There are certain phrases, proverbs, and even songs that are so pervasive in our society that all you have to do to get someone to say or sing them with you is to start them off. See if you can finish these: "Better late..." "A bird in the hand is worth..." "Take me out to the..." See what I mean? There are some bits of language that are so embedded in our culture that the chances of someone raised in the culture NOT knowing them is slim to none...and this is just a tiny sampling. Feel free to come up with several more of your own.

This also applies to other cultures or even subcultures within our own. In particular, I am thinking of words or idioms that we use in the church that those outside it may not readily understand or may require some explanation. I usually call these "churchy words." Others have called it "churchese." Urbandictionary.com defines churchese as "Words that are common within the church setting and are familiar to only those who attend church." Example: "Jim was speaking in churchese and I had no idea what he was talking about." Whether it is big theological words like justification and Vicarious atonement, or certain hymns that everyone in our tradition is expected to know, we have some common language to describe our experience as God's people, to lean into it, and even to celebrate it. All of this helps to forge a common identity, but it can also be offputting for those who don't initially get it, or don't stick around long enough to have someone explain it to them. That's a different issue that we won't address here, but it can be one of the reasons why people are hesitant to cross the threshold of a church building.

Regardless, one of the most important pieces of our vernacular as a Christian community, and specifically as Lutheran Christians, is the Creed. Or we could use the plural "creeds" to refer to the 3 ecumenical creeds. Whether it's the brevity and efficiency of the Apostles' Creed, the defense of Jesus' divinity that we declare in the Nicene Creed, or the deep, rich complexity of the Athanasian Creed, the time we spend expressing verbally what we believe is foundational for us. Luther rightly places his emphasis on the first of these three ecumenical creeds in his small catechism to ensure that anyone who has been properly trained in Christian belief comes into contact with a set of statements that begin to express the most important touch points of our faith. For New Testament believers in the God of the Old Testament (YHWH, as His Hebrew name is often transliterated), the Apostles' Creed is our expression of faith in a nutshell.

For the Old Testament believers, who trusted in YHWH God to lead them to the Promised Land and establish them there, the record of their beliefs and stories were written down in what we know today as the first 5 books of the Bible: the Torah or Pentateuch. These were the books Moses wrote down for God's people by His direction as a record of their history to that point. Most members of God's family knew these words by heart, much like we memorize Bible verses and parts of Luther's Small Catechism during the faith-forming journey of Confirmation. In that era, there were no chapters and verses assigned to these passages. They were so well known that if someone from that community began reciting a few words of a passage, everyone would be able to pick right up with them, like singing "Happy Birthday" in our culture.

Firmly ensconced in the tradition of the Torah is the creedal statement of the Old Testament people of YHWH. It's called "The Great Shema," a title based on the first word in the sentence. It's found most clearly in Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one." Monotheism was the most important theological doctrine of God's people, all the way up to Jesus' time. In fact, the idea that Jesus was God Himself flew in the face of this, and was the motivating factor in the Sanhedrin's inciting the crowd to call out, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" on Good Friday. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity would have been just as odious to them, even though it was clearly expressed by Jesus (Matthew 28:19) and is at the heart of our beliefs. Just look how the Apostles' Creed is arranged.

So, why am I bringing all of this up? Because I want you to focus on that first word in that sentence. The Great Shema. "Hear" Or, better translated, "Listen." Listen in to what God is saying. Lean in to hear...sometimes He whispers. His Word is full of plenty of episodes where He shouts. Where His power is writ large (i.e., the parting of the Red Sea, the fire and smoke on Mt. Sinai). Where He is absolutely clear about His will and plan (the Ten Commandments). But there are also ways that these faithful words whisper to us from across the millennia, inviting us to walk with Jesus. Some people search for THE Truth their entire lives, with ears roaming all over the place, hoping to catch just a tiny fragment. Yet we know One who is the Way to walk with YHWH, the abiding and solid Truth, and a Life that never ends. Jesus. He's whispering through the pages of Scripture, and His Spirit continues to nudge you to follow Him, to get going. Will you "hear"? Will you "listen"? Will you follow? When you do, I'm certain you will find that...

Adventure is out there!
Pastor Aaron