Back in 2007, February had only 28 days. And so the 29th day of February, not existing then, did not have a scripture passage assigned to it. Five years before that, in 2002, February 29th did not exist either. So I must conclude then, Feb 29th 2012 may not have a scripture passage. Or, it may – drawn perhaps from the large wealth scripture passages that are used to illuminate the faith stance that the Confession sets forth. I could have waited to see if a passage is cited, or I could take it as a well deserved holiday. But, instead, I have decided to simply go off on my own tangent – sort of.
For most of 60 days you have heard from me on various faith issues from the Confession of Faith from a Mennonite Perspective. From the fact that is document covers so much of Mennonite faith, you might suspect that it is used and referred to often. But that is not the cause. It formed the basis of one or two of my seminary classes, and was used for the purpose of writing a few papers, but by and large it was not foundational to the overall studies. And individual congregations do not use it much or refer to it often. And you might wonder why. While I do not have a definitive answer, what I suspect is that one reason the Confession is not used much because Mennonites have constantly moving forward and evolving in their faith.
While many of our faith ancestors kept themselves apart from the “world”, and there are still some segments that do, many Mennonites are deeply involved in the world. Remember what I have said on several occasions, “in but not of”? Mennonites do not take up the agenda that the world might have, but they are constantly in mission in the world serving where they see need. We do not look inward – much – and focus just on self-interest. We believe we are called by God to reach out to the world. We have established for ourselves a firm foundation and a strong sense of what we believe in. From that point we grow and become in the ways that we feel God is leading us.
But we are human. We are Mennonite, and we have a great state of confession to guide us. But we are also human. That stuff in the above paragraph – great stuff! And it sounds good. But it is our “public” persona. When it comes right down to it, we can be as self-involved as the next person. We know what we should do. We just don’t always do it.
Some years ago the idea was put forth that we should be a “missional” people (see all of 2011 on this website blog for that discussion), and educational literature was put out as to how that was to be envisioned. For some individuals and congregations, it was a re-awakening and a calling back to be actively involved in God’s mission for creation. But for others, it never caught on.
I guess it was the same thing that happened with the Confession. For some it was a reminder of who we were as Mennonites, and it was an active living document. For others, it was another book to put into the church library, or to have on the pastor’s book shelf.
So now you are wondering, how does our denomination view and use the Confession? Well, like much of the other creeds and confessions out there, any where from faithfully to forgetfully. As I said back around January 1st of the this year when I first started writing, the Confession came out of a desire to define who the Mennonites are and what we believed in. That was the purpose of the Confession, to spell out what we believe and why. And then with this completed, we set out to be involved to live good and accountable Christian lives. At least, that was the plan. Which brings us back to the discussion of our fallibility.
I have asked myself several times – and this is another occasion – why it is that I am writing on the Confession, and sticking so close to the theme of each article. And the best that I can conclude is that I want to remind our denomination of just what makes us who we are. And if the Confession no longer reflects who we are and what we believe, then we need to tend to that lapse. And finally, to let you, gentle reader, know who we strive to be.
There are Mennonites on every continent of the global. We do not resemble each other. To be quite honest, I do not know if the Confession has even kept up with the diversity of Mennonite believers. But what I do know is that all Mennonites believe in some basics. God, and the endless diversity that is the Godself. Jesus Christ who had and has still a purpose and mission for the world. The Holy Spirit who is amongst us in powerful ways. Scripture that the guide book for living. The presence of sin, and the need for salvation. And the church which is where we support each other and are renewed.
If you resonate even in some small way, we invite to worship with us and enter into dialogue. And if you find no common ground with us, at least covenant to live in peace next to us. May you gentle reader take the time to sit back and think about what you believe. And may the God who loves every one of us, and watches over all of us, be with you this day and everyday to come. Selah!
