Day 2: Family

It’s a cold Monday morning at the Daily Grind. No one is outside. Rob, a fellow patron who has his own chair out front, agrees with me that the coldest spot in town is right here in front of our coffee shop. The shop sits beneath an overhang in the “L” shape corner of your typical suburban strip mall. The sun never shines in this corner; I swear snow would stay year round if this was not California.

{Rob literally has his own chair. Years ago, Dane replaced all the outside tables and chairs but kept one of the old ones because Rob sat there everyday while he read his way through graduate school. He still comes 5 or mornings a week. One day he calculated what his $2 a day coffee habit cost him, it was something like $500 a year.}

Sarah has my tea ready by the time I get to the front of the line. Up on the black board I read the Word of the Day: Zugzwang, a German word meaning a position where one is forced to make an undesirable move. Mark and I had agreed to start some deliberate conversations about our lives of faith this morning. I hope that this word will not describe either of our positions. I take my seat alone, while the room buzzes with talk about the Grammies, which aired last night. “They were naked up there on the stage,” one older couple discussed, “whatever happened to Simon and Garfunkel.” {This was a true conversation, truth is so much better than fiction}.

Monday morning, everybody seems to be running late, Mark is no exception. No bother, I have no place else I have to be and no place else I would rather be.

There’s Mark, looking like he hasn’t slept in a week. Every Sunday night he has a standing gig at a local old person bar that has hired him to spin some records in an attempt to draw a younger crowd. He waves and gets in line. He’ll have coffee today, non-fat half-calf latte.

Robert: Hey, good morning. Late night?

Mark: The pub was empty till midnight. A crowd came in about then and didn’t leave till closing time, so I kept playing. They seemed to be into it. When I was packing up my gear there was this guy who was trying to get into his car to drive home, he shouldn’t have been able to stand, let alone drive. A few of his friends were arguing with him, but they weren’t in any better shape. I got in the middle and drove him home in his truck.

Robert: Did you know the guy?

Mark: Uh-no, but what was I going to do, let him drive? I walked home from his house; it was a couple of miles.

Robert: At 2 in the morning?

Mark: No, it had to be 3 by then. So I’ve only slept a couple hours.

Robert: We could have called this off, its only coffee and a chat.

Mark: No, no, I wanted to be here. I’ve been thinking about it all week. There are some things I’m dying to talk about. I realize that I have an extremely narrow view Christians: Jerry Falwell, the Crusades, pedophile priests, my annoying neighbor… I want to know about those who followed Jesus before today. Who were they? How’d they live? What did they believe? What mistakes did they make?

Robert: This is good. One of my favorite parts of my faith is that it’s not mine alone. It did not originate with me. I have arrived at the end of a very long line, so have you. It’s a long line of failing heroes.

All the great heroes of the Bible were also the greatest failures, have you ever noticed that? Abraham, the father of the faith, was a liar and gave his wife into Pharaoh’s harem. David, called the friend of God, committed adultery and had his lover’s husband killed. Rahab, was a prostitute and lied to save God’s people.

Their faith was ugly. Not one of them had a perfect, no flaw life. They had checkered pasts. They had an ugly faith, but it was also an enduring faith.

Later, others were exiled, provided for the poor so selflessly that pagan Emperor’s took notice. They cared for lepers and surrendered their lives for the benefit of others. These are our spiritual ancestors.

We carry on the name of all those who have gone before. The line goes on from the Patriarchs to the Apostles, and from them to Stephen and Philip. It goes on with the early history of the church through the reformation right up to you. Someone carried the story of Jesus all the way from them to your heart.

Mark: My kind of people.

{Strangely, he meant all of them. He seemed to relate to the rich and to the poor, the peasants and the princes, the honored and the exiled. Mark already understood something that he would teach me this morning – this is our family with its brave war-hero uncle and crazy aunt. Here is where I belong, its part of who I am}.

Tell me a story about someone not in the Bible.

Robert: Athanasius was a young man born in Egypt. We are not quite sure if he came from a wealthy family or not. He spoke Coptic, which was the language of the common people so some think he was poor. Yet he was trained in the classical tradition, which was the usual pattern of the wealthy. So, who knows? He grew up in Alexandria, in northern Egypt, and was known for its amazing library.

The story goes that Alexander, the Bishop of Alexandria, was looking out his window and saw a group of boys playing on the beach near the water. The game they were playing was baptism and Athanasius played the role of the Bishop. Alexander called the boys and encouraged several of them to study for ministry at the world-renowned school in the town.

