On Wednesday we had our weekly church music practice. We went through our songs for this morning’s service – making sure we knew them, agreeing how they would be led. They included ‘This I Believe’, a song from Hillsong that we learnt about ten years ago.
Our Father everlasting
The all creating One
God Almighty
Through Your Holy Spirit
Conceiving Christ the Son
Jesus our Saviour
I believe in God our Father
I believe in Christ the Son
I believe in the Holy Spirit
Our God is three in One
I believe in the resurrection
That we will rise again
For I believe in the Name of Jesus
I was brought up in a church where I was well taught. As a child I learnt Bible stories, as a teenager I learnt my basic theology. Our brand of Christianity didn’t have liturgy or a formal creed, but I was very clear what I believed in. When I retired, I studied ‘applied theology’. The emphasis was not what I believed, but how my beliefs worked out in practice.
Our judge and our defender
Suffered and crucified
Forgiveness is in You
Descended into darkness
You rose in glorious life
Forever seated high
I believe in You
I believe You rose again
I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord
I believe in life eternal
I believe in the virgin birth
I believe in the saints’ communion
And in Your holy Church
I believe in the resurrection
When Jesus comes again
For I believe in the Name of Jesus
So, this morning I shall play and sing these words. As a teenager I would have believed and understood what the words mean. As a pensioner I still believe them, but I shall be thinking, ‘So what? How does that affect my life at home and with my family? How does that affect conversations with friends, the way I watch the news, the way I choose to spend my time or money this week? It’s one thing to sing about belief in God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit in church on Sunday; it’s another to allow this belief to make any difference to life on Monday.
My prayer is that God’s power and provision, Jesus’ peace and passion, and the Spirit’s persistent presence will challenge and change my values and attitudes, my speech and behaviour this week.
