Sunday's Message - I BELIEVE in...the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,

During the sermon series I Believe: Exploring the Apostle's Creed, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church is using The Apostles Creed to discuss some basic Christian beliefs. We’ll also take those beliefs and apply them to our daily living. This includes talking about why they're important and how they might shape our thoughts, feelings and faith. Below are the topics we'll cover:

• August 10 - I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
• August 17 - I BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
• August 24 - I BELIEVE in Jesus Christ,...who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
• August 31 - I BELIEVE...he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
• September 7 - I BELIEVE...he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead.
• September 14 - I BELIEVE...he ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
• September 21 - I BELIEVE...from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
• September 28 - I BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit,
• October 5 - I BELIEVE in...the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,
• October 12 - I BELIEVE in...the forgiveness of sins,
• October 19 - I BELIEVE in...the resurrection of the body,
• October 26 - I BELIEVE in...and the life everlasting. Amen.

On Sunday, October 5, we continued this series by looking at the meaning and significance of saying, "I BELIEVE in...the holy catholic church, the communion of saints." Below is the text and a video presentation of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

As y’all know, today is World Communion Sunday, the one day each year when we can focus on how Christians all over the world can, if they want to, aside their differences so that we can all gather around the Lord’s table to break the bread and share the cup. Of course, for us in Western Pennsylvania, this day is particularly meaningful, because it really got its start at Pittsburgh’s Shadyside Presbyterian Church in 1933. You see, it was intended to bring churches and Christians together and to focus on the one who unites us rather than all the little details that pull us apart. Now, it was adopted by the whole Presbyterian Church in 1936 and became more widespread during the Second World War. And now it’s officially recognized by a whole bunch of Protestant denominations, including Presbyterians and Methodists, the United Church of Christ and many Baptist congregations. Of course, for those of us who recognize this Sunday in a special way, well, the unity celebrated on this day extends beyond and encompasses more than just those groups that have it on their official church calendars. 

And I’ll tell you, because this is kind of a special day, that’s why I think it’s more than appropriate that we’re focusing on the ninth affirmation in The Apostle’s Creed: I BELIEVE in...the holy catholic church, the communion of saints. Of course, to this point, we’ve already talked about the following, and as we’ve done the last few weeks, let’s say this together:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, 

Now that’s what we’ve covered so far.

And as I said just a minute ago, on this World Communion Sunday, we’re going to continue our exploration by talking about what it means to say, “I BELIEVE in...the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,” something that, frankly, I think is particularly important to affirm, given all the divisions we see cropping up all over the place now-a-days. In other words, in the face of all those forces and voices that are trying their hardest to split us apart, you know, into these little tribal groups, this morning we’re going to focus on the three characteristics that can and should make the church an example of unity to the rest of the world. 

And like I said, I think we can get a pretty idea about what the church is called to be by looking at this statement. For example, according to The Apostle’s Creed, the church is holy. In other words, it’s been set apart by God for a special purpose. You see, that’s what the word “holy” means. And I think we can get a pretty good idea about what that’s all about by listening to what Peter wrote in his first letter. You see, “to God’s people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” [1 Peter 1:1b, CEV] Peter said, 

But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done. The Scriptures say,

“Once you were nobody.

    Now you are God’s people.

At one time no one

    had mercy on you.

Now God has treated you

    with kindness.”

Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you. Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do. [1 Peter 2:9-12, CEV]

Now that’s what Peter wrote. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something important for us to remember. You see, for reasons that we might never fully understand, God called this fellowship out of the darkness and brought it into the light. I mean, he took a bunch of nobodies and shaped them into a holy nation. And by doing this, he made folks who were generally pretty comfortable living within the world, and I’m talking about men and women who shared the world’s perspective and who accepted the world’s values, he took those people and made them foreigners in their own land and strangers in their own home. You see, that’s what God did for all those whom he called into this body.

And because of that, I think it’s really important for us to recognize that we, as an assembly, man, we really are different from the world. I mean, we’re not some kind of fraternal organization that’s out to recruit as many members as we can and that’s willing to say or do whatever works. And we’re not some kind of business that measures success by the bottom line and the net profit and our disposable income. And we’re certainly not some kind of political organization that just mouths the party line and that has values flexible enough to accommodate shifting policy concerns and that blindly support candidates regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. That’s not who we are. Instead, our focus must be on the one who set us apart in the first place, the one who took us out of the world, sometimes kicking and screaming, and gave us a new perspective and a new set of values and a new message to share. You see, unlike organizations and businesses and parties, we can view everyone we meet as person loved by God, and we can be guided by grace and compassion and mercy, and we can demonstrate through our words and our work that we’re willing to love others just as we’ve been loved ourselves even if that doesn’t gain us members and even it that may hurt our bottom line and even if that may put us at odds with our political leaders, whichever party you’re talking about. As a matter of fact, this is what we’ve been called to do, because, as it says in the creed, first, the church is holy.

