Great idea for a sermon series!
At the CCC where I Pastor at the moment we regularly recite the Apostles Creed before receiving communion.

I did a short (2 part) series on the person and work of Christ last year and distributed a copy of the Nicene when talking about the deity of Jesus.

At the time I didn’t go through the creed just referenced it as the outcome of the council once Athanasius and Arius had finished their show down.

But got quite a few concerned and genuine questions about a few of the phrases. So I followed up with a short explanation a few weeks later.

As for the strengths and weaknesses - ditto. But the value is in the understanding of the creed. There are a plethora of Children and Adults that have memorised Psalm 23 & John 3:16 that haven’t the foggiest about them. It’s just a recitation memorised like one of Shakespeare’s poems.

The creeds capture and keep us connected to historical orthodoxy. Always good to check them against the latest “contextualised theology” as a yard stick.

Al.

Thanks Sandy for the prompt.  At the church I pastor we have stopped reciting the creeds for some of the reasons you and Philip have stated.  Yet clearly their content is vital to Biblical literacy and understanding.  A sermon series is a good idea and timely recitals/reviews need to be reintroduced.

Thanks for the comments!

Al, thanks for your comments, and interesting to note the use of the Apostles’ Creed in a Chinese Christian Church, whose ‘style’ or patterns I am unfamiliar with.

Philip, spot on with comments about not short-changing the Creeds by perfunctory recitals. Even when done less often and with more variety in a more contemporary service, they can still be introduced in predictable ways which become grating (e.g. where we over-explain things and often in the same pedestrian way each time.)

Andy, good to know the Creeds have been used in churches in Japan. Perhaps my following posts will give some scope for creative and helpful use/reintroduction in ways that people will embrace, rather than a weekly repetition, which dispirits some (although it anchors others!)

Greg, I have tried sometimes to reference some aspect of the 39A in preaching or in a minister’s letter in the bulletin where it reinforces or underlines an important biblical truth. So too with Westminster Confession etc. I even heard of a minister who read one of the Anglican homilies, while his colleague was away and he felt only able to prepare one new sermon that week!