“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” —J.S. Bach

Bach wrote the initials SDG on all his music manuscripts (Soli Deo Gloria, “To God alone be glory”). He knew what it was to give God all the glory and how to honour God with everything he did.

We visited Lincoln on Monday and I was struck again by the sheer magnificence of the cathedral there, an architectural reflection of this principle that God is worth everything and deserves our very best. To think that these buildings were crafted by stonemasons without all the machinery and technology we take for granted today is amazing.







In the cathedral, instead of the usual ‘stations of the cross’, an artist had made the ‘stations of the forest’, carved from wood. Using wood in an imaginative and innovative way, William Fairbank has created an astonishing set of wood panels involving intricate carving, inlay and juxtaposition of different woods to create a narrative of the journey Jesus makes to the Cross and Resurrection. The picture below is the final carving, symbolising light, illumination, insight and glory.

The Westminster Catechism (another type of creed, intended to help people understand the basics of the Christian faith) says that ‘the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ Whether through music, art or architecture, or any other medium you can think of, God alone deserves all the glory.

‘To God Alone’ (Aaron Shust):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfZMKfu86z0

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?

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

Bible studies in Romans will resume in September, but in the meantime, I have been thinking about this verse quite a lot. Here it is in some other versions:

“Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.” (The Message)

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (KJV)

“So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” (NLT)

The first thing that strikes me is that we have to hear, but hearing involves listening if we are to truly hear. We’ve all heard of ‘selective hearing’, particularly in teenage children, when it seems they only hear what they want to hear and ‘tune out’ all the mundane stuff (usually connected with chores!) Listening is a far harder thing to do than we often acknowledge.

The second thing that strikes me is the connection between faith and the word of God. Faith can sometimes seem an abstract thing. Have I got it? Have I got ‘enough’? What kind of faith do I have? We feel like the father in Mark 9:24 who said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

If there is this solid connection between faith and the word of God, though, it stands to reason that the more time we spend absorbing God’s word, the more opportunity our faith will have to grow. At the risk of boring all those who haven’t yet heard Aaron Shust’s new album ‘This Is What We Believe’, one thing I love about this songwriter is the way he gives Scripture references for just about every line he writes! To me, that is encouraging. It’s another way of absorbing Scripture, another way of building myself up with the word of God and therefore creating the atmosphere in which faith, not doubt, can flourish. As he says in ‘My Hope is in You’, ‘I meet with You and my soul sings out/ As Your word throws doubt away’ (referencing Ps 56:3-4 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and am not afraid.”)The title song on the album is all about the names and work of Christ, focussing on Jesus. One song is a meditation on John 3:16. As I listen to such things, I am absorbing God’s word and therefore putting myself in a place where faith can come, grow and mature.

Jesus said that where our treasure is is the place where our hearts will be. (Matt 6:21) It’s where we will want to be. Let’s allow God’s word to become our treasure so that our hearts are built up in faith as we meditate on all God is and has done.

Mark preached last night on how Jesus used His eyes, ears and mouth. We began by looking at different artistic impressions of the face of Jesus, a few of which are shown below:











Eyes to see

In John 6:5, Jesus looked up and saw the great crowd coming. He saw the need of the people and met it (by feeding their hunger). Do we see people’s needs?

In Matt 14:14, Jesus saw a great crowd and was moved with compassion. This time, the need was for healing and He healed them.

In Matt 9:2, Jesus saw the faith of the friends who brought a man needing healing to Jesus. What do we see when we look at people?

In Luke 19:1-5, Jesus looked up and saw Zaccheaus. He befriended him and offered him the opportunity to change his life. Do we judge people and condemn them when we see them, or do we offer them friendship and allow them to reach the potential God has put in them?

In John 17:1, Jesus looked up to heaven. His eyes were always fixed on God. Do we look to God for direction?

Mouth to speak

The use of words is always very powerful. Jesus (in Luke 9:1) used words to call disciples. The words he used had power and authority which he conferred on the disciples.

In Mark 4:2, Jesus used words to teach people.

In Luke 9:42, He used words to rebuke an unclean spirit.

In Luke 4: 4, 8, 12,18, Jesus used the word of God to resist temptation.

In John 6:11, Jesus gave thanks to God.

In Luke 11:1-4, He used words to pray.

When we open our mouths, what comes out? Do we speak words of wisdom, authority, thanks, prayer and encouragement or do we speak ‘utter drivel’, discouragement and condemnation?

Ears to hear

In Matt 8:10, Jesus heard the centurion’s words and recognised from these words his faith. He listened to what the man was saying. Listening is a very important skill.

In Matt 20:29-34, Jesus heard the blind men calling Him and He responded to that call by healing them.

In Matt 4:1, Jesus heard the voice of the Spirit calling Him into the wilderness. He always listened for the voice of God. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, He heard God speaking and recognised that He needed to submit to God’s will.

What do our eyes see? What do our ears hear? What do our mouths say? Let’s be led by the Spirit so that we see, say and hear the right things, led as always by the example of Jesus.

Aaron Shust, one of my favourite Christian songwriters, has just released an album called ‘This is What We Believe’.The title has made me consider yet again exactly what we do believe.

