Anthony Bolkema

Throughout history, the church has developed creeds such as the Nicene Creed that serve as a summaries of the story of salvation to both articulate and shape our faith. As we gather and speak the words of the creeds in worship, we express our personal participation in this shared faith while also reminding one another of the core content of that faith. The church also has a long history of using congregational singing to both articulate and shape our faith. What better way, then, to honor this 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed than to explore various ways in which it has been—or could be—set to music for congregational singing?“Singing the Nicene Creed?” you ask. “In congregational worship?” you wonder. “In my church?” Certainly! Many strains of the Christian church regularly chant, and sing the text in corporate worship (often following the gospel reading as part of the Eucharistic celebration, or at funerals). We would do well, however, to remember that this creed was written as an articulation and clarification of the orthodox Christian faith, largely in response to Arianism. It is not a poem, and it is not obviously structured in a musical form. So while the text lends itself easily enough to various types of chant, adapting it into other musical styles and genres can be challenging. Fortunately, many of our brothers and sisters have attempted to do just that, and I have enjoyed creating a limited survey of various settings available for congregational singing. I invite you to browse the options below and consider using one or two of them intermittently throughout worship this year. How might you encourage your congregation to join in singing the salvation story? Singing the Full Text“We All Believe in One True God” (WIR GLAUBEN ALL) The arrangement for “We All Believe in One True God” was written by Martin Luther and first appeared in Walther’s Geistliches Gesangbüchlein in 1524. The text is a paraphrase of the Nicene Creed. To adapt the creed to a three-stanza structure, Luther expanded the sections on God the Father and Holy Spirit and condensed the section on God the Son. There are two tunes sung with Luther's lyrics. This melody itself is not Luther’s; it was written in 1743 by Johann Gottlieb Wagner and was published in the Manuskript Gesangbuch, Langenöls, 1748. This arrangement puts the text into metered-hymn form, thus, it sings quite like a traditional hymn. But be sure to alert your congregation of the rests. Nothing makes a singer shy faster than an inadvertent solo! Liturgical and Musical SuggestionsThis song sings well with robust organ accompaniment. Be sure the tempo does not drag so the song can be sung confidently and in full voice.The second line exactly echoes the first, and the fourth line exactly echoes the third. To help teach your congregation, consider using a soloist to sing the first and third lines, asking the congregation to sing along on the second, fourth, and fifth lines.If the rests are tripping up your congregation, consider playing a low B-flat on organ or piano to fill the space on beat one. For an alternate arrangement with the same text see the second setting on hymnary, an adaptation of medieval chant. Give Them the Music!Learning new music as a congregation can be tedious. To give your teaching and your congregation a chance to succeed, give your congregation written music whenever possible. Written music communicates note pacing and tonal spacing, even for those who do not read music well. It also allows those who do read music to sing more confidently and help teach those who do not!“Ninasadiki/I Believe in God the Almighty”The background for this delightful song based on the Nicene Creed is scant. It was written by Sam Ochieng Okeyo as a part of the Misa Kariobangi. This mass—written entirely by Okeyo—is reported to be well-known and often sung throughout Kenya. “I Believe in God” is written as a call and response, with a leader singing a phrase (in this case, a statement rooted in the creed) and the congregation singing back a shared statement of faith (in this case, the Swahili word ninasadiki, which means “I believe”). Like Luther, Okeyo did not include all parts of the creed, but the song’s structure and repetition make this a wonderfully approachable setting for many congregations.Liturgical and Musical SuggestionsThe “Leader” section can be led by a strong single voice, a small group of