A statement of faith

This past Sunday our church confirmed 16 young people into the faith and their faith. That's where the visible and the invisible meet, isn't it, between the faith we've inherited and our faith. That's where our relationship with God is lived out, where we hear the call of God, where worship takes place: in the reconciliation between the visible and the invisible.

Throughout our lives we are called upon to give account for our faith, to articulate it in a way that communicates our understanding of how the invisible is enfleshed in the visible. This year's confirmation class wrote their own statement of faith and most eloquently too. Given the wringing of hands (and necks) over creeds in different corners of the Church, this is a very-needed breath of fresh air.

Confirmation Class 2007 Statement of Faith

• We believe that God is a Creator and Spirit-Giver and can't always be defined in terms that we can understand.
• We believe that Jesus is the son of God, but we are still figuring out what that means. We are not always sure about the historical facts about Jesus' life, but we know he was a good person and a teacher we should follow.
• We believe that the Holy Spirit is like a wind that blows through all of us. The Holy Spirit is like a touch from God. The Holy Spirit is a mystery.
• We believe that prayer, worship and the sacraments of communion and baptism are ways for us to connect to God.
• We believe that sin is unavoidable in life and makes us feel bad. We need to admit when we've done wrong, make it right and move on.
• We believe that everyone deserves God's always-present love. God's love is eternal and constant. God's love is different from the romantic and friendship love we experience with other people.
• We believe that people who follow other religions also have a relationship with God. Believing this does not take away from our own faith.
• We believe that we can change this world into a more peaceful place by learning more about God's justice. God's justice is concerned with fairness. We don't always agree on what might be a justice issue, but we keep trying to make our world better, with Jesus as our guide.