***Due to a power outage at the church, we were unable to record the sermon. Below is the sermon manuscript.***
Sermon by Vicar Mark Kranz
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The first part of Christian Doctrine is taught in the Ten Commandments. Here we find God's eternal will for the life of man. While the commandments teach us of God's essence and, dare I say, even provide comfort for the Christian who desires to follow God's will, even brief consideration of the commandments will lead anyone, Christian and unbeliever, to realize that they have not kept the commandments. In fact, it will be very apparent that you cannot keep the commandments perfectly. The sin born within you from the moment of conception renders you unworthy to stand before God. You cannot keep his commandments and therefore you deserve to be cast into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This is why the second part of Christian Doctrine is taught in the Apostles' Creed. Here, we are taught everything we must expect and receive from God. To put it another way, we are taught in the Apostles' Creed to know God fully. Knowing God fully helps us to do that which we ought to do according to the Ten Commandments.[1]
Tonight, we begin by examining the first article of the Creed:
I believe in God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
The Creed begins with two very interesting words, I believe. This would seem to be a contradiction to where I began, that the Creed reveals who God is and yet we begin with ourselves. Only the Church is able to confess the Creed. Certainly an unbeliever could say the words, but they cannot believe the words they might say. How is it that Christians are able to say "I believe" to any article of faith? Only through the Holy Spirit. When we say, "I believe," or any statement that begins "I [verb]," we mean to say, "because Christ has redeemed me, a creature of God fallen into sin, and sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within me, enlighten my mind, and kindle my heart, I believe."
Already, in these two words, "I believe," we are confessing the entire Trinity. The Father has created me, the Son redeemed me, and the Holy Spirit dwells within me that I might boldly confess who God is and what he has done for me.
The Creed continues, "I believe in God." We first confess there is a God, a being outside of ourselves and greater than we can imagine. St. Paul is making the same confession against the unbeliever, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Rom 1:18). If we only confessed that there is a God, somewhere out there, then his revelation within the world would tell us that he is angry. He is angry at humanity and seeks to judge mankind. This is apparent in creation and yet some deny it. They suppress the truth that is plain before their eyes.
That man dies is enough to see that God is angry with human beings. Yet the unbeliever tries to convince himself that death is simply a part of life, that without death there cannot be life. The more than 500 people who attended Bridgette's funeral know that death is not a part of life. Death is a painful separation. For the Christian, it is a blessed reunion with Christ, but it is still a separation from family and most simply, the body. In the resurrection, there will be no death but life will abound. Death is no more a part of life than darkness is a part of light.
Again, the Creed continues: "I believe in God, the Father." What comfort this sweet sentence gives! This being, greater than us, who is clearly angry with us, is also our Father. He shows love to those who love him, forgiving their sins to a thousand generations. He desires to hear and answer our prayers. The Father is not created, nor begotten, nor proceeds. He has chosen to reveal himself to us as a Father who disciplines his children, through calamity, adversity, cross, and trial; but also who loves his children such that he sacrificed his only begotten Son that he would have generations of adopted heirs. You are his children, beloved of the Most High!
That we call God, "Father," has another, very important implication. There can be no Father without the Son. Because we call God "Father," we already confess Christ. We are already confessing that as the Father is eternal, so the Son is eternal. Christ is eternally begotten of the Father such that there was never a time that God was not The Father, nor that Christ was not The Son. In God's very being, he is a loving Father who cares for his children.
"I believe in God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth." Not only do we have a God who is outside of ourselves, greater than any being we can imagine; not only is God eternally the Father who cares for and loves us; but God the Father is also the Almighty Creator. God stands outside of creation, outside of time and space; and from absolutely nothing, the cosmos came into being. At the Word of the Father, the world was made. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made (Rom. 1:20).
I once heard a joke that two scientists had discovered how to create life, independent of God. After the usual press tour, they called upon God to share their discovery. "God," they said, "we no longer need you. We can create life out of dirt on our own, so we have no use for you." God said, "Congratulations! Can I see?" So the scientists placed a pile of dirt on the table, ran electricity through it, added some water, and suddenly it began to move. God said, "Wow! Now get your own dirt."
St. Paul must have already heard this joke. He wrote, For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things (Rom 1:21-23).
When God rested on the Seventh Day, all of creation had been made, but God did not stop creating. Every moment of every day, God is creating the universe. He is creating and sustaining the whole cosmos at every second. If God were ever to cease his creation and provision, everything would blink out of existence. Why? Because every man, every bird, every mosquito, every thought, every action comes from God. Think of a campfire. Only the one standing outside the campfire can sustain the fire by providing airflow and wood. Anything inside of the fire is only consumed and eventually destroyed by the fire. It is the same with God and creation. He stands outside of creation and is then the only being capable of sustaining creation.
This idea of continuing creation is important because through it, we confess that God sustains a continuing relationship with his creation. God is an eternal being, outside of creation and vastly superior to it. He is our Father who loves us and desires our prayer. But he is also the creator who takes an active role in sustaining everything that is. God did not fall asleep after creation only to awaken on the Last Day. No, he is involved with every breath.
Many people like to say they have faith the sun will rise tomorrow or that they trust that tomorrow will come. For the Christian who confesses the Apostles' Creed, we know that tomorrow will only come if God wills it. If he does not will it, then as our heavenly Father he will draw all his dear children to himself. We also know that should our world end, should tragedy strike, God is eternal. Nothing can tear us away from him for he is greater than anything we can encounter.
Thus, we are bold to confess,
I believe in God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
[1] These two paragraphs are a summary of Large Catechism II 1-4.