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from Rev. C. Nels Ledwell

 

As I promised last week when we studied the Nicene Creed, we will take a look at another early-Church Creed.

 

Athanasius, known as Athanasius of Alexandria, was the 20th bishop of Alexandria. His intermittent episcopacy spanned 45 years, of which over 17 encompassed five exiles. He is traditionally thought to be the author of the this Creed named after him. It was created to guard Nicene Christianity from the heresy of Arianism. It is widely accepted as orthodox and some abreviated version of it are still in use today. And yes, the intro and outro are actually part of the original text.

 

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith.

 

Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally.

 

Now this is the catholic faith:

 

That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons
nor dividing their essence.

For the person of the Father is a distinct person,
the person of the Son is another,
and that of the Holy Spirit still another.
But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,
their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

 

What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has.
The Father is uncreated,
the Son is uncreated,
the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

 

The Father is immeasurable,
the Son is immeasurable,
the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.
The Father is eternal,
the Son is eternal,

 

the Holy Spirit is eternal.
And yet there are not three eternal beings;
there is but one eternal being.
So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;

there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.

 

Similarly, the Father is almighty,

          the Son is almighty,
          the Holy Spirit is almighty.

Yet there are not three almighty beings;
there is but one almighty being.

 

Thus the Father is God,
the Son is God,
the Holy Spirit is God.
          Yet there are not three gods;
          there is but one God.

 

Thus the Father is Lord,
the Son is Lord,
the Holy Spirit is Lord.
          Yet there are not three lords;
          there is but one Lord.

 

Just as Christian truth compels us
to confess each person individually
as both God and Lord,
so catholic religion forbids us
to say that there are three gods or lords.

 

The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone.
The Son was neither made nor created;
he was begotten from the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten;
he proceeds from the Father and the Son.

 

Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers;
there is one Son, not three sons;
there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.

 

Nothing in this trinity is before or after,
nothing is greater or smaller;
in their entirety the three persons
are coeternal and coequal with each other.
So in everything, as was said earlier,
we must worship their trinity in their unity
and their unity in their trinity.

 

Anyone then who desires to be saved
should think thus about the trinity.

 

But it is necessary for eternal salvation
that one also believe in the incarnation
of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

 

Now this is the true faith:

 

That we believe and confess
that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
is both God and human, equally.

 

He is God from the essence of the Father,
begotten before time;
and he is human from the essence of his mother,
born in time;
completely God, completely human,
with a rational soul and human flesh;
equal to the Father as regards divinity,
less than the Father as regards humanity.

 

Although he is God and human,
yet Christ is not two, but one.

He is one, however,
not by his divinity being turned into flesh,
but by God’s taking humanity to himself.
He is one,
certainly not by the blending of his essence,
but by the unity of his person.
For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh,
so too the one Christ is both God and human.

 

He suffered for our salvation;
he descended to hell;
he arose from the dead;
he ascended to heaven;
he is seated at the Father’s right hand;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
At his coming all people will arise bodily
and give an accounting of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life,
and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

 

This is the catholic faith:
one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.

________________________________________

 

This ecumenical creed (428 A.D.) is probably unknown to most Christians because it is seldom, if ever, used in worship services. It is probably not used because of its length. The Nicene Creed has eighteen printed lines, whereas the Athanasian has 69. It is difficult for congregations to use because of the creed’s intricate and complex terms.

 

Though the creed carries the name of Athanasius, he did not write it. It was the product of the church of his time. The creed was named after him to honor him for his brave and forceful defense of the Trinity. Athanasius (289-373) was a bishop in Alexandria, Egypt.

 

The creed deals primarily with the Trinity and Jesus as the Son of God. At this time, the heresy of Arius was prominent. He taught that Jesus was not fully human or divine and that the Holy Spirit was not God but only a divine influence. The Athanasian Creed denounced these false teachings and upheld the doctrine of the Trinity. Luther’s high regard for this creed was expressed: “I doubt, since the days of the Apostles, anything more important and more glorious has ever been written in the church of the New Testament.”

 

As we move towards becoming an independent Church, it is important for us to be reminded of our orthodox theology influenced by John Wesley and the early Methodists. Next week we will study the Apostle’s Creed.

 

See you in Church or online this Sunday!

 

Your Pastor,
Nels

 

Second Sunday After Pentecost
Annual Conference Report by Wendy Kvale

Scripture Lesson: Acts 15: 36-41

Reference Texts: Isaiah 43:19

                                Mark 9: 38-41

Message: “A Day of New Beginnings”

 

 

Food for Thought: A farmer secretly paid for his neighbors’ prescriptions for years. Would you give this way to others — even if you wouldn’t receive any public recognition or reward?

 

This is a story of true kindness from the heart – it is found and reprinted from the website of The Guardian, an independent, reader-funded news source. It’s the story of a man named Hody Childress who made anonymous cash donations to a pharmacy in the farming town of Geraldine, Alabama, helping neighbors struggling to pay for their prescription medications.

 

In 2010, Mr. Childress walked into Geraldine Drugs and pulled Dr. Heather Walker, the pharmacist, aside. “‘I have a question,’” she recalled him saying, “‘Do you ever have anyone who can’t pay for their medication?’” “‘Well, yeah, that happens a good bit,’” she told him.