The boy did so well at his work and study that he was given the task of secretary to the Bishop. He was already writing theological treatises as a secretary that were receiving world wide attention.

Athansius attended the council of Nicea in 325 as the Bishop’s secretary. The council was the first one of Christian leaders throughout the known world. They all came together with one purpose, to discuss the Bible’s teaching abut Jesus. Was He God or was He a created being used by God? This controversy was raised by a group of people known as the Arians because they followed a man by that name. They are the originators of what is now believe by the Jehovah’s witnesses.

Mark: I heard that Prince became a J.W. Can you imagine having him come to your door?

Robert: The guys that believed this then were just as prominent as Prince, or Tom Cruise and all them with their Scientology.

So the Church came together, with Athanasius’ help, and put together this summary of who we believe that Jesus really is.

Though only a secretary, Athanasius’ eloquence gained him the right to speak to the council on the topic. He argued and won the day. The Church agreed that Jesus was fully God.

Three years later Alexander the Bishop dies and Athanasius takes his place as Bishop. He was probably no more than 33, but he was brilliant and his ability to relate to people won their hearts.

The controversy raised its head again as the false teachers gained standing with the Emperor Constantine. Athanasius was exiled into France, though it wasn’t called France then. They accused Athanasius of sorcery and dismembering one of his opponents! His dismissal was in a private meeting between the Emperor and the false Bishops but our hero was not going to stand for this. He found the Emperor returning from a hunt one day and stopped him in the middle of the road demanding a fair trial. He was given a trial with the charge of hindering grain shipments. His exile stood and he remained there for the next two years.

He returned home to Alexandria after the Emperor died. Yet he lived in peace for only two years. The Emperor’s son Constantius exiled him again under pressure.

He was condemned a third time on February 8, 356, while conducting a church service. He was teaching from the scriptures when a group of armed men entered to escort him out. The other clergy gathered around him while the people escaped from harm. Athanasius was taken and sent again into exile. He was allowed to come home one more time in 362.

Exiled a fifth time in 364, he died there in 373 having penned what we know as The Incarnation, one of the finest works ever written about Jesus Christ. He died without his title of Bishop and away from his home.

All together, he spent fifteen years and ten months in exile. During that time he wrote at least four significant works of theology. Every time he came back, he went right to work teaching the about Jesus Christ. If it were not for Athanasius you wonder if we would have a true belief of Christ today. While in his last exile when he felt so desperately alone he wrote, Athanasius contra mundum, Athanasius against the world. I will stand alone if necessary.

I am encouraged by his bravery and by his perseverance.

Mark: I’ve heard you talk about Athanasius before. You relate to this guy. In what way?

{Mark and I have spent a little time together here and there. I think we were both at a friend’s party. I don’t remember talking about Athanasius over pizza, but I guess I did. It sounds like me.}

Robert: He fought and suffered and paid a very high price to ensure that the truths about the God who is the truth would be preserved to be handed down to me. And, I feel like I’ve suffered for what I believe, both inside and outside the church. He inspires me to keep going. Athanasius and this whole line of heroes established Christianity; they helped to form what you and I believe all these years later.

Mark: How’d he do it?

Robert: Mostly by the Creed he fought for.

Mark: Like the one we read in church?

Robert: That exact one.

Mark: What is a creed?

Robert: A creed is simply a statement of belief. They have been called a “rule of faith,” meaning that they delineate what Christianity is and what it is not.

Mark: I’m asking about the old one that we say together, the, the…

Robert: The Nicene creed?

Mark: What about that one?

Robert: That’s the one Athanasius had a hand in. It goes something like this:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirithe became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Mark: You have it memorized?

Robert: Not quite, {I gave Mark a close rendition that I keep in my heart. Above is a faithful accounting of these most important words} but I wish that I did. These words are worth far more that their weight in gold. Our heroes fought and died to preserve them for us. They contain and summarize what is the necessary belief for you and I who call ourselves Christians. Christianity has been. It’s not something new to us. It did not begin when we became Christians. 2000 years this has been going on.

Mark: This is what you had in mind when you asked me start thinking?

Robert: Not totally, I think it was the story of Athanasius has gotten me going. But this would be it; the creeds are what you need to know.

Mark: So, memorize this thingy and I’m ok?