voices, an alternation of solo voices, or even a children’s or youth choir. All voices in the worship space should sing together on the ninasadiki responses.The congregation has two melody refrains that alternate throughout the song. Consider teaching them to the congregation before leading the entire song.Much of the song’s energy is rooted in its rhythm. Consider using hand percussion instruments (shakers, djembe, tambourine, or caxixi) to help keep the rhythm and infuse the song with energy. Also consider inviting some young children to play them loudly (if not rhythmically!) during the shared ninasadiki responses.Feel free to use a piano or other instrument to assist your congregation as they learn, but work toward singing this a cappella if possible.  “The Nicene Creed” (DRAESEL)Music for this song can be found in The Psalter Hymnal © 1987, Christian Reformed Church in North America #520 or through the Hal Leonard choral company. Written by Herbert G. Draesel, Jr., this setting of the Nicene Creed arose as part of a post-Vatican II movement to set the creed and other texts in what was the style of that era. This setting first appeared in Draesel’s 1964 folk mass titled Rejoice. Draesel’s setting helpfully renders the text word-for-word (depending on which translation you use), though he does use the first-person singular pronoun “I believe” instead of the first-person plural “We believe.” (See the sidebar in "The Nicene Creed at 1700 Years") The melody meanders a bit, giving the setting a chant-like feel and leaving the singer with the sense that Draesel wisely allowed the text to lead the music. As you sing through the creedal sections on Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and burial, you will notice some effective word painting as the often-minor harmonizations bring those sections to life.Liturgical and Musical SuggestionsDraesel wrote this setting to be performed by a youth choir accompanied by an acoustic guitar. If you choose to lead it this way, consider doubling the melody with a piano or other lead instrument to assist your congregants as they sing. If you lead it with an organ or piano, consider asking a soloist or small group of voices to help lead.The tempo markings at “Who for us and our salvation” and “and the third day he rose again” are Draesel’s own suggestions. They slow down the song, allowing for deeper meditation on the acts of the incarnate Christ.Once the song is learned, consider rising as a congregation at “and the third day he rose again” to help embody Christ’s resurrection and to “lift” the song a bit. Remain standing through the end. Modified ChantIf none of these musical settings of the Nicene Creed feel right for your congregation, consider setting it yourself in a modified chant—speaking the creed and having the congregation join in on a refrain. The creed can be split into three sections: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Consider having a leader read each of these sections, and punctuate each section with a robust congregational singing of “We believe!” “Lord, We Believe”This setting (see print or digital library p. 36) provides a congregational refrain and a tone for playing behind the reading. The simple refrain is written for unison voices on the melody. The tone can be vamped by a piano, a lightly textured organ, or a small team of musicians. Be sure to practice with your reader on the timing of the readings and how they sit overtop of the tone progressions. Ideally, your reader would also be able to help lead the sung refrains (at least while the congregation is still learning them).“This Is Our God”An arrangement for piano and congregation is found in the print and digital library p. 37, while additional lead sheets and audio recordings are available at sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/this-is-our-god. Written by Sovereign Grace, this creed-inspired song may well be one your congregation would sing, but you might consider using the chorus as a congregational refrain following the reading of each section of the creed and not use the stanzas. The chord structure of the intro (the first eight measures) works well for a quiet piano or full-band vamp behind the reading, and it moves nicely into the II chord that starts the refrain. As recorded by Sovereign Grace, the song has a straightforward drive, but feel free to slow down the tempo and allow the chorus to breathe if used in this way.

