Mira Mesa Presbyterian Church USA

Pastor Brad's message for the month of February: Knowing Our Past

Christians over the years have found themselves needing to take a stand on what they believe. Our Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church USA has eleven statements that groups of Christians have held as truth. They are statements that seek to clarify how we interpret scripture, and preserve our beliefs. Many were written in opposition to what was happening at that time.

I believe it is important for us to remember where we have come from in order to know where we are going. The following is a creed written in this final form in 381 AD. Please spend some time reading this creed, reflecting on the timeless truth of God that lies within.

THE NICENE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Brad Roth

Icon depicting Emperor Constantine
(center) and the Fathers of the First
Council of Nicaea of 325 as holding
the Niceno–Constantinopolitan
Creed of 381 (Wikipedia.org)

History of the Nicene Creed

In the first three centuries, the church found itself in a hostile environment. On the one hand, it grappled with the challenge of relating the language of the gospel, developed in a Hebraic and Jewish-Christian context, to a Graeco-Roman world. On the other hand, it was threatened not only by persecution, but also by ideas that were in conflict with the biblical witness. In A.D. 312, Constantine won control of the Roman Empire in the battle of Milvian Bridge. Attributing his victory to the intervention of Jesus Christ, he elevated Christianity to favored status in the empire. “One God, one Lord, one faith, one church, one empire, one emperor” became his motto.

The new emperor soon discovered that "one faith and one church" were fractured by theological disputes, especially conflicting understandings of the nature of Christ, long a point of controversy. Arius, a priest of the church in Alexandria, asserted that the divine Christ, the Word through whom all things have their existence, was created by God before the beginning of time. Therefore, the divinity of Christ was similar to the divinity of God, but not of the same essence. Arius was opposed by the bishop, Alexander, together with his associate and successor, Athanasius. They affirmed that the divinity of Christ, the Son, is of the same substance as the divinity of God, the Father. To hold otherwise, they said, was to open the possibility of polytheism, and to imply that knowledge of God in Christ was not final knowledge of God. To counter a widening rift within the church, Constantine convened a council in Nicaea in A.D. 325. A creed reflecting the position of Alexander and Athanasius was written and signed by a majority of the bishops. Nevertheless, the two parties continued to battle each other. In 381, a second council met in Constantinople. It adopted a revised and expanded form of the A.D. 325 creed, now known as the Nicene Creed.

The Nicene Creed is the most ecumenical of creeds. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joins with Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and most Protestant churches in affirming it. Nevertheless, in contrast to Eastern Orthodox churches, the western churches state that the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father, but from the Father and the Son (Latin, filioque). To the eastern churches, saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son threatens the distinctiveness of the person of the Holy Spirit; to the western churches, the filioque guards the unity of the triune God. This issue remains unresolved in the ecumenical dialogue.

-Taken from the Book of Confessions of the PCUSA

Listen to Pastor Brad's sermons

At MMPC, people come together to learn about and celebrate God. We hope that by listening to the recordings of our weekly sermons, you will be encouraged and challenged by God in new and unique ways. If you already attend our church, these recordings will enable you to stay connected when you are unable to make it to services. If you live nearby, we encourage you to visit us, and learn more about life at the Mira Mesa Presbyterian Church.

To listen to the recording, simply click the Play button in the player on the right of the sermon title. Please note that some of the recordings have a longer lead than others before you hear the pastor speaking. Depending on your browser and computer setup, there may or may not be controls displayed with the audio.

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012: Voice of a Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Sermon archive

To access a recording, click the link (Sunday date and sermon title). A small window will appear, containing the Sunday date, sermon title, and scripture lesson information, as well as a player where you can select pause and play, etc. Please know that your browser may display a security message, asking you to indicate that you allow the blocked content to play.

On occasion the webmaster is out of town, so there may be a week delay for some postings.

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012: The People Believed God

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012: Map of Your Life

1 Samuel 3:1-10
John 1:43-51

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012: Washed Clean

Please note that the recording ends just prior to the end of Pastor Brad's sermon. We apologize for the cutoff.

