There aren’t many greater joys for me than visiting a thriving estate church.
A recent visit to St Barnabas, Hattersley had oodles of highlights. Those involved in the service met early to pray in a little side room littered with children’s toys, I either had to stand throughout or perch on a dolls house! Yet the sense of expectation was palpable. The heavenly smell of toast signalled it was time to stop and join the melee of people “being family” whilst adding butter and jam. There is a culture here that seems to ensure everyone feels included.
Sam (the vicar) braved an open mic session that seemed to fluctuate been miraculous God only testimonies, generously vulnerable requests for prayer and an update on what people had for breakfast or the latest antic of their aunties pet. I felt honoured to contribute some teaching which was sandwiched between purposeful, powerful sung worship. The service was closed out as we stood to recite The Nicene Creed. The ancient liturgy was a little different too, someone on the sound desk pressed play on a compelling video that seemed to dispel any sense of monotony and instantly reignited the flames of faith. I was deeply moved as we declared “We believe”.
“I was deeply moved as we declared We believe”.
I wonder whether Constantine and his first council of Nicene had any idea that their words would be recited on a council estate on the edge of East Manchester some 1700 miles away and exactly 1700 years later. The Nicene Creed was written in 325 AD at a time of deep division and uncertainty within the early church. Church leaders gathered to clarify what Christians believed about Jesus, seeking unity in faith amid conflict, persecution, and political upheaval. The council’s of Nicene’s hard fought for words have proved to be a unifying statement of faith across diverse denominations, nations, cultures and classes. But surely it is irrelevant to our generation and even more so those on the margins?
I disagree.
The Creed begins with “We believe…”. This communal voice was radical in the early centuries.
For those experiencing poverty — who often felt excluded from political and civic belonging — saying “We believe” placed them on the inside, amongst the community of believers. There is no part of this creed reserved for educated or the affluent. Whether emperor or impoverished, bishop or bankrupt, politician or poverty-stricken all share the same confession. Reciting the Creed meant proclaiming a worldview in which every person is created by the Father, every person is redeemed by the death of Christ and every person is made alive by the Holy Spirit. This gave them a counter-identity against social stigma.
“For those experiencing poverty this was one of
the rare contexts where they had equal status. “
In the early church, the Creed was recited at baptism. Rich and poor alike stood next to one another, answering the same questions, confessing the same faith, receiving the same water. For those experiencing poverty this was one of the rare contexts where they had equal status. Therefore the Creed served as a reminder of our equality before God. Although packed with theological complexity the creed functioned as a short summary of orthodox faith, something the illiterate or uneducated could memorise. Near the end of his life, after delivering a lecture the theologian Karl Barth was asked how he would summarise the millions of words he had written about Christian theology. He reportedly replied “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
I feel the creed offers the same depth in simplicity, a way in which orthodoxy could be owned and understood. It gave the powerless a voice of authority they could rely on. For most of Christian history, the poorest could not read scripture therefore the Creed became a kind of miniature catechism, an “oral Bible” they could learn by heart and even pass on to family or friends. The Creed says:
“For us and for our salvation he came down
from heaven…and became truly human.”
For those experiencing poverty, this meant God identifies with their humanity. Christ shares in their sufferings. His was the life of the lowly, the hungry and the oppressed. The God we confess has honoured the poorest by becoming one of them.
The Creed ends with “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”
For those experiencing poverty — often living short, harsh, and insecure lives — these lines were a promise. That the injustice they faced was not final and that their suffering has an end. It served as a reminder that their lives matter eternally. In medieval poverty, famine, slavery and plagues, the Creed was often recited as a hope-speech.
And I believe it is still a hope speech and one that should be declared in all churches, as one church, united in God. Whether council estate or country estate say it with me “We believe…”
Take a moment to watch the video and hear the Nicene Creed brought to life. You might even consider sharing it in your church service as a reminder that when we say “We believe,” we stand together across time and place.
You can download this video for use in your services here.
Blog photo by Leslaw Walas used with permission, taken at Harpurhey Community Church.