This prayer invites us to embody our confession through the simple motion of placing our hands on our hearts, then touching our lips and then our head before holding out our hands. Consider using this prayer throughout Lent to help your congregation engage this act of worship in a deeper way. —RW   Call to Confession Worship always involves reorientation. When we gather for worship, when we sing the songs, when we pray the prayers of the faith, when we open God’s Word, we are reminded of the way things really are—of the story that is true. And when we hear this story, it confronts us in the places of our hearts and lives where we have headed off in the wrong direction, the places where we have sinned, the places where we need to be reoriented, the places where we need to repent and ask for forgiveness. We will do that together now. But I would like to ask us this morning to recognize in our confession the same parts of our bodies that we have used to participate in sin this week. As I lead this prayer, I will ask you first to place a hand on your heart, then to place a hand on your lips, then to place a hand on your head, and last to hold out your hands. Let us pray. Prayer of Confession Most gracious heavenly Father, we come before you this morning in a time of confession. We place our hands on our hearts, knowing from the prophet Jeremiah that “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Lord, we confess that this is true of us. We know that our hearts are fickle. We confess that our hearts at times feel divided by warring allegiances and that we can feel torn between two masters. We desire wrong things, and we desire good things in wrong ways. We acknowledge the sin that resides in our hearts. We repent, and we return to you. We place our hands on our lips, knowing Jesus’ words that “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). Forgive us, Lord, for the times when we did not speak the words of truth or confrontation that we should have. Forgive us for the times when we spoke words that attacked and injured rather than healed and encouraged. And forgive us for the times when we spoke the right words but failed to back them up with right actions. We acknowledge the sin that infects our words. We repent, and we return to you. We place our hands on our heads, knowing that Paul calls us to “set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). We admit that we have often failed to do so. We are so easily distracted from meditating on your Word. We are convinced by hollow and deceptive philosophies. We are quick to judge but ever-so-patient when holding grudges. We acknowledge the sin that takes our minds captive. We repent, and we return to you. We hold our hands open before you, knowing James’s admonition that our wisdom and understanding should be shown by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (James 3:13). You have called us, Lord, not just to feel or think rightly, but to act rightly, and we have often neglected to do so. We have used our hands to grab and stockpile rather than to give and share. We have used our hands not simply to work in and cultivate your world, but to ravage and abuse it. We have used our hands to build up our earthly kingdoms, forgetting that you have called us to be those who usher in your heavenly kingdom. We acknowledge the sin we have committed with our hands. We repent, and we return to you. Lord, we thank you that in Jesus you know what it is to be human. And we thank you that there is no attitude or action of sin—spoken or silent, visible or invisible—that falls beyond the bounds of your grace. We thank you that where our sin abounds, your mercy abounds all the more. And we thank you for Jesus, God incarnate, who has rescued, redeemed, and restored us. We pray this all in his matchless name. Amen.

Advent is a time of waiting, longing for light to shine in the darkness. To me, there always seems to be a time-travel element to the observation of Advent. We try to use Advent to connect with the Old Testament saints, sisters and brothers who were looking for the long-awaited Immanuel. We try to connect with the future, looking forward to our Savior’s return. We try to engage with the present, acknowledging the darkness we live with and seeking the light that overcomes. In Advent 2021, we were seeking that light in earnest as we continued to deal with large-scale issues of a global pandemic, racial injustice, and political division. Sometimes the most helpful thing to do is take a step back and realize that we’re part of a story and struggle that’s been going on for millenia. Century after century, our Christian sisters and brothers have experienced light in their own dark places and then brought that light of hope to hurting places. So we decided to spend a Wednesday night as a congregation reconnecting with those sisters and brothers who went before. We held this service by candlelight, which gave it an air of mystery and contemplation as we heard the ancient wisdom of Athanasius, the poetry of Prudentis and Ambrose, and the legend of Catherine. We’re so thankful for a modern-day renaissance of reviving old texts and putting old poems to new tunes, allowing us to access and engage the ancient world of the early church. In dark times, it’s good to be reminded that we’re not alone, that we’re part of a bigger