Scripture

Scripture

What We Believe About Scripture

What do you believe about the collection of scripture Christians call the Bible?  For some, the Bible is an old book with an outdated morality that doesn’t address today’s concerns.  For others, it’s a great, but one-sided history book of how the Jewish people came into being.  For others, the Bible is a book filled with fables about the human condition.  For some, it’s the inerrant, infallible word of God that is to be taken literally.  For some, all of the Bible points to God’s struggle to love you, me, and everyone who has lived or ever will live.  What is the Bible to you?

If you don’t know what you think of the Bible, that’s ok.  We don’t believe in the Bible, we believe in Jesus.  The Bible reveals to us who Jesus was and who He is to us today.  The Bible tells the story of what Jesus did for you on the cross and invites you to enter into that story.  We enter into Jesus’ story by following him—imitating how he lived by doing the things he did and asks of us.

You may experience your life enriched by his guidance.  The “Reading” page will get you started.  

Also, you are welcome to contact us in person. Let us know how we can walk with you to discover the joys of following Jesus. 

Creed

A creed is a statement of belief.  The opening scene in the movie Assassin’s Creed shows a man being inducted into this order of secret protectors.  He gives his assent reciting what he believes, and his actions become governed by his acceptance of the creed.

In much the same way, the Creed of the Church states clearly what we believe about God and the world we live in.  What we believe influences how we see the world around us and respond.  Our Creed does not control how we act but guides our actions in line with who Jesus is and what he calls us to do in our world. 

Our Christian Creed can be broken down into three segments: God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We believe in one God who has revealed Godself in three ways.  So our Creed starts, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” We believe God, the Father, created humanity.  That means God is God and we are not.  We are the created.  Created in the image of God, but still not God.  So we are meant to walk humbly in this world looking to care for God’s creation.

The Creed continues, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.  He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended to the dead.  On the third day he rose again.  He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We believe Jesus is God taking on human flesh so that we might know how thoroughly God knows us.  Jesus went to the cross and faced death as we all must face death.  He really died but was raised to life again.  He promised to come again to raise those who believe in him to live eternally with him in heaven. 

The Creed ends with the Holy Spirit and the ways we see God’s Holy Spirit showing itself in our world.  “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.”  We find the Holy Spirit in and among us whenever the church gathers, whenever sins are forgiven and people restored to fellowship, wherever we see what is dead come to new life, and we trust that eternal life will one day be ours.

How does this Creed affect our daily living? While I invite you to use your imagination, some not-so-common ways people who accept the Creed approach life include:

*Living lightly on this planet looking to conserve and promote growth.

*Because Jesus promised us eternal life, we can move through life without fear taking the risks necessary for people to come to know Jesus as we know him. 

*Since we have been given the Holy Spirit, we are empowered by God to move out into the world working to make wrongs right and breathing new life into dead situations. 

While the Creed is what the church believes about God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, most people do not begin their walk with Jesus believing all these things.  For some, what we state in the Creed is something new believers gradually come to realize for themselves as they read scripture, pray, serve others, and encounter Jesus and his love in a variety of ways. 

Contact us if you'd like more information.  We’d love to talk with you more about Jesus and his love for you.  God bless you on your journey as you follow Jesus. 

Confession

A saying I grew up with was “confession is good for the soul.”  That kind of confession started with “I’m sorry” and began one on a path of righting wrongs.  Have you experienced confession being good for your soul?  In the church, confession does more than make us feel good. Confession reminds us of who we are in the eyes of Jesus.

We begin our worship with a ritual involving the confession and forgiveness of sins.  Sin is the break we experience in our relationship with God and with each other. Sin is having done someone wrong, whether we know we did it or not.  So we begin our worship placing ourselves in God’s hands, admitting we’ve done wrong, and asking for God to forgive our sins. 

The good news is that Jesus died on the cross so that the power of sin in our lives could be broken.  When Jesus died on the cross, he took on himself all the guilt, shame, and punishment we deserved.  Instead of judgment on us, he spoke words of forgiveness.  Forgiven, we are set free from the guilt, shame, and threat of punishment.   We are free to now live as our Father intends us to live—forgiven and free.  As we have been forgiven, our Father asks of us to forgive others and set them free. 

Jesus now looks on us as his brothers and sisters, and fellow workers in the kingdom of God.  We are invited to walk close to Jesus and learn his way of life. 

Friends, confession really is good for the soul. We are forgiven our sin.  We are reminded we are brothers and sisters of Jesus.  And we are given the power to share forgiveness and freedom with others. 

If you have questions about confession and forgiveness, contact us.  We’d love to talk with you about the freedom and new life to be experienced in Jesus.