In Praise of God

Christmas 2009 - Carnesville GA

December 17th, 2010 

Lectionary Reading: Isaiah 43:1-13

Hymns of the Day:  The Apostle's Creed - (Author Unknown)

Based on I Corinthians 15:3-22

"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.  Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.  For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet, not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Now, if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up - if, in fact, the dead do not rise.  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pittiable. 

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."  (NKJV)

I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth, 

And in Jesus Christ our Savior, God's own Son or matchless worth;

Laid aside His heavenly glory, by the Holy Ghost conceived,

Born unto the Virgin Mary, He in whom I have believed.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified for me, He died;

Laid within the grave so silent, gates of Hell He opened wide.

And the stone-sealed tomb was empty, on the third day He arose; 

Into heaven made His entry, Mighty Conqueror of His foes.
(author unknown)

Hymns of the Day:   Doxology and Gloria Patri

(Based on: Psalm 86:12)

"I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

and I will glorify your name forevermore."

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen ~

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, 

Is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen ~ 

Meditation

"In Praise of God" 

The Apostle's Creed  hymn is sung to a familiar tune (Franz Joseph Haydn's Austrian Hymn) but it is not often used in our hymnals today. It is based on I Corinthians 15:3-22, one of the earliest recorded summaries of apostolic teaching about the heart and soul of the Christian faith.  Paul, in this scripture passage, becomes a messenger revealing those things that have been revealed to him so he could pass along to others of his day, and onto us in our day. 

These things about life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ are really important "things".  We learn about our own sins and their being the cause for which Jesus came and eventually gave His life on the cross.  They are things we need to know and to take to heart!

In early verses (3 and 4) we read about how Paul spoke to us first of everything that HE had received, chiefly that Christ died for our sins and this according to prophecy in scripture - that He was buried and that He rose from the dead on the third day.  

This scripture should serve to remind us of those who have passed the Gospel on to US . . . pastors, teachers, preachers, ministers, prophets, evangelists, choir directors, etc. - - - throughout the ages.  Here we find facts of very important significance to us:  things like "Christ died for MY sins.  He died a very real and human death.  He was buried and His followers and friends were devastated thinking all was lost!  Suddenly, He appears to Mary in the Garden and is alive again - raised from the dead!!  Notice these truths as you read the words of the hymn printed above. Sing them - post them on your fridge - in your car - your purse or wallet - become familiar with them. Take in the words . . . live them . . . love them . . . believe them . . . share them.

The hymn is a paraphrase of our Apostle's Creed, and was written anonymously as far as anyone has been able to discern.  The Apostle's Creed is THE most frequently and widely used statement of Christian belief.  The Creed itself is derived from  the Old Roman Creed of the second century AD as a "question and answer" form of teaching.  It was used to prepare new Christians for baptism.  


I had a personal experience with the Apostle's Creed as I was preparing for my own confirmation back in 1956.   The associate to my Pastor at  Grace United Methodist Church came to my house with an English Walnut that had this long piece of ribbon inside - it was a number of different colors of ribbon, each piece representing a phrase of the Creed, and I learned it that way. 

The teaching of Martin Luther tell us that it was his belief that the Apostle's Creed combined with the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments contained all of the essential teachings in the Bible.  We can, and do, believe MORE than the Creed and Prayer and Laws, but never "less".   

Both of these hymns we use regularly in worship - The Doxology and the Gloria Patri are both doxologies.  The use of them (and there are MANY of them) dates back to early synagogues.  The Gloria Patri is known as the "lesser doxology", the more complete work from which it comes being found in a hymn based on the song sung by the angels when Christ was born - "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" (Glory to God in the Highest!)  

Prayer ~  Dear Father, we thank You for those who have gone before us who have left us a rich heritage of hymns that we may use in our worship to praise You and to give thanks to You for Your great love, mercy and grace toward your children.  We confess that we sometimes speak the words of our Apostle's Creed, and sing the words of the Gloria Patri and the Doxology in a rather perfunctory manner, not pausing to think and meditate on the importance of what these words say to us and about our faith.  


Forgive us when we do so, and increase our awareness of just what it means to say, "I believe in God the Father, Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord . . . " and to sing, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost . . . "  and  "Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow . . . ".   We acknowledge that it is from You that we receive everything we have, and that it is You to whom all praise and glory belong.  We make our prayer in the name of Jesus.  Amen ~

Activity - Make up your own Gloria Patri or Doxology or other song of praise to the Trinity.  With which person of the Trinity do you most frequently relate?  Many of our hymns contain a form of the Gloria Patri  or Doxology.  Notice them, and use what you notice when you write your own.