Introduction
Today we are going to continue our preaching series entitled Christianity 101, as we explore our faith using the Apostles' Creed as our guide. Thus far we have looked at an overview of the importance of this creed, and the first affirmation, “I Believe in God the Father Almighty”. Today we are going to look at the next affirmation, “Creator of Heaven and Earth” as we seek to understand the depth of God as creator and what that means for our lives of faith.
God's Fingerprints on the Earth
I love mysteries. Mystery movies, mystery books, mysteries caused by my children like the curious case of the always open refrigerator, or the mysterious case of the never closed back door. They are fun to try and solve. But the only way to solve them is to look for clues. Those sometimes infinitesimal traces of what happened when no one was looking. For us, our God is a mystery. A wonderful mystery.
So for us to proclaim, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth”, what does that mean? Well, let us look at the clues. I believe that God has left his fingerprints all over the universe for us to discover. Think about it this way. Suppose you were to visit my house while I was not there. How much could you learn about my family just from looking around? You might suspect that we had lots of children from examining all the toys in one of the rooms, but from counting the kids’ beds you would discover we only have two sons. You would know that one person is a huge fan of Tampa Bay sports like the Lightning the Rays, and most especially the Buccaneers, from seeing all of the memorabilia that graces the walls of one room. You see pictures on the walls from places like Egypt, London, and Jerusalem, so would see we like to travel. And you would find lots of books and CD’s, indicating our love of reading and music. There’s a lot more a careful observer could discover about the Allen family just by rummaging around through our drawers and bookshelves. The clues are everywhere for those who care to look.
So for us to go out into the world, God's creation, He’s left clues everywhere about what kind of God he is. When you stand at the Grand Canyon, you can’t help but be overwhelmed at the mighty power of God to create such magnificence. When you look to the oceans, He is as infinite as the dark recesses of the mighty Atlantic. Each snowflake testifies to his uniqueness, each color in the Aurora Borealis points to his creativity. God has left his fingerprints all over this world.
While the wonders created by the hand of God are timeless and ageless, it does not stop there. We go back to Scripture and we read in the beginning of Genesis, “God created the heavens and the earth.” We read about there was nothing and out of that nothing God created something. We read about how there was nothing but darkness and it was in response to that darkness that God created light, simply because he spoke it into existence. The sky, the water, the land, the animals, all created because God spoke them into being. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).
I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth.
Not Done Yet!
But our Creator is not done yet! There is more, something better. Humanity. From the dust of the earth humanity is formed. And just formed but formed in the image of God. Created out of a love and desire for relationship. Just looking at what is around us, being thankful we are a part of it, these are the fingerprints of God beckoning to us, come to me, live with me, let me live through you!
The Psalms are full of this type of sentiment. From our lesson today, Psalm 33:1-9: “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
The work of God to create is what prompted not only this passage of praise but the the affirmation in the Apostles' Creed that we are looking at today. I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. “The Apostles' Creed is not just a doctrine to be believed; it is a truth to be celebrated.”1
So What?!?
As I often ask myself when I put my messages together, I will ask you now...so what? So what that God made the heavens and the earth. So what that God made everything within the earth. So what that God made humanity.
The so what is this. When we affirm that God is the creator of heaven and earth we are attributing to God the enormity of this creation. We are placing our faith in God and giving God credit for this entire created order. We are saying that God created all of this and wonder it sparks in us. We are saying that we do not believe God to be some cosmic bell boy that caters to our whims and will. We are saying that the one who loved us first, the one that created us out of nothing, the one that calls us into relationship, is the ruler of our lives. We are saying that we will place all of our faith, trust, and devotion in him. We are saying God is in control. That God sits on the throne and he is our eternal King. “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Conclusion
Our God has left his fingerprints all over this earth and I encourage you to look for them and be reminded of his vastness. Be reminded that God is to be the focus of our worship, the leader of our body, the sovereign Lord of our lives.
It is awe inspiring to look around this creation and see that which God created. It is even greater still to know that the one that created all of it, call to us to be his followers. Psalm 100:3 says it best, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
My prayer for each and every one of you is that you will see and recognize God’s fingerprints throughout the world and be drawn into a closer relationship with the Almighty Father who created you, that loves you, and that calls out to you.
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1. Tennet, Timothy. This We Believe!. Published by Seedbed, 2012.
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