Robert: You’re lucky you’re smiling right now or I might just smack you in the mouth. The creed, from the pens of our heroes, is calling us to walk today with the God they have consistently taught about for so many centuries.

Mark: Well, I believe in God.

Robert: That’s where we all must begin. God is the first of seven beliefs that I see taught in the creed.

I believe in one God.That He exists is the foundation of the Christian faith. God is. Not just any God but the God revealed in scripture. The one God who is present. The one God who is powerful. The one God who is eternal. The one God who is wisdom and justice and love. I believe in God. It is important that you have the right view of God. It is easy to have a smaller or incorrect view of God.

My son Caleb broke his leg when he was three years old in a wicked tricycle accident. For the first few days he didn’t want to do anything but sit and cry. On one of those days he was watching a Veggie Tales video about God taking care of you. My wife leans over like a gentle mother and asks, “Is God taking care of you, Caleb?” To which he retorts, “No. I’m taking care of myself.” We were obviously concerned about our son’s theological well being so Julie approached it from a different angle a few days later. “Caleb, who takes care of your little sister? She asked him. “You and Papa do.” “Well,” Julie continued, “God takes care of Papa and me because He is bigger.” “No he’s not,” Caleb argued, “in my book he’s really small.” Caleb’s view of God was that He was two inches tall because of a picture in a storybook. When I say, “I believe in God,” I mean the God revealed in the Bible. There is only one true God, but there are many false conceptions of Him. False conceptions are dangerous and they set you on a path that does not lead to Jesus and to life and wholeness.

I believe in God the Father. This title shows that our God is personal. Be careful, when we say that God is personal we intend to say that He is a person. Today, the idea of God being personal suggests that He is my buddy. But the creed teaches that God is a person and that He is involved in human affairs.

When you say that God is Father, He is not your father. For you and me and most of the people we know, “father” is not necessarily a good thing. Father, who’s that? O, you mean the guy that ran off with the girl from the Dairy Queen. God is not your father, Mark. Do not get the fact that you have a human father mixed up with the fact that God is Father.

Mark: Don’t get me started on my Dad.

Robert: I know, but I’m being very serious now. It would be easy for us to brush off God because we misunderstand the whole father thing. Its not about me, it’s not about you. He is not only Father to us, Mark, but more importantly He is the Father to His only Son. The creed teaches that God is a Trinity, just as the scriptures do.

God is the father of all things, He is much, much greater than you and I give Him credit for most of the time. That’s the last truth about Him the creed leads us into.

I believe in God the Father almighty.God is the all-powerful ruler of the world. He does what He pleases in His world. His ability is not limited by anything or anyone. Your Father God has all the power to do good for you.

So I, Robert, believe in God the Father Almighty maker of heaven & earth, the creator of all things.

Mark: Alright Athanasius, I got it. I can’t say that I’m willing to accept it all, but I can see the words and I’m good with this being what they believed. Maybe you should go on before you ask me to walk the aisle and say a prayer.

Robert: Don’t think I’m going to be less passionate about Jesus than I am about the Father. But, sorry if it feels like I’m preaching. Am I not talking about what you asked?

Mark: Yes, you are, but to be honest, I would be more comfortable if you let me talk more. I didn’t ask to come here to have a Bible study. I have questions that I want answered. Things I’m wondering about now, not things that you wondered about several years ago when you came across the creeds.

Robert: Fair enough. You want to call it for the day or go on a bit?

Mark: No, I want to know about the creed. But, let me point things out and maybe even comment on them. Then you jump in with what the old folks have believed. Maybe we’ll banter it back and forth a little bit. Sound good?

Robert: I’ll do my best.

Mark: The creed spends far more time talking about Jesus than everything else combined. What’s up with that?

Robert: Remember what I said about Athanasius. When that creed was written the church was fighting against a horrendous attack from some who were arguing that Jesus was not God.

Mark: Yea, right. So they felt like they had to be real specific. Kinda like politicians. They not only say what’s good about them but also what’s bad about their opponents.

Robert: A rude analogy, but effective. The specifics are important. There is a pretty big difference between saying that Jesus is the first created being and saying that I believe in Jesus Christ Son of God, one being with the father, our Lord.This ensures with a particular clarity that Jesus Christ is God, the unique Son of God. When we say that He is the only Son of God we say that He is God taking on human flesh. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.

That Jesus is actually God is the center of your belief and relationship with God. If Jesus were not God, then you do not know the Father. You’re being fooled. But your Jesus is God, Mark.

