An Ordinary Life

Ordinary.

There is a lot to ponder in this simple descriptive word, especially when it is examined in the light of the normal historical Christian faith.

There is a side to my thinking that insists that there is no such thing as an ordinary Christian. 

There are certain distinct and normal features that will always describe and define what it means to be a believer in and follower of Christ – features that normally tend to run across the grain of the world and its way of thinking.

The Apostles’ Creed, so named not because it was written by the Twelve but because it succinctly summarized the truths taught by the Apostles, will always go against the grain of those that choose to reject the Gospel of Christ and both its historical and present presence in the life of the Church that Christ left behind when he Ascended to heaven. The earliest known mention of the Apostles’ Creed is traced to a document written around 390 A.D.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

The great passing of time ... since the time of Christ’s ministry and the ministry of those selected by him to further his ministry ... has not been able to erase the elements of truth contained in the creedal statements that were formulated in the early centuries of the life of the Church. The truths contained herein are essentially the elemental truths that create a basic platform for what it means to live an ordinary Christian life – then in the early centuries, now in the 21^st Century, and at all times between the represented ends.

A lot of ideas have come and gone over the centuries. Nations and governments have risen and fallen. The Church has gone through divisions and subdivisions. Some of these divisions and subdivisions have been sadly terribly bloody with guilty parties on both sides of the proverbial battle lines. 

Despite it all … despite external forces coming against the Church, despite internal conflicts tearing the Church asunder, despite scandals across the centuries … these truths are still accepted and believed by multiplied millions around the world today – including corners and pockets of the world where these truths are diametrically opposed by governments and other predominant religious belief systems.

Belief in the tenets of truth contained in the few lines of the Apostles’ Creed has, over the centuries and into these modern times, been the soil that has grown many Saints and into which the blood of many Martyrs has been poured.

I cannot help but to think about the Saints and Martyrs as we near the conclusion of this second decade of the 21^st Century – a season of time overripe with change and uncertainty.

I cannot help but to think of their personal dedication to the revealed truths contained in the New Testament. I cannot help but to think of their devotional practices that gave character to their faith in Christ. 

We think of the Saints and Martyrs as exemplary. They are exemplary and deserve our attention and deep respect. The Saints and Martyrs have much to show us, much to teach us, about living the Christian faith. I think though, if we were able to sit down and talk with any of them, they would insist that they were simply living an ordinary life of faith in Christ.

The 21^st Century needs the witness of the Saints and Martyrs. I need the witness of the Saints and Martyrs. I need to see their reflection of what it means to be an ordinary Christian simply living an ordinary Christian life.

How does my own ordinary compare to theirs?

I am working on it. I have, in comparison to their ordinary, a lot to live up to and a long way to go in becoming as ordinary as them.