The Original Star Trek: A Nativity service with The Doctor and other characters from sci-fi

Video (The Universe and our place in it)

Princess Leia (Or other Science fiction character)

Wonder

At the tiny

Wonder at the vastness of the universe,

And within it,

On the edge of the milky-way galaxy,

Orbiting the sun star,

A beautiful blue green planet,

Teaming with life forms,

Turning, changing, evolving.

When you, children of planet Earth, look to the stars do you wonder?

Why am I here?

How do we make meaning in all this?

You are not alone,

For thousands of years the people of your planet have gazed in wonder at these very same stars. This is their story, and it is also your story.

(Open large important looking book)

Image: The Elders 

In a land of tribal wars. In a time of hardship and conflict, some people saw that there could be a better way. People called them the prophets They looked forward to a new time when things would be different. They told tales of one who was to come. Perhaps a king, or a prince. A great and mighty leader. One who would change things.

Song: Prepare ye the way of the Lord: (Men’s group?)

Image: Lifta 

Imagine now,

An Ancient village in a hot and dusty land,

On the edge of the Roman Empire,

An ordinary place called Nazereth,

Nothing important had happened here.

Image: Mary 

Here there lived an ordinary young woman, Mary, and her husband, Joseph.

(Choose children to be Mary, Joseph and angel Gabriel.)

Song: The angel Gabriel from Heaven came. 187

(Mary and angel to act out the scene.)

Image: Donkey

Wow, an angel. And she was having a baby!

Was Mary’s child to be the one of whom the prophet’s spoke?

Now, orders came from the Romans that Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem, a long and difficult journey. They only had a little donkey.

Song: Little Donkey

When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was nowhere for them to stay.

The Song of the Inkeepers (From Nursery rhyme Nativity)

Image: Stable

The only place they could find was a stable. So it was in that stable, a makeshift shelter for wandering travellers, that Mary’s baby was born.

Child enters carrying baby Jesus.

Who would think that what was needed? 222

Image: Stable

Not a king, or a prince or a military leader. What kind of answer was this to the cries of your planet. A baby in a manger?

Tardis sound effects

Enter The Doctor

Doctor: Knoch Knock

All: Who’s there?

Doctor: Doctor

All: Doctor Who?

Doctor: You just said it!

Princess Leia: Yes, that’s in here too. The oldest joke in the universe!

Doctor: Never mind that! This is vitally important. Something here and now must be of tremendous importance to the whole universe. You see the paths of time and space are pointing to something. However I look at it, it turns out the same. This moment, this place. 1^st Century Palestine, the edge of the Roman empire, Bethlehem, an old animal shelter. Hardly seems an important time and place. Maybe my instruments are playing up.

Princess Leia: I’ve just been sharing one of the ancient tales of the Earth people. According to their story this is indeed an important time and place.

Doctor: Is it? (To congregation) Can you tell me what important thing has happened here?

Doctor: Ah…so the hopes and fears of all the years are met here tonight… I think that’s a cue for a song.

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem 213

Image: Bedouin shepherd

Doctor: So if the birth of this child is so important for planet Earth, did anyone notice?

Leia: Some people did. Shall I carry on with the story?

Doctor: Oh yes please. I love stories.

Leia: There were shepherds (invite shepherds to come) on a hillside looking after their sheep. Suddenly the sky was filled with light and the sky was filled with angels.

Doctor: Not the weeping angels? They’re really scary!

Leia: No, the good ones, God’s messengers.

Doctor: Oh good, carry on.

Leia: invite angels) They said to the shepherds, “We bring tidings of great joy, A child is born in Bethlehem. He will bring peace to the whole Earth”

So the shepherds left their sheep and hurried down to Bethlehem.

Nursery rhyme Nativity: Shepherds song

Image: Wall-e 

Leia: And way in the East Altrologers were looking to the skies. (Invite wisemen). They were looking for a sign.

Doctor: Ah, this is where I come in! A great light in the sky moving to show them where to go. That’s a job for me. I can create a great light in the sky with the TARDIS energy beam and lead them to the stable. They’re never going to find it otherwise.

Chris de Berg: A Spaceman came travelling (Film clip)

Image: Star Trek 

Enter Mr. Spock:

Leia: Ah Mr. Spock from the star ship Enterprise. The Doctor said this was a meeting point in time and space. (To Spock) What are you up to these days?

Spock: Oh you know, the usual, exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and civilisations and boldly going where no-one has gone before.

