Advent Day 20
I believe; help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24)
Generations ago, there was a big fight among Protestant Christians. Should worshipers recite any creeds during the worship service? (A creed is a written statement of religious belief.) Some thought the creeds were essential for helping everyone stay on track. Others thought that reciting a creed compromised their freedom.
I find that everyone has a personal creed, regardless of what kind of church service they attend. Over a lifetime, each of us develops, challenges, changes, and reinforces our beliefs.
So here’s a challenge for today: write a statement of faith.
Make your statement as long as you want. To get started, use these questions:
- What do you believe about God, Jesus,and the Holy Spirit?
- What happens after death?
- How we should live our lives?
- What is sin, what is forgiveness, and how do they relate to one another?
- Why do we have evil? Or why do we bother being good?
Look back over your statement from time to time.
- Has writing helped you make sense of anything?
- What “unbelief” do you still have?
- Does your statement of faith make sense? (For example, did you write in one place that people are basically good, and in another place that people are basically evil? You can say both, but you need to know why.)
- Compare your real life and real actions against the statement: are you practicing what you preach?
- Which needs to change: your beliefs or your actions? Or both?
Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA): http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/17/
Pastor2K 