I Believe: October 10 Sermon Discussion Guide
This week, we further explored the belief we profess in Jesus through the Apostles’ Creed by examining the statement, “He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”
Mention of the virgin birth in the Apostles’ Creed serves a number of different notable functions:
To harken the believing community back to accounts of miraculous births in our Scriptures See, for example, the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, and the birth of Samuel to Hannah.
To highlight Jesus’ divinity. Luke 1:35 suggests that because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, he will be called the Son of God. Throughout history, when the virgin birth has been denied, the Deity of Christ has been denied.
To remind the believing community that we profess a faith infused and saturated with the miraculous in the midst of the mundane. God was born of a woman and went through every stage of human development. Before Jesus healed diseases during his earthly ministry, he caused morning sickness and a great deal of discomfort.
The same Holy Spirit who was present at creation “hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2) is also present to Mary at the annunciation of Christ’s birth: “The Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).
For many, the problem with reciting these words is that the virgin birth doesn’t align with what we know about the natural world. This struggle exists not only with regard to profession of faith in the virgin birth, but also with regard to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The resurrection—the lynchpin of our faith—is unbelievable if we are limited to the confines of how our world operates.
How does confession of belief in miracles like the virgin birth shape the way you think about God’s work in the world?
Theologian Karl Rahner said, “I don’t just believe in miracles, I rely on them to get through each day!” What sorts of miracles might we overlook on a daily basis, and what effect might missing those miracles have upon the life of faith?
In what areas of your life do you notice the Spirit of God working creatively? What areas might you need to surrender so that that creative work can begin anew?