Leia: Nice. What do you make of this story from planet Earth then?

Spock:  It is illogical. The creator of all becoming a little baby? I find you people of Earth very illogical. Every year you tell this story. You bring a tree into your house and attach shiny things to it. You eat a large bird and give your uncle new slippers. Highly illogical. Perhaps one of these Earth people clan explain it to us.

Images from Glimpses of Glory powerpoint

Earth Person (Mandy?): Reflections on John 1: 14 by David Cornick from Glimpses of Glory.

://www.methodist.org.uk/prayer-and-worship/powerpoint-for-worship 

Children return to their seats during the hymn

Oh Come All ye faithful (During which the offering is taken)

Image: Star 

Earth person: Offering prayer

Loving God,

At the first Christmas you offered yourself to us,

A tiny vulnerable baby.

In the vastness of our universe,

You spoke a gentle word of love.

As we offer these tokens,

We offer now ourselves,

We offer ourselves to the service of our world,

That the light of your love,

May fill our hearts, our homes, our land, our world, and even our universe.

Amen.

Princess Leia: This journey is not yet over. The people of this world are still searching. Just like the wise men, there are stars to guide your way. Look out for them. Find out what happens next at our Star Trek Epiphany star Trek service and party on 5th January.

Until then let us wish each other well as is our custom:-

Leia: May the Force be with you.

Spock: Live long and prosper

All: (Led by the Earth person) May the grace of our Lord Jesus  Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore, Amen

(Hymn numbers from the Methodist Hymn book, Singing the faith)

Jingle Bells

It's that time of year again!

This is a new version of Jingle Bell that I wrote (with Stewart's help) for my school's forthcoming carol service. I offer it freely for use in collective acts of worship, nativity plays etc, but not to be published or used for profit. Feel free to copy it to others with this proviso.

Cornerstones in verse 1, is a homeless people's daycentre in Manchester. My school have been collecting various items including toilet rolls! You may want to substitute this line for one of your own. Please let me know if you use it/like it, or pass on any new verses you write.

Far away from home,
In a little bed of hay,
With the ox and donkey,
Nowhere else to stay.
Down at Cornerstones,
The people have no homes,
We will bring them food and clothes,
And some toilet rolls.

Chorus: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jesus came to say, We should love each other more and more each day.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jesus came to say, We should love each other more and more each day.

Then he had to flee,
From Herod's evil plan,
Lets welcome refugees,
And help them when we can.
He held the leper's hand,
He washed disciples' feet,
He told us we should do the same,
For everyone we meet.

As we're having fun,
At this Christmas tide,
Some people sit alone,
Eating a mince pie,
Our smiles will bring them hope,
And brighten up their day,
So share your love this Christmas,
And jingle all the way!

Frozen Nativity

Opening prayer: (lighting of advent wreath) Loving God, at times of darkness, come and give us light. When our hearts are cold, come and bring us warmth. As we come together once again to share our story, may we hear it once again with joy and hope.


Song: Do you wanna build a snowman (film clip)

Narrator: So Elsa's heart was cold. She wouldn't come out and play. Until one day Anna and Elsa received a letter from their friends, the wise men from the East. They have seen a new star, which means a new king is born. They have invited Anna, Elsa, Sphen and Cristoph to join them... To follow the star and find the baby.

Anna: You can't stay in your room all day. You have to come and visit the new baby king.
Elsa: OK. If you insist. Just don't expect me to be nice!
Anna:  Look at this letter (reading the letter) "Just so we don't bring the same, we are bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh."
Elsa: What ridiculous presents for a baby. And they're supposed to be wise men.  I'm sure we can do better than that.
Anna: A nice warm blanket, a packet of baby porridge and a rattle and a teddy. Four lovely presents for a special baby.
Elsa: Let's tell Sphen and Christoph, we'll get the presents and set off.

Song: Little Reindeer, little reindeer, on the snowy road. (Words as below, tune Little donkey)

Narrator: So they set off, following the star. They had gone just a little way when they came across a  little angel, looking sad. The angel told her story. A little while ago her friend, the angel Gabriel had appeared to a young woman called Mary to tell her that she was to have a special baby called Jesus. (Act our with children) Now the other angels had to gone to make music for the baby but she couldn't go because her musical instrument was broken.

Anna: If you need to make music, perhaps this will do. (Holding out the baby's rattle) We still have three lovely presents for the baby,

Narrator: The angel skipped away happily shaking the rattle.