Mark: But He was obviously human too, did they just ignore that part?

Robert: Not at all. It would be a little obvious if they ignored that He was born and died.

Mark: So they went on to talk about the virgin birth and all that. He was born of the Virgin Mary.{We had written the creed down on a napkin and had it in front of us. We had to open one up to fit the whole thing} When I read the Bible, the birth part was so terribly human, just like mine. But with mine there were no angels or wise men, only my Dad.

Robert: Human, yet without the flaw that came along with it because He was conceived in a different manner, a divine manner. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was both human and divine. Divine, so He was able to be the go between God and us and human, so he was able to identity with us fully.

Mark: So you’re saying that this really happened.

Robert: Most of this, just like the Gospels, is a simple historical account. This really happened, that is important. This is not a myth. He was born that way and died that way. He was crucified under Pilate, dead and buried.There have been many stories of gods dying, but nothing like this. Nowhere else do we find such a detailed story – who, where, what, when and why. The historicity of His death is verifiable. Rational, objective people don’t question the evidence. It is the significance that people argue against. The significance is laid out in the Nicene Creed when it reads for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This is why He died.

Jesus was really killed in a terrible way. He was really dead, suffering the real wages of my sin and yours. That’s why it matters.

Mark: So far, this doesn’t do a whole lot for me. I dig the miracles, but… It’s strange, but doesn’t move me or get my hopes up. But when I read that He rose again on the third day. Now that intrigues me, that something to pursue, something to follow. The resurrection highlights the uniqueness of Jesus in my heart. There was no one like this before and no one since. It also gives me much hope that if He beat death, then I can too. This life is not all there is for, thank God for that.

Robert: That’s exactly what Paul encourages us with, that’s the promise.

Mark: Do you think Athanasius found hope in this too?

Robert: I’m sure it did, but just give him hope about the next life, it kept him going through a life that made yours and mine look like royalty. He walked with Jesus through all the crap because he knew that Jesus was still with him, not just waiting for him in heaven. That’s what the creed goes on with.

I believe He ascended into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God. This speaks of His present participation in our lives. He prays for us. While sitting at the right hand of God, He is constantly speaking to the Father, “Remember that one, he belongs to me. Remember Robert.”

Then we also wait for the day whenHe shall come again in glory, to judge living and dead. All things will be made right. There will be justice for the wicked and there will be mercy for those who have put their faith in the cross.

{We both stopped talking for a little while and just sipped our drinks. I could see that he was processing all of it and to be honest, I was too. I was beginning to realize the wholeness of my spiritual ancestry, they didn’t just give me words, they gave me life. I have been so shallow. I have been so narcissistic.}

Robert: Mark, this is killing me. I mean, I know this stuff. I went to school, I love to read and I have a pretty good memory, it all stays right here in my head. But I live as if it’s all about me. There is no comment of me in the creeds at all. It’s all about God and the heroes were okay with that. They imitated God, the Holy Spirit, who seems to have always taken a role that promotes Jesus rather than Himself.

The Holy Spirit proceeds from Father and the Son, worshipped. The Holy Spirit is God, fully God and deserving of the full honor of worship along with the Father and the Son. Yet, there is no example of the Bible of anyone worshipping the Holy Spirit. There are not even any examples of anyone praying to the Spirit. He just continues with his work of speaking truth to all of God’s people just as He has spoken through prophets.

Mark: There has to be something that matters to me.

Robert: It all matters, Mark.

Mark: I don’t mean it like that. But where do fit in personally? Did these great Christian people just forget about themselves and recite words about Jesus. I think about me, I think about my sin, I think about…let me see those napkins. See there’s stuff about me in there.

Robert: I don’t really like the next part. Well, I do, but…

Mark: Church hasn’t been too good to you has it?

Robert: No, you?

{In 15 years as a Christian, I’ve been dumped on 4 or 5 times by the churches I’ve part of. “You don’t look right,” or “You’re too harsh when you speak about the way we take money from our giving to the poor to buy new carpet.” I remember a man coming up to me and ask about my clothes. Look, I didn’t grow up in church; I didn’t know the dress code. I was in my best jeans and a leather jacket because I rode my motorcycle. This man came up and ask me, “When are you going to stop wearing that jacket, you know you have to stop being conformed to the world.” It took me a minute to realize that somehow this guy thought that my leather from Wilson’s was more worldly that his wool suite from Nordstrom’s. I asked if he thought Nordstrom’s was on a different planet and then walked away.