And second, the church is also catholic. Of course, using this word makes some Protestants kind of nervous, and that’s why, in some churches who say the creed during their worship services, the word “Christian” is used instead of “catholic.” I mean, we’re not catholic, right? Well, brace yourselves, we really are. Now, we’re not Roman Catholic, but because the word “catholic” actually means “universal,” we are part of the universal body of Christ. In other words, we’re not limited to one place at one time. And I think that may have been what the Apostle Paul was getting at when he wrote this to the Ephesians:

I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven. There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well. God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. The church is the body of Christ and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything. [Ephesians 1:19-23, CEV]

You see, not only has God set us apart for a particular purpose, he’s also put us in a community that actually transcends both space and time. It always has and always will. It’s like a minister told me years ago when I was pretty discouraged about the future of the church, imagine that. He said that no matter what we do, the church will always exist, because it’s grounded in God and not in us. Of course, it may look a little different as we evolve. And it may seem to be struggling from time-to-time. And it may even appear to be on its last leg, you know, to be more like a tiny flicker rather than an enormous flame. But in the end, it can’t be defeated. It will always exist.

And I’ll tell you, that’s something else I think we need to remember, especially when we’re discouraged and distracted by all the differences and divisions within Christianity and all the fears and frustrations that crop up whenever we try to bring churches closer together. You see, it sure seems like churches and congregations are more interested in dividing than in coming together. For example, there’s an old joke about a man who drives into this little, bitty town and asks the guy at the gas station, “ Is there a church around here?” The attendant says, “Yep, we’ve got three. We had two, but they merged.” I’ll tell you, people, including Christians, will always find reasons to divide and try to convert one another to their particular brand and if they fail, to call one another names and in general, act silly. But trust me, despite our best efforts, the Body of Christ will continue, because, as it says in the creed, second, the church is catholic. 

And third, the church is communal, which means that, even though it’s been set apart and it extends all over the world, it’s still made up of people like you and me, and I’m talking about individuals who are doing the best they can to live in the kind of community that reflects both God’s word and will. And since the Book of Acts really deals with the early history of the church, Luke spent a lot of time and space describing what this community looked like. For example, right after they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, this is how he described the church:

They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread and prayed together.

Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked. All the Lord’s followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever was in need. Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved. [Acts 2:42-47, CEV]

Now that’s what Luke wrote, and I think that really says a lot about who we are. I mean, when you look at the whole church, we really are a collection of individuals, who come from different backgrounds and who speak different languages and who share different cultures and who possess different skills. Now that’s what we are. And yet, we’re also a fellowship of believers, men and women who have not only been found and touched by God in a special way, but who have also made a decision, a decision to trust and to follow and to love. And along with that, we’re also a community of workers, and I’m talking about laborers that God has sent into his field to scatter the seed and to reflect the light and to bear witness to the way and the truth and the life. You see, this is why we’re here.

And again, I think that’s something else we really need to remember, because I’m telling you, God didn’t call us to be lone wolves, who care far more for ourselves than the one who forged a bunch of sinners into his own people. Instead, I think he called us to come together, with all our differences to get his job done. You see, we’re here to reach out to the world that surrounds us so that their needs might be met and their fears might be eased and their hope might be focused. That’s why we’re here. But I’ll tell you, in my opinion, that’s not the only reason, because we’re also here to care for one another as described in Acts almost two thousand years ago, and I’m talking about a place where brothers and sisters can learn and pray and share. You see, right here and right now, God’s given us this opportunity, because, as it says in the creed, the church is communal. 

Now, in just a few minutes, we’re going to do something else Luke said the church did. You see, we’re going to break the bread together in this place God has given us to meet. And since we’ll be doing it with a focus on how all Christians express their faith in the very same way, I think we’ll be celebrating what the church is really all about. You see, as we eat the bread and drink from the cup on this World Communion Sunday, we’ll be affirming that the church really is holy, you know, set apart; and that the church really is catholic, in other words, universal in its scope and presence; and that the church really is communal, with individuals working together and supporting one another, because that’s exactly what God wants us to do. In other words, when we gather around the Lord’s Table, we’ll be affirming who we are, when we say “I BELIEVE in...the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,”