Song: Hark the herald angels sing. 202

Narrator: As they travelled Elsa started thinking about how happy the little angel would be now she could play for the baby. It was the first time for ages that she had thought about anyone apart from herself. Her heart felt a little bit warmer.

Their journey took them over some hills. By the side of the road was a little shepherd boy, shivering with the cold.

Christoph: Look at that poor boy. Do we have anything that would keep him warm?

Elsa: Only the blanket that we brought for baby Jesus.

Anna: This poor boy needs it more. Here, little boy, have this blanket it would keep you warm.

Narrator: The shepherd boy then told his story. He had been watching sheep on the hills. Suddenly a bright light appeared and angels filled the sky. They told the shepherds that a special baby had been born who would bring peace to the world. He would be found in a stable in Bethlehem. The boy, now feeling warmer wrapped in the blanket, ran off to find his friends. He was so happy!

Song: Happy (despicable me 2) film clip

Narrator: Now Elsa's heart felt warmer. She thought about the angel and the little shepherd boy. As they arrived in the town, they met a girl. She was looking very worried. She told them that she worked at an inn in Bethlehem. There were loads of people there. They had all been on a long journey, and were tired and hungry. But there wasn't enough food to give everyone breakfast.
Elsa, Anna and Christoph: The Baby porridge!

Anna: I'm sure baby Jesus will be happy with just a teddy.

Narrator: So they gave the porridge to the girl. She told her story. Yesterday her inn was full. A man and a woman came to the door. The woman was having a baby. They had nowhere to stay, so she cleaned up the stable and let them stay there.

Elsa: That must be the stable where baby Jesus is born. Can you show us where it is?

See him lying on a bed of straw 216

Narrator: They were almost at the stable, when they came across a boy crying. He explained that he was a long way from home. He was a page boy to the three wise men. But he was lonely and missing his mum, especially at night time.

Elsa: what about the teddy? That might help?

Anna: We can't give him the teddy. It's the only thing left for baby Jesus.

Elsa: Before we set off on this journey, my heart felt cold. I didn't  care about anyone except myself. Every time we helped somebody my heart felt a bit warmer. I know that if this special baby has come into the world to bring peace, he would want us to help this boy too.

Elsa gives the teddy to the boy.

Elsa: There you are, don't be upset. Cuddle this teddy. You'll be home with your mum soon.


children are arranged in a nativity tableau

Song: Away in a manger 191

Anna, Elsa and Christoph:
Although we have no gifts to bring
To give to the new baby king,
We gave away the things we had,
To help those who were poor and sad,
Jesus said that when we do,
We are giving to him too.

Song: In the bleak mid-winter (Children return to their seats and the offering is taken.) the last verse can also be used as the offering prayer.
.

Elsa: you know, we do have a gift. Ever since we were little I've been able to make it snow. I've been frightened of this gift, and it hurt you. That's why I didn't like to come out of my room. We all have gifts, and we can use them for good. Perhaps baby Jesus would like a little snow. Not enough to be too cold, but perhaps just enough for a snowman.

Children invited to decorate the church with snowflakes made earlier.

Song: Let it go from Frozen. (Film clip)

Closing prayer.

Living Christ,
Be our light and our joy this Christmas,
Kindle the fire of your love within us,
Thaw our frostiness,
Send us out like sparks,
To bring the warmth of joy and hope,
To all who we meet.

And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.... Amen

Little reindeer, little reindeer
On the snowy road
Got to keep on plodding onwards
With your precious load.

Been a long time, little reindeer
Through the winter’s night
Don’t give up now, little reindeer,
Bethlehem’s in sight.

Chorus
Ring out those bells tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem
Follow that star tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem.


Do not falter, little reindeer
There’s a star ahead
It will guide you, little don
To a cattle shed.

Chorus
Ring out those bells tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem
Follow that star tonight
Bethlehem, Bethlehem

Little reindeer, little reindeer
On the snowy road
Got to keep on plodding onwards
With your precious load.

Lessons from Scotland

Whilst it looks like Scotland has voted no for independence, the campaign has highlighted certain issues. Despite the outcome, these remain for all of us,

• Resist policies that punish the poorest and most vulnerable. It is a travesty that in a relatively rich country people are queueing at food banks.
• Get rid of trident. The Scots don't want it at Faslane. No -one else wants it either. The money spent on renewing trident could be better spent on health and education.
• More local and regional democracy. Decisions need to be made closer to where people live. As well as more devolved powers to The Welsh and Scottish parliaments, the English regions should be given much more autonomy. (Not an English parliament, as this would just give more power to the Westminster elite)
• Votes for 16 and17 year olds. These young people engaged wonderfully with this campaign, having their first chance to vote in this referendum. They are often actively engaged in their communities, and need to be given a voice in all elections.
• Protect our NHS. The changes taking place in the health service are deeply worrying to all of us.