Mark 1:4-11

Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012: Gaining Perspective

Matthew 2:1-12

Sunday, December 18, 2011: Children's Message

This Sunday, the sermon was presented in musical form by the Chancel Choir. We have recorded Pastor Brad's Children's Message.

Luke 1:26-38

Sunday, December 11, 2011: Pointing to the Light

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sunday, December 4, 2011: Prepare the Way of the Lord

Mark 1:1-8

Sunday, November 27, 2011: A Lesson of Threes

Mark 13:24-37

Sunday, November 13, 2011: My Gift

Matthew 25:14-30

Sunday, November 6, 2011: In All Things, At All Times

1 Corinthians 16:1-4
2 Corinthians 9:6-9

Sunday, October 30, 2011: Caring for Each Other

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Sunday, October 23, 2011: What Christian Unity Means

Psalm 23
John 17:20-26

Sunday, October 16, 2011: What is God's

Matthew 22:15-22

Sunday, October 9, 2011: How Do We Live as a Christian?

2 Peter 1:3-9
Galatians 5:13-26

Sunday, October 2, 2011: Christ Jesus Has Made Me His Own

Philippians 3:4b-14
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sunday, September 25, 2011: Far More Than We Can Imagine

John 7:37-39
Ephesians 3:14-21

Sunday, September 18, 2011: What is it for?

Philippians 1:21-30
Exodus 16:2-15

Sunday, September 4, 2011: For I Will...

Matthew 18:15-20
Exodus 12:1-14

Sunday, August 28, 2011: The God Who Sees and Hears

Exodus 3:1-15

Sunday, August 21, 2011: Making a New Map for the Journey - Rev. Clark Cowden

Sunday, August 14, 2011: Building the Wall

Nehemiah 3

Sunday, July 17, 2011: What is Faith? - Rev. Robert Trent

Genesis 28:10-19
Hebrews 11

Sunday, July 10, 2011: Your Birthright

Psalm 119:105-112
Genesis 25:19-34

Sunday, July 3, 2011: Do You Worship When God Answers Prayers?

Genesis 24:34-38
Genesis 24:42-49, 58-67

Sunday, June 26, 2011: God Will Provide

Genesis 22:1-19

Sunday, June 19, 2011: Three, Yet One

2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20

Sunday, June 5, 2011: Protect Them

John 17:1-11

Sunday, May 29, 2011: If You Love Me...

1 Peter 3:13-22
John 14:15-21

Sunday, May 22, 2011: Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

1 Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14

Sunday, May 15, 2011: The Lord is My Shepherd

1 Peter 2:19-25
John 10:1-10

Sunday, May 8, 2011: Have You Walked with Jesus?

1 Peter 1:17-23
Luke 24:13-35

Sunday, May 1, 2011: What Do You Need?

John 20:19-31

Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011: They Left with Fear and Great Joy

Colossians 3:1-4
Matthew 28:1-10

Sunday, Apr. 17, 2011: Cantata of the Last Days of our Lord

King Triumphant by Schram
Is It I, Lord? by Wagner
Three Crosses of Shame by Larson
Into God’s Hands by Wagner

Sunday, Apr. 10, 2011: Seeing the Glory of God

John 11:1-45

Sunday, Apr. 3, 2011: He Put Mud on My Eyes

John 9:1-41

Sunday, Mar. 20, 2011: A Mulligan

John 3:1-17

Sunday, Mar. 13, 2011: Straightening the Wire

Matthew 4:1-11

Sunday, Mar. 6, 2011: How Transfiguration Leads to Transformation

Exodus 24:12-18
Matthew 17:1-9

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011: Elements of Worship Series: Scripture and Interpretation

2 Timothy 3:14-17
2 Peter 1:16-21

Click here to hear the sermon.

Please note that a different recorder was used for this sermon. When you click the link, a new window will display and the audio will begin.

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011: Anthem: "The Majesty and Glory of Your Name" by Fettke

Click here to hear the chancel choir.

When you click the link, a new window will display and the audio will begin. After the Gloria Patri, there is a very long pause (depending on your computer setup, this could be 30 seconds or so).

Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011: Elements of Worship Series: Hymns and Songs