Creeds In Worship (traditional)

A creed is a summary of God's mighty acts of salvation. Saying or singing the creed in worship is a way of rehearsing the salvation story. After the sermon, the people respond with an affirmation of faith. The affirmation of faith serves as a way for the congregation to express faith in God through a response to the Scripture readings and the sermon. Formal affirmations of faith include the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed. The Nicene Creed, which originated in a. d. 325 and was set in its final form in 381, has always been looked on as the most appropriate creed for morning worship. The Apostles' Creed, which originated as a baptismal statement of faith, is always used when a baptism occurs. A problem in the recitation of creeds is that the people tend to say the creed in an intellectual way. Originally the creed was doxological witness, a cry of faith from the heart, not a mere belief system to be recited from the head. Congregations should be taught to express the creed in a…