The yes campaign highlighted these issues. Perhaps many are feeling disappointed. When the dust settles, remember how good you were. You got them worried. You made them take notice. There is a general election in May. There needs to be a mass campaign across all our Nations. Scotland, lead the way!

The Midwives of Egypt

This is a dialogue based on the Midwives of Egypt from Exodus 1:15-20 in the Bible. (The story is often called "Moses in the bulrushes," but Moses doesn't really do anything here!) I got the idea for this from a reflection "Women's Ministry: Some voices from the Bible" by Jan Such Pickard, published in  Acorns and Archangels (ed. Ruth Burgess, published by Wild Goose Publications)

Shiphrah: I’m Shiphrah

 Puah: And I’m Puah

Shiphrah: Midwives with attitude.

Puah: Wise women.

Shiphrah: We’ve just got a new directive from the pharaoh.

Puah: Kill all the Hebrew baby boys as soon as they are born.

Shiphrah: Who does this man think he is?

Puah: He’s the pharaoh, the ruler of our land.

Shiphrah: Yes but killing babies? That was never our job.

Puah: Wasn’t the mighty pharaoh put on Earth to guide us in the ways of the gods.

Shiphrah: But how can this be God’s work?

Puah: I understand what you’re saying. It just doesn’t seem right. Does it?

Shiphrah: Agreed then? Business as usual?

Puah: But won’t he be suspicious? We’ll be in for it when he finds out.

Shiphrah: Look, men, even pharaohs, don’t really know what goes on. We’ll confuse him with some wise women’s talk.

Puah: Great idea. Look, I read an article in the Daily Pyramid. It said that the Hebrew’s aren’t like Egyptians. It’s like they’re a different species. It’s why it’s OK to make them drag those heavy stones across miles of desert. They don’t feel it like the rest of us.

Shiphrah: How ridiculous. Isn’t it about time you stopped reading that rag?

Puah: No, you misunderstand me. When pharaoh asks why we didn’t kill any Hebrew babies, we claim that the Hebrew women are different.

Shiphrah: Yes, so they don’t feel it like us and they give birth all by themselves, and don’t need to call for a midwife.

Puah: Right, lets go then, there’s work to do.

To the angels

Oh Angels,
You touch so many different places,

The Torah wrestling with Jacob,
Christmas heralding a birth,
The Holy Quran,
Angels with dirty faces,
Films, TV and pop songs,
Hiding behind lamp-posts or finding parking spaces.

Somehow you manage to find those spaces,
Beyond our expectations,
Beyond our divisions.

Messengers of new ideas,
Comforting,
Challenging.

Mystery, myth or  metaphor?
Stories, symbolism?
Dramatic images?
(Ideas are powerful!)

Not to be imprisoned in Victorian stained glass,
Neither to be forever dancing on the philosopher's pinhead,
Nor hidden in the pockets of the superstitious,
Not constrained by a tinsel halo, confined to a Christmas card,
As the serpents of war, injustice and greed,
Slither through our world,
I reclaim you,
For peace, for politics, for the peoples of the Earth.

Angel of Gaza,
Angel of Israel,
Angels of Iraq, Sudan and the Ukraine.

Hosts of angels watching over suffering places,
That never make our news.

May your eyes of flame challenge the tyrants,
Your songs of hope encourage the peacemakers,
Your soft wings enfold the suffering.

Angel of America,
Angel of Europe,
Shake awake the complacent.
Wrestle with the conflicted,
Whisper messages of peace to the humble.

Angels of Facebook and Twitter,
Of newspapers and television.
Amid the never ending stream,
Bring light,
And glimpses of truth.

All heavenly hosts,
Angels and Arc-angels,
Cherubim and Seraphim,
May a halo encircle our world,
That you may once again proclaim,
Tidings of great joy,
Peace and good will to the Earth.

And to my own Guardian Angel,
Find me a parking space,
Amid this troubled world,
A place where I might,
Be an angel too.

So little

So little

From a comfortable, safe home,
I type my name on an online petition,

In the sanctuary of church,
I light a candle.

From my financial security,
I donate to the emergency appeal,

In a free city
I wave a flag at a demo.