That was a long time ago. There have been both hurts and successes along the way. But right now, I am enjoying the very ordinary and beautiful life of messed up people growing together. One things has become very clear to me over the years, Jesus only saves sinners and so that’s all you find at church!}

Mark: It’s never really done anything for me. I don’t have anything against church; I just don’t see the point.

Robert: I love the idea of church and the people of the church; I believe in the church but the practice of it can be difficult sometimes. Maybe that’s another reason I relate so well to Athanasius. The official church turned on him over and over but he never lost faith in God.

Mark: Talk to me about the stuff you love, look past the hurt if you can.

{Mark was feeding me at this point. It was like he had just asked to see pictures of my kids}

Robert: There are four statements that the creed makes concerning the Church directly and I see a fifth implied. First of all, there is One Church. Simply put, all who hold these things belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. Those who do not hold these do not belong. And beliefs beyond these essentials are up for in house debate. This is how I know that I belong here too.

The Church is Holy, set apart for the work of God. The Church is the means by which God is carrying out His plan in the world. However, it means something much more than that. We are holy as members of the Church. The Church is one made up of holy people with a holy purpose.

The Church is Catholic. The word catholic mean universal in time and place. Every person who has ever or will ever believe in Jesus Christ is a member of the Church. It is important that you know that the word catholic was used here long before there was a Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church took on this title as a claim to be the one true Church.

The Church is Apostolic. The Church is based upon teaching of apostles. We’ve come full circle already, haven’t we? This is were we began last week.

The fifth point that I see implied in relation to the Church is that the Church is a community. I believe in the communion of saints. There is more in this than you and I. To confess the creed is to belong to community of believers. To confess the creed is to identify with those who have gone before us, with those who believe today and with those who will come after us. I feel that every time I pray the Lord’s prayer. When I speak the words “Our Father,” my mind floods with pictures of friends, family, ancient Christians, old pastors and young disciples. The Church is a “we” and I like it that way.

Mark: To say I believe in the forgiveness of sinsassumes my guilt. I’m okay with that. {That was good to hear. Some things have changed since we talked last week.} For some reason my parents could never admit that they were wrong, but it was all too clear to me.

Robert: But, it also assumes your value, Mark. There is an actual desire in God that He would be restored with you as a flawed and guilty person. It assumes that sin is paid by the cross of Christ. Full forgiveness is yours.

Mark: I like that.

Robert: I do too.

There is also a resurrection of the body. Living people and dead people, believers and infidels will all be raised in their bodies. Some will rise to reward and some to eternal punishment. I am looking forward to a life that continues, a life to come. The reward is the eternal presence of Jesus. There is something more beyond this world. It is this hope that we continue to hold on to in an ugly and unjust world. It is there where God will make all things right. It is there that we will find the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

Christianity has been and continues to be something in particular. Christianity will always be their Christianity

Mark: Okay, I’m good with a lot of this, but not all of it. How much do I have to agree with? Has anyone ever delineated a percentage or is it on a bell curve?

Robert: 100% or nothing. If you deviate from these seven beliefs, Christianity does not. If you do not believe these, then you are not a Christian by simple definition, the definition of the creed.

Christianity means something. There is much to the statement, I am a Christian. You are claiming a particular set of beliefs, corresponding lifestyle and membership in an international, trans-generational community.

You are not alone in your faith. You are not the only one following Jesus. You don’t have to make it up as you go along. These heroes are examples of what we ought to do and be. The only thing that made them great is that they lived out the one thing that unites you with them – FAITH. That is, both you and they trust that what Jesus accomplished when He died on a cross actually applies to you.

Mark: Can we call it there for the day? Thanks, but I’m getting a little tired.

Robert: Me too. I’m not sure sometimes. About me I mean, not my Christian faith. Thanks for talking with me. I need some help sorting out who I am.

Mark: We’re together on that.

He headed right out after that. I just sat for a while, even got a refill on my tea. I truly hope that I do honor to my spiritual family.

{Christianity means something. There is much to the statement, “I am a Christian.” You are claiming a particular minimum set of beliefs, corresponding lifestyle and membership in an international, trans-generational community. Never leave these basics! Stay basic and you are safe – maturity is not necessarily knowing more it is knowing these same things better and living them more consistently.}

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