we are as creatures of God!
The Nicene Creed was established in the fourth century at
the Council of Nicaea and built upon the Apostles Creed, which dated back one
hundred years previous. The Creed bound the people of God together as the
Church-catholic in a common understanding of who God is and who we are as His
creatures. Prior to the Emperor Constantine’s conversion, this statement of
faith was very threatening to the Roman Empire because it bound people of many
different languages, tribes, and nations together in a way that the Roman
Emperor was never able to accomplish.
The Nicene Creed is grounded in the biblical narrative and,
for this reason, in some denominations the creed is becoming increasingly
optional because they are unable to affirm the truth of the biblical story.
Thanks be to God for the gift of the Creed and the unity it
brings to Christians across the denominational spectrum.
I pray that your worship on the third Sunday of Advent is
especially blessed.
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