story than we know, and that light always shines in the darkness. This service worked well with minimal house lighting and maximum candle lighting. The readings were led by different church members. All music was led with minimal layers and simple textures, using different combinations of a piano, an acoustic guitar, and one male and one female vocalist. As written, this service lasted about thirty-five minutes. Introduction It is Advent. A season of hope. Of darkness waiting for light. Of promises waiting for fulfillment. Our theology teaches us that when we worship, we do so not alone, but with an entire orchestra of voices from across all times and all places. Tonight our particular focus is on joining together with our oldest Christian brothers and sisters, learning from them, and singing with them. As we speak and as we sing, we wait with eager expectation for the advent of our Savior, who came to the manger in Bethlehem, who is coming even today into our hearts, and who will come again to make good on all of God’s redemptive promises. Hear the Word of the Lord, who invites us to worship: Call to Worship The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. —Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV) [Observe a full thirty seconds of silence] Opening Prayer [Pianist quietly plays “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”] Reflection Our first hymn invites us to step back—from the busyness, the bustle, the noise. It invites us to keep silence with the angels and to contemplate the beauty of God, especially the beauty of God in the flesh, the mystery of Jesus’ coming. This hymn was written sometime around AD 275. It was first used in worship services in Syria, where it continues to be sung today even as we sing it now. Hymn “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” Moultrie (trans.), LUYH 821, GtG 347 In the early fourth century, there were many questions about who Jesus was. How could he be both truly God and truly human? Many in the church were offering alternate ideas. Perhaps Jesus was just a good man who showed us the way to God. Perhaps he was an angel who disguised himself as a human being. Athanasius wrote a long and complex work to defend the biblical and orthodox teaching that Jesus was truly God in the flesh. Throughout this book Athanasius defends the ideas of the incarnation, the virgin birth, and the deity of Christ. The book is titled simply On the Incarnation of the Word of God. This defense of doctrine became the backbone for the Nicene Creed and later the creed named after Athanasius. In the passage from the book that we will listen to now, Athanasius tells us the reason Jesus came was to save humanity from utter annihilation, both spiritually and physically. Athanasius writes: The readings from Athanasius are adapted from chapters 2–3 of On the Incarnation, John Behr, ed. (Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1996). Reader 1: “What is needed to recall us from our corruption and hurt? What grace could possibly suffice to restore human beings? Who, save the Word of God Himself? The same Word that in the beginning had made all things out of nothing. This Word, and this Word alone, could bring the corrupted to incorruption. “For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God entered our world. In one sense, indeed, He was not far from it before—for no part of creation had ever been without Him who fills all things that are. “But now, He entered the world in a new way, stooping to our level in His love and self-revealing to us. He saw the human race wasting away. He saw death reigning over all in corruption. All this He saw and pitied our race. He was moved with compassion for our limitations. Rather than see us come to nought, He took to Himself a body, a human body even as our own. “Perhaps He could have shown us His divine majesty in some other and better way. But there was no better way to show His sheer love for us. Without Him, the human race would have perished utterly. The supreme goodness of God would not allow this to happen.” [Pianist quietly plays “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”] A few years after Athanasius wrote these words in Africa, a poet in Spain named Prudentius—the greatest Christian poet of his time—took many of these ideas and put them into a poem. This poem invites us to celebrate both the divinity of Jesus and the divine love shown when Jesus took on flesh and dwelt among us. Hymn “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” Prudentius, trans. Neale and Baker, LUYH 78, GtG 108 Reflection Later in Athanasius’s book, he tells us that Jesus, the incarnate God, is the perfect revelation of who God is. Do you want to know what God is like? Just look at Jesus! He is the Creator become a creature, the author become a character, the painter becoming the perfect image of all that he is. This is what Athanasius wrote: Reader 2: “All human beings are made in the image of God, but Jesus is the Image Absolute. Through this great gift, we apprehend the Father. “God gave humans His image, His law, the writings of the prophets, the beauties of this creation, the immensities of heaven. So great is the goodness and love of God. Yet human beings did not lift up their heads toward the truth. “What was God to do in face of this universal hiding? Was