Following on from recent thoughts on what we believe, I’ve often wondered what my own ‘creed’ would look like. I wholeheartedly endorse the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed quoted earlier, but sometimes it’s good to try and put into words things we don’t find easy to articulate. It can be good to ‘flesh out’ our beliefs, trying to find ways of expressing them in more modern language. Below is what I’ve come up with. It’s definitely not perfect and not as good as the creeds devised over centuries by eminent theologians! It doesn’t attempt to define the Trinity or understand God, but it does try to look at some of the issues that arise from our acceptance of the apostolic creeds.
“I believe
that God is firmly in control, so worry is a waste of time.
I believe
that there is merit in human effort, even though I don’t understand how this sits alongside divine works
I believe
that the laws of paradox and reversal are written into the universe by a divine hand and that mystery cannot be fathomed but has to be received by faith
I believe
that divine principles govern the world and that nature is not above God
I believe
that most people rarely glimpse the divine mystery that is God and that we need people who can articulate mystery to us
I believe
that worship is the proper response of people to God
I believe
that worship precedes action and must permeate all meaningful action
I believe
that belief must fuel action and inform life choices
I believe
that what we do in the furnace of life must be shaped in the quiet of intimacy
I believe
that there is more than the visible and material.”
What do you believe?