Don't let the opening screen of the video above scare you away.... As we explore the first article of the Apostles' Creed in our "Apostles in August" preaching series- allow for some of the wild, wonderful and goofy. God created you.. and me and all of us in God's image.
When we profess, " I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth." it is the totality of creation, the seen and unseen, the known and the unknown, us and the hippopotamus that we trust God has brought to life. In Martin Luther's Small Catechism this is the explanation he provides when answering the question, "what does this mean?":
I believe that God has created me together with all that exists. God has given me and still
preserves my body and soul: eyes, ears, and all limbs and senses; reason and all mental faculties. In addition, God daily and abundantly provides shoes and clothing, food and drink, house and farm, spouse and children, fields, livestock, and all property; along with all the necessities and nourishment for this body and life. God protects me against all danger and shields and preserves me from all evil. And all this is done out of pure, fatherly, and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness of mine at all! For all of this I owe it to God to thank and praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true.
As we explore not only what we profess and believe, what we say - we have opportunities to live out these beliefs. So here is an invitation to you this week:
Find some time to step out into the beauty of God's amazing creation and be curious- opening your eyes, ears, heart and mind to see the "wonders of creation".
Offer up a prayer of gratitude for what which you see, hear, feel, taste, or touch and consider that the very One who has created "that" has also created you.
Share the above- with a friend, in a note to someone else, in a comment at the bottom of this post, on social media.... the options are many.
Here is a link to the song, For the Fruit of All Creation. If you enjoy organ music, want to see a choir performance, are willing to "listen and learn" click on that link. May the words of that hymn walk with you this week as we profess trust in God who created each one of us and all that exists.