(If you want to know more about the album and the trying circumstances concerning his son’s health which gave inspiration to many of the songs, you can listen to the interview about this here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pezD7TPtAWw)

In Anglican churches, the Apostles’ Creed is recited most weeks by congregations:

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

1l. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

This is the classic summary of the Christian faith, the ‘bare bones’ of what we believe.Graham Kendrick has put it to music in his song, ‘We Believe’, which you can listen to here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iADJlSXDYbw

If you’re interested in the history of the different creeds which have grown up over time, including the Nicene Creed or the Creed of Chalcedon and how these show us how our basic doctrines were described and expounded, Gerald Bray has written a classic called ‘Creeds, Councils and Christ’ which is a fascinating account of this.

Most churches also have a ‘statement of beliefs’ or ‘statement of faith’ which expands on the Apostles’ Creed. Ours says:

“The doctrinal basis of the Church shall be founded on Scripture and shall include belief in:

• One God, the Sovereign Creator of the Universe, who has revealed Himself in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• The complete humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, atoning and substitutionary death for all men as the only means of salvation, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the Father, and His personal return.

• Repentance for sin and the acceptance by faith of Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, and the consequent obligation upon all believers to present this gospel of the mercy of God to all people.

• The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth, His indwelling and baptising the believer, and the validity and exercise of His gifts today.

• The Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God, the final authority in all matters of faith, conduct, and church order.

• The guilt and depravity of man by consequence of the Fall, rendering him subject to the wrath and condemnation of God, who is Holy and Just.

• The Baptism by immersion of all believers and the regular observance by believers of the Lord’s Supper.”

Belief can never just be head knowledge, however. As Rich Mullins says in his song ‘Creed’ (the word ‘creed’ comes from the Latin ‘credo’ which means ‘I believe’),

“And I believe what I believe

Is what makes me what I am

I did not make it, no, it is making me

It is the very truth of God and not

The invention of any man”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LR2hFP1yb4

What we believe is, indeed, absolutely crucial to who we are, to the decisions we take every day, to how we live our everyday lives. We need to know what we believe, for it will surely be tested in difficult times. But in those times we can find, as Aaron Shust has, that there is hope and peace that passes understanding:

“My hope is in You, Lord, all the day long

I won’t be shaken by drought or storm.” (Aaron Shust, ‘My Hope is in You’)

http://www.youtube.com/user/aaronshustube

This morning we looked at some of the age-old questions to do with suffering, justice and God’s ways discussed in the book of Habakkuk. One of the minor prophets, we know little about Habakkuk himself, but the questions he asks of God echo through the ages. Where is God when suffering seems to abound? Why is there such injustice in the world? What is God going to do about such things?

Habakkuk’s raw honesty shows us that we can approach God with our questions, no matter what they are – but we have to be prepared to be taken-aback by His answers! Israel at this time was suffering greatly, but that suffering was exacerbated in Habakkuk’s eyes by the fact that a godless nation, the Babylonians, were the ones doing the punishing. Bad enough that society had broken down and injustice and wrongdoing were everywhere. But how could God be serious in saying that He would use the Babylonians as agents of His wrath?

“God, you chose Babylonians for your judgment work?

Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline?

But you can’t be serious!

You can’t condone evil!

So why don’t you do something about this?

Why are you silent now?

This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous

and you stand around and watch!” (Hab 1:12-13)

So often, we complain ‘It’s not fair!’ and want God to bring justice into play. But God reminds Habakkuk in chapter 2 that the problem of sin affects everyone. What we really need is mercy, for if it were not for God’s mercy, we would all be condemned, damned, eternally separated from God. We are all able to approach a holy God only because of the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. Without God’s grace and mercy, we would not be here at all.

Habakkuk 2 talks about ‘the righteous shall live by faith’ – key verses which Paul will go on to expound in Romans and in much of the New Testament. And God, in His answers, shows us that His ways are far beyond our understanding (Is 55:8-9). God doesn’t always give us answers to our questions – and sometimes, as with Job, even when we do get answers, we don’t fully understand them! What He does give us, however, is Himself.

Habakkuk is awed as he realises who God is. And the journey he has made is the same journey we must make: we come first of all to God with all our questions, all our confusion, all our frustration and all our pain. We hide nothing from Him – what’s the point? He knows our every thought even before it makes its way to our mouths! But as we listen to His answers, we will come to recognise that what we really need is not just justice, but mercy. We come to the cross and there we find ‘mercy there was great and grace was free/ pardon there was multiplied to me’. We are ‘stopped in our tracks, down on our knees’, like Habakkuk, for we see not only God’s power and might, but we find in Him grace and mercy. And somehow, in ways we can’t fully understand or explain, we receive new strength and hope.

What does steady, loyal, believing faith actually look like? I think Habakkuk summarises this for us in Hab 3:16-18:

“I heard and my heart pounded,

my lips quivered at the sound;

decay crept into my bones,

and my legs trembled.

Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity

to come on the nation invading us.

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will be joyful in God my Saviour. (Hab 3:16-18)

This is the ‘even if’ faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego which will not waver, even if there is no visible evidence of God. It’s the faith that will bless God’s name ‘when the sun’s shining down on me’ but also ‘on the road marked with suffering/ though there’s pain in the offering’ (Matt Redman, ‘Blessed Be Your Name’). We are not called to understand God. We are not called to like what He does. We are not called to demand fairness. Instead, we are offered grace and mercy and love and are called to worship God, as Job did, whether God gives or takes away. We are called to say ‘blessed be Your name’ in all circumstances, ‘always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Eph 5:20) because we know that God is in control. Habakkuk ends by saying ‘Counting on God’s rule to prevail I take heart and gain strength’ (Hab 3:19). If we do this, we will have feet like a deer and be able to go on the mountain heights.