By Thomas Moll
Director of Content

Every “Worship Anew” program includes a moment after the Scripture readings where something ancient happens. A voice leads, and across living rooms, hospital beds, and kitchen tables, viewers speak along. “I believe in God, the Father Almighty ...” You might wonder why we include this confession in every program.

The Apostles’ Creed is among the oldest confessions of the Christian faith with roots stretching back to the second century. For nearly 2,000 years, the church has spoken these words — in cathedrals and house churches, in times of persecution and times of peace. When you say the Creed, you are joining a voice that has never gone silent.

That matters especially for those who cannot make it to church. One of the quiet griefs of homebound life is the loss of visible community — the absence of other faces and other voices. But remember that you are not alone in your faith. When you confess the Creed alongside a “Worship Anew” program, you are not simply reciting words. You are making a confession of faith with every Christian who has ever lived and with every believer around the world who will say those same words this Sunday. The community of the church is larger than any one room.

The Creed itself is a small map of the whole faith, organized around the three persons of the Trinity. The first article confesses God the Father — Creator and Sustainer of all things. The second article confesses God the Son — our Redeemer, who was born, suffered, died, and rose for us. The third article confesses God the Holy Spirit — the one who calls, gathers, and keeps us in the faith. Three articles. One God.

Whatever your Sunday looks like, the Creed is yours to speak.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God, the Father
Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living
and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

A note: The ancient text reads “the holy catholic Church,” meaning the whole church (lowercase “c”) as it confesses the wholeness of Christian doctrine. Today’s text reads “the holy Christian church” as a way to be clear in translations and meaning.