So little,

In the face of such suffering.

A  name, a light, a coin, a flag.

A little voice,

Yet until...
All homes are safe,
All holy places sanctuaries,
All trade is fair,
All cities are free.


May there be so many names shouting,
Lights shining,
Coins clattering,
Flags waving,
That it cannot be ignored.

Snowflakes that become an avalanche,

The world is watching!

Justice

Peace

Abraham and Isaac: A story for today

Genesis 22: Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, until at the last moment an angel tells him to stop.

Palestine, Syria, Mosul, Nigeria  etc... We are living in difficult times.

The story of Abraham and Isaac is an important yet difficult one. A difficult story for a difficult time.
Abraham is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the Father of their faith. This story is important for all 3 of the Abrahamic faiths. (In the Muslim story, the child is Ishmail) Yet his actions here are abhorrent.  Even though he doesn't go through with it, he intends to sacrifice his child. He climbs up the mountain, with the knife and the firewood. He ties Isaac, his much loved and longed for little boy Laughter, to an alter. It isn't reported what Sarah said when she found out, but I don't imagine she was happy.

I am going to explore two interpretations of this story, and what these say to Abraham's children today.

The first interpretation is that it is about unquestioning obedience to God. Some writers commend Abraham for his absolute obedience. Kierkegaard for example calls Abraham a Knight of a Faith. For the Knight of Faith, obedience to God must come before everything, before reason, before morality. To me, this view is abhorrent. If we believe in a God of love, we could never accept that to do harm could be from God.

The second interpretation is that what made Abraham great wasn't that he intended to sacrifice Isaac, but that he didn't. Genesis was written at a time when sacrifice, including child sacrifice, was commonplace. (Such as in the lists of burial sacrifices of the kings of Ur.) Sacrifice was a recognition that everything belonged to God, and we should be prepared to give back anything that we have. This   was a society that regarded children (and wives!) as property, so the devout should be prepared to sacrifice them  also. Yet, as far as we can understand it from the records, one of the things that marked Israel out as kdifferent from the other nations, was that they didn't sacrifice children. This story is a way of saying that this is not what God requires. Abraham thought His God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac, because that's what all the other gods around at the time were asking. But he was wrong. Yahweh is not like other gods. As the prophet Michah was to later put it, "This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this, act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."

What is this to say to us to our situation today?

The first interpretation of the story, that we should unquestioningly obey the voice of God, has caused immense problems for Abraham's children. Throughout History Jews, Muslims and Christians, have wielded their knives in response to what they thought was God's command. The crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, 9:11, Northern Ireland, the current situations in Syria, Israel and Palestine. People so often get the voice of God spectacularly wrong. The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter  Sutcliffe, thought that God had told him to murder prostitutes. In 2013, a diabetic 12 year old girl,  Syble Rossiter, died after her parents prayed for her healing and thought God wanted them to stop giving her insulin. Richard Dawkins in his book the God Delusion, suggests that all religion is about unquestioning obedience, and all right thinking Scientific people best avoid it. If I thought that this is what our faith required of us, I'm afraid I would have to agree with him.

So what about the second interpretation, that Abraham's greatness was not in his unquestioning obedience, but in his willingness to humbly  recognise that he had misunderstood God's voice. To listen again, to hear the voice of an angel, "Put down the knife, Abraham. Do not harm even one hair on his head."  It took Abraham great courage to put down the knife and untie Isaac. To climb down the mountain. Some today show a similar courage. Steve Chalk was for many years the leader of the   Evangelical Alliance and campaigned against homosexuality, believing this stance to be God's will.   Quite recently he changed his mind. This happened through coming across homosexual people in pastoral situations, and seeing the hurt that his church's position had caused them. He felt that to  include people, and show the love of Christ, he needed to change his view about what God wanted.  There are others who have the courage to be the voice of the angel. When harm is done in the name of faith, they stand up and speak for peace and compassion. Zaki Badawi, who was the chief Iman an London Mosque spoke out when the ayatollah issued a fatwah against Salman Rushdie.

Stand up for the Isaacs of the world. Reflect on our own actions, and those done in our name by our religious communities, or our Nations. Be critical, question things. Join with others such as Amnesty International to stand together for Peace and Justice in the world's troubled situations. Wherever harm is done in the name of faith, let us dare to be the voice of the angel. "Put down the knife Abraham, this is not what God wants."  Yahweh is good, Allah is merciful, God is love.

