"Do
we have to recite the Apostles' Creed when we baptize?" That question
comes on a regular basis, almost always from a saint who actively
participates in our ministries but has trouble with one or more of the
statements in the creed. I share that struggle and take nearly every
word of the Apostles' Creed metaphorically, not literally.
Why do we recite the
Apostles Creed? Our constitution requires it. For us baptism involves
not only God, but also a Session, a baptisand (and, for infants, a
parent or guardian), a Teaching Elder, and the congregation. Our Book of
Order states responsibilities for the humans involved. The congregation
has three. We must profess our faith, using the Apostles' Creed, voice
support of those baptized, and express willingness to take
responsibility for the nurture of those baptized.
Why insist on the
Apostles Creed? There are others. Why not use one of them? Why use a
creed at all? What does a creed add to baptism?
A creed reminds us
that we believe baptism takes a community. Our tradition allows private
baptisms only under unusual circumstances and emergencies. A creed
reminds us that we stand on a foundation provided by other Christians
and that we prepare a foundation on which subsequent believers will
build. A creed also reminds us that we believe God is the most active
presence in baptism. We prepare and make promises, but God makes us
Christian by water and the Spirit.
We have many creeds,
but some of us probably wrestle with at least a portion of all of them.
The Apostles' Creed points to our shared history. The earliest form of
the Apostles' Creed was written late in the second century CE to affirm,
in part, that the God whom Jesus called Father is also the God of
Hebrew Scriptures. Candidates for baptism recited this creed when asked
what they believe. In the third century, after many Christians had
denied their faith when persecuted, the church pastorally added the
sentence, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins." Two centuries later,
after some doubted that everyone who professed faith in Jesus truly
belonged to the church, the church added two adjectives to describe the
church: "holy," designating that believers belong to God, and
"catholic," indicating that the church is universal, unbound by time and
place. From that time until today a significant portion of the holy and
catholic church has recited the Apostles' Creed during baptism.
On
Confirmation Sunday I noted that "creed" comes from a root that means
"I give my heart to." With the Apostles' Creed we claim that we give our
heart to the God revealed in scripture, to the ministry of the Jesus,
to the Spirit, and to all the saints connected with them. That's quite a
claim. I find it inspiring that so many of our saints wrestle with the
words when we recite them. That means they take seriously what those
words ask of them and say about them. Surely something good comes from
that.
Will we still stand
and recite the Apostles' Creed in 2112? That's more than I can answer.
I'm content to use what we have until God leads us to better words.
Heard any lately?
Grace and Peace,
LP
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