Monday, February 27: Asking the Questions
What do we mean we when say "We Believe?"
Do you believe in ghosts? . . . Do you believe in unicorns? . . . Do you believe in UFOs and Extra-Terrestrial beings? . . . Do you believe in one God?
Is that last question, the same kind of question as the previous three??? If we think that’s what the Nicene Creed is trying to address, we’ve got ourselves a serious problem.
Those first three questions can all be restated as “Do you think that ‘X’ exists?” Answering any of those speculative questions changes absolutely nothing in our lives – and the same is true with the question, “Do you think that God exists?” The 2022 Gallup Religion Poll indicates that 81% of people in the U.S. think that is true, whereas only 46% view religion as something important in their lives. Merely thinking that God exists
doesn’t necessarily have a lot of impact on people’s lives.
Our word “CREED” comes from the Latin word, CREDO, which in turn comes from the Latin word for “heart,” recognized in such English words as “CARDIAC.” Although the word “CREDO” is often translated, “I believe in,” it more literally means, “I give my heart to.” The Nicene Creed is NOT dealing with the purely intellectual issue of whether God exists. Rather, when we say, “We believe in one God,” we are “giving our hearts” to God, committing ourselves to relationship with God, so that God can transform and shape our lives.
Let’s deepen that faith relationship this Lent and be transformed!
Denny Clark is the is our Parish Theologian at St. Thomas and the author of today's Lenten Reflection. The picture (right) is Denny on a recent adventure at Tank Beach in Saipan. We're glad Denny is back closer to our time zone and look forward to his leadership and reflections throughout Lent in our Journey Groups. To sign up for a Journey Group, click here. To email Denny click here. Let us know if you find out his thoughts on unicorns!
