I never regret time spent in worship. Sure, there are days when I arrive at church on a Saturday evening or a Sunday morning a little worn out from the week, but, as soon as the prelude begins, I feel a peace in my heart.
Presbyterians believe we should do all things decently and in order (I Corinthians 14:40, NRSV.) This applies to the way we govern the church, the way we interact with our neighbors, and the way we organize worship. The flow of the service begins a time of preparation to hear God’s Word (Call to Worship, the Prayer of Confession, and the Assurance of Pardon.) We progress to the pinnacle of the service as we read and proclaim God’s Word. The three-act structure concludes with the response (Offering, Holy Communion, and the Charge and Benediction.) It is a beautiful symphony, but we rarely listen closely enough to hear the service moving decently and in order.
One of the most overlooked portions of the response is our Affirmation of Faith. In our more honest moments, we will acknowledge saying the Apostles’ Creed more out of rote memory than meaningful conviction. I often fall into this trap, and I have to focus on the words to make sure they are coming from my heart as well as my mouth. This is one of the reasons we occasionally add different Affirmations of Faith from the Book of Confessions.
I’ve thought a lot about one such confession recently, the Theological Declaration of Barman. It is not as familiar as the Apostles’ Creed, but I believe it speaks much truth to our world today. In 1934, a group of committed Christians challenged the fallacy that the German church should be subservient to the Nazi party. Further, they confronted the coopting of political rhetoric into the church that contradicted the Christian gospel. Some of these men would go to jails, concentration camps, and the gas chamber for living out the principles.
“As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with the same seriousness is he also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures. We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords— areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him.” (The Theological Declaration of Barmen, 8.14-8.15)
Stated another way, Jesus Christ demands our entire allegiance, and we must reject any power (economic, social, or political) that claims authority over the gospel. During worship, we act with our confessions. As we go out into the world, we confess with our actions. May the world see your love for God by the way you love all of your neighbors.
In Hope and Confidence,
Pastor Dave