He to keep silence? His love would not allow it! The Image of the Father came and dwelt in our midst in order to renew the human race’s knowledge of God.” [Pianist quietly plays “Creator of the Stars of Night”] Reflection Ambrose is known as one of the “Doctors of the Church.” This designation was given to church leaders who ministered in profound ways, often during particularly divisive times. Their leadership helped the church through danger into times of great blessing. Ambrose is best known for two things. He is the pastor who helped Augustine come to faith in Jesus, and then mentored him as Augustine became one of the great figures of the early church. But Ambrose is also known for being a hymn writer. The way he served the church was primarily through composing hymns, giving God’s people songs to help shape them and form them in the faith. One of Ambrose’s hymns, “Creator of the Stars of Night,” encapsulates the beauty of our Creator responding to our cursed state by becoming one of us, demonstrating that incredible love of which Athanasius wrote. Hymn “Creator of the Stars of Night” Neale (trans.), LUYH 71, GtG 84 Reader 3: Catherine was an Egyptian woman born in AD 287. She was the daughter of the governor of the city of Alexandria, and she dedicated herself to studying philosophy and literature. This led her to Jewish and Christian scriptures and writings. At an early age, she became a Christian. By the age of fourteen, she began teaching and preaching about Jesus and led hundreds of people to Christ. She became well known as a scholar, philosopher, preacher, and evangelist. Although Egypt enjoyed some religious freedoms, Christians were being persecuted in many other parts of the Roman Empire. Catherine drew the attention of the emperor, and he summoned her to his court in Rome. There, Catherine publicly rebuked him for his persecution of Christians. Intrigued by her exceptional intellectual and rhetorical skills, the emperor challenged Catherine to debate fifty of the most respected pagan philosophers from around the Roman Empire. The emperor was sure that if a prominent Christian leader like Catherine could be persuaded to reject her faith, many others would follow. Instead, through the course of the debate, Catherine spoke so eloquently and faithfully that several of the pagan philosophers declared that they would put their faith in Christ. The emperor had them beheaded immediately. Nothing would persuade Catherine to reject Jesus as her Lord. The remaining pagan philosophers could not win the debate. So the emperor ordered Catherine imprisoned. During her imprisonment, many curious members of the emperor’s court came to visit this exceptional young woman. Catherine proclaimed the gospel, and many were converted to Christianity. Some early Christian writings claim the emperor’s own wife was one such convert. Eventually Catherine was put to death at age eighteen. Christians in Egypt and the Middle East still celebrate her legacy with simple meals of hummus, tabbouleh, melon, and special cookies, and fireworks are set off as a reminder of Catherine’s explosive ministry even in the face of death. [Pianist quietly plays “O Come, Redeemer of the Earth”] Catherine is a reminder that the light of Christ continues to shine in the darkness, even during times when darkness seems to be so strong. God has always raised up women and men, young and old, to continue shining the gospel light of hope down through the ages. Advent is a period of waiting, hoping, and longing. Truly we are “the people walking in darkness” (Isaiah 9:2, NIV). It is this journey through darkness that reminds us just how much we need the light. So we observe Advent, reminding ourselves just how much we need our Rescuer to come. Another hymn by Ambrose, “O Come, Redeemer of the Earth,” has been one of the most-used hymn texts in the history of the church and is always sung around the time of Advent to express our longing for Jesus. Hymn: “O Come, Redeemer of the Earth” Getty Reflection As Fleming Rutledge reminds us in her book Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ, “Advent begins in the dark and moves toward the light.” We do not walk in darkness without hope. The prophet Isaiah declares, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2, NIV). The gospel writer John agrees: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (John 1:1–5, 9, NIV). Let us close our time of worship together by singing “Phos Hilaron,” which means “O Gracious Light.” This song is widely considered to be the earliest example of a complete Christian hymn. It is often sung during the evening lighting of the lamps, the light of which reminds the Christian of the living light of Jesus Christ—God with us, Emmanuel. Hymn “Phos Hilaron” Bridges (trans.), LUYH 393, GtG 672; Flanigan, tinyurl.com/PhosHilaron1 Benediction

Sometimes our human limitations frustrate us. Sometimes they discourage us. Sometimes they anger us. Ultimately, however, despite how we may feel about them moment by moment, our human limitations are gifts that point us toward God’s limitlessness.

Mary’s posture of treasuring and pondering is the most appropriate one we can take in the midst of this Advent season. Therefore, it is important for us to pause in the middle of the hustle and bustle, and to join Mary in treasuring and pondering.