Over Christmas I attended a Christmas Eve service with my three favorite ladies: my Mom, Heather and Alora. It was Alora’s first Christmas Eve service and although it was to long for the number of children present it was nice to see the other side of the coin in terms of Church Styles. My parents attend St. Johns Lutheran Church which it liturgical in style, meaning the services varies little outside of the sermon and hymns. They use the same responsive readings, confession and creeds every week. For the most part it is not for me but I do enjoy the rich history that accompanies it. It is wondrous to know that when I recite the apostle’s creed I am not only in tune with those believers I am speaking with, but with thousands of believers over almost two millennium. I asked my wife if she ever recited the creeds, but growing up purely Pentecostal I knew the answer before she gave it. In the Pentecostal and more modern Evangelical Protestant movement we tried so hard to rebel against the “tradition” of our Catholic and liturgical brethren we have swung to far to the other side of the spectrum and almost forgotten those core things that hold all denominations of Christianity together, such as the creeds and catechisms.
This is the Apostle’s Creed and it is my creed as well…

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe 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;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Keep in mind that catholic with a small c means universal and doesn’t reference the Roman Catholic Church, for those of you who would get hung up on such a thing. There are beautiful things in our history that bind us together as brethren and we would do well not to forget them.