Today’s reflection comes from Gary James, the Director of Music at St. Paul’s, Seattle.
What I Believe about What We Believe
We believe in one God. So begins the Nicene Creed, which we sing nearly every Sunday, and which was written at the first Council of Nicea in the year 325, making this creed 1700 years old this year. This Council was convened in representation of all Christendom to wrestle with Christological issues: who is the Christ and what is his divine nature, and how does he relate to God the Father? It is therefore not surprising that the longest section of the Creed is the one dealing with Jesus Christ.
The Creed tells us that he came down from heaven and became a human being. That he was tortured on a cross, died, and was buried. It does not tell us that he healed the broken in body, in heart, or in spirit. It does not tell us of his teaching to gatherings large and small. It does not tell us about his activities. It only defines for us his nature, true God from true God, eternally begotten of the Father, Light from Light. For us. For us he came down from heaven.
This Creed of ours is more than a statement of faith. It is a love song. For us and for our salvation, true God from true God came down from heaven and became human and was tortured to death on a cross. This is a love song, for us and for our salvation. This is God's love song for us, and when we sing it, it becomes our love song for God. So let us lift up our hearts, let us fill our lungs and shape our phrases and sing them through to the end. For this is our love song: let us sing it with love!