 

He handed her a folded hundred-dollar bill and said, “‘The next time that happens, I want you to use this. I want it to be anonymous. I don’t want to know any details on who you use it on, just tell them this is a blessing from the Lord,’” he told her.

 

He came back a month later with another folded bill, a practice he continued until late 2022, when he became too ill with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to leave his home. At that point, he decided to confide his secret to one other person, his daughter, Tania Nix, who promised to carry on the contributions.

 

Mr. Childress’s daughter said of her father’s act of kindness, “I think he felt like he couldn’t not give. Giving that way, that just got on his heart and he felt like he needed to do it.” The pharmacist shared these words about his generosity: “There are so many people in Geraldine who have lived longer because of Hody. He was a true humble servant who will always be loved.”

 

It was only after his death in January at age 80 that the wider community learned of Hody’s good deed. Now, his family and donors from across the United States have vowed to continue his legacy. The kindness from his heart became a gift that will keep on giving for many years to come!

 

Mr. Childress honored Jesus’ instruction to us from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6: 3-4 – But when you do a kindness to someone, do it secretly—don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing,4 And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

 

Speaking of kindnesses from the heart, this week’s kindness entry, a very inspiring response received following last week’s Kindness Update, is a really good example: “That (Vietnam War Memorial) wall brings so many tears, and yes, stories! I’ve been there several times to trace names for friends who could not get there… it was amazing every time I went!”

 

 

1) Be a blessing to others by sharing your Act of Kindness (no names please) on our website, or use this link! Then check back each week to learn how others are passing on acts of kindness! The link is https://www.mccormickmc.org/acts-of-kindness

 

2) There is a Kindness box in the library on the window sill, along with paper and pencil. Share your God-Wink, perhaps someone else will be inspired!

 

First Tuesday
Stephen Ministry

 

One recent Sunday Pastor Nels sermon included the following quote on the screen,

 

“When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words.” ~Thelma Davis

 

Got me to thinking … that this is what Stephen Ministers do. We listen … and, if someone doesn’t want to talk, that is okay. We can just listen to the silence. Hopefully, it’s through our ‘presence’ that the Holy Spirit does its job and brings about ‘God’s peace’ from anxiety, fear, and the angst of difficult times.

 

If you would like to take advantage of the ‘presence’ of a Stephen Minister, start by calling Pastor Nels or one of the Stephen Leaders thru the church office at (864) 852-2394.

 

Plenty of room for volunteers to host! You can ask a partner to join you as host. Goodies do not have to be home-made, store-bought are just fine! There is a sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall, Also, if you have not done it before, Carol Myers will be happy to work with you!

 

The Congregational Care Committee wants you to know they are there to help you if you ever need transportation, meals or a visitor! Please contact Kim Jackson if you or someone you know needs help or if you would like to be added to the list of volunteers.

 

 

 

 

 

“The Chosen” Bible Study began on Monday. It is not too late to join us!

 

We will gather together for dinner each Monday during the study, then view an episode of The Chosen. After each episode we will break into small groups and study the scripture from that particular episode. All are welcome to attend! The study begins June 5th and runs until July 31st. We will not meet on July 3rd.

 

For those who haven’t seen season 1 yet, a link to the series is provided below. It’s free to watch and you’re encouraged to “Binge Jesus” although, you don’t have to have watched season 1 to attend the study but we’re sure you’ll go back to watch it after you’ve seen season 2!

 

Sign up sheets will be in Fellowship Hall at the church or you can email Kim Jackson.

 

The Chosen – click this link for The Chosen then select season 1 from the drop down menu.

 

The Men N Ministry will be serving pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee after church on Sunday, June 11. John Yerdon will be mixing his own pancake batter for the event. A $ 5.00 donation will get you the works. The men will be donating proceeds to the church kitchen renovation project. We will be using our new warming oven to keep sausages and pancakes heated. This will offer faster service and warm food. Please plan on attending this fun and enjoyable church breakfast.

 

Thanks – Bob Rennie

 

NOTE: If you can help John prepare, cook, or serve the pancakes, there is a sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall.

 

Fabulous Fun Sisters in Faith Retreat—1st EVER/Education Committee & Maxine Dunn

 

Our retreat foundation is based on Mark 6:31 “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone, and you can rest a while”. Well, ok Hickory Knob isn’t in the wilderness, it’s just across the street, but how many of us take the time to relax and just enjoy ourselves with our Christian sisters? Thinking it would be fun to re-group and get to know one another…let the fun begin!!

 

The retreat (details forthcoming in another BLAST) will be Friday night August 4th and Saturday August 5th. The rooms are for one night only and are double occupancy, so grab a roomy or just sign up and be surprised!

 

What you need to do now is check your calendar, if you’re available write a commitment check to McCormick United Methodist Church for $25 and put EDUCATION COMMITTEE on it. This is holding your half of a room, the park is crowded in the summer and if we don’t fill the rooms we’ll need to give them back.

 

Activities will be Friday night and Saturday morning through lunch. Details will be worked out as we find out how many women will be involved.

 

Those women who would like to join us for Saturday morning activities only please call one of us and let us know you’re interested so we can plan. All are welcome and you can be a part of the program, or a participant! Let the Holy Spirit direct you!!!

 

Questions? Please call Maxine Dunn, or Kim Jackson or Wendy Kvale.

 

Mark your calendars… Sept 24 at 10am.. service, followed by picnic at Baker Creek!

 

More details when we get closer.