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/gaza-emergency-appeal/index.asp  http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/iraq-crisis-appeal/ http://www.amnesty.org.uk http://www.aworldatschool.org https://www.facebook.com/events/580242122084490/?ref=25https://www.facebook.com/groups/365311285573/?ref=ts&fref=ts

What do we believe?

With Trinity Sunday coming up, I thought I'd post some ideas about Creeds, those old statements of belief sometimes read out in Christian Churches. Are they relevant today?

The creeds and statements of the Councils of Nicaea, Ephesus and Chalcedon are seen as the bedrock of Christian Theology. Despite the changes of the Reformation, these have remained, accepted by all major Christian traditions in the West. (And with slight differences in the Eastern Church). I am going to argue that the way in which Creeds are used presents a major obstacle to Spirituality and Faith in the 21^st century.

My problems with the way creeds are used: -

·      They are used to exclude others.

·      They present a picture of absolute truth.

·      Much of the language and concepts in them no longer has meaning.

1.    The exclusion of others.

From their very inception Creeds and doctrines were designed to exclude. The Early church was surrounded by different ideas. (Gnosticism, Arianism etc.)  Many of the statements in the Creed are designed to distance themselves from these views. eg. “Begotten not made, One being/substance with the Father.” against Arius who argued that Christ was a created being. These discussions often involved power play by various factions of the Early Church. The losers like Arius and Nestorius were branded heretics and sent into exile.

This approach to “heretics” developed as the church grew. The History of the Church is shockingly littered with atrocities against those deemed heretics or infidels; the bloody battles of the crusades, persecution of the Jews. The development of scientific theory came into intense conflict with a church threatened by the new ideas of Galileo and Copernicus.

This is so very far from the carpenter’s son who welcomed tax collectors and sinners.

Of course we don’t exile or execute heretics these days. Can we comfort ourselves that those days are over? No. I would argue that there are many in the church that use our creeds to exclude. People say things like, “What, you don’t believe in xyz. Well, you can’t really be a Christian.” Many people exclude themselves. They think, “I can’t possibly believe that, “ and instead of being able to explore their developing spirituality in a loving community, they look with despair at the list of seemingly ridiculous things they are expected to believe, and don’t come any more. We are a society with a “tick box” mentality. Too many people see the Creed as yet another set of boxes to be ticked.

This leads me to…

2.    The presentation of absolute truth

The creeds, as they stand and are used, present the idea that we have the answers, the truth. It presents the idea that this formula contains the truth about God.

Philosophers and Theologians over the centuries have thought deeply about the idea of religious truth and what it means. Thomas Aquinas thought that no human language could fully express anything about God. He said therefore that all religious language was “analogical”. The neo-Wittcenstinian’s in the 20^th century went further, arguing that religion itself was a “language game” in which believers developed “concept words” through which to make meaning out of their lives. Tomes of writings have been devoted to how religious language expresses truth, and I don’t propose to resolve those discussions here! Suffice to say, that the way we use words to express faith is a complex matter.

Many people are led to believe that we have to accept the creed as an expression of factual, literal truth. As with much religious writing, it is more complex. It contains Historical truths (crucified by Pontius Pilate), metaphor (Light from light) and a whole load of stuff about which there is considerable debate. (eg. Born of the Virgin Mary).

Rather than presenting the Creed as a tick box list for Christianity, perhaps we could engage more creatively with the language within it, gleaning the deeper meanings that lie within it. However, as we try to do that, we come across another problem…

3.    The language and concepts of the creed

I blame Aristotle! It wasn’t really his fault. In fact, he was very forward thinking for his time. (384BC). He has some very interesting theories about how stuff in the universe was made up. Things all had natures, substances, essences and accidents. At the time of Nicaea, the Aristotelian theory of matter was accepted by everyone, and is the language used in all the early formulae of the Christian Church.

However we no longer think in those terms. To say that Christ had 2 Natures, and was Consubstantial with the Father, to someone with an Aristotelian world-view makes perfect sense. Now we think in terms of atoms, genetics, evolution, the space-time continuum and gamma particles, we get in a bit of a muddle! For this reason, many of the formulae fail to touch us deeply, or say anything meaningful about how we can understand the way God is present in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps what we need to do is give our creeds and doctrines their proper place. They express the understandings of our ancestors. They can be meaningful to us, but only if we engage with them as expressions of faith of an earlier and very different time. As the Church of Christ we must seek repentance of the harm done in their name. Most importantly, we need to find new ways to express faith that will touch the hearts and minds of the twenty first century.