I believe in God, the almighty and benevolent creator of the universe and everything within it. For God’s pleasure and purpose, God created all things to glorify and enjoy God forever. I believe that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel. God delivered the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt and brought them to the land that God promised them. Throughout history, God has communicated through the prophets, guiding people in God’s ways, even as they have turned away from God. Despite this turning away, God continually demonstrates God’s love for humanity by reaching out to us and utilizing individuals in God’s plan to redeem all of creation so that God might dwell with God’s marvelous creation.
As part of God’s plan for the redemption of all creation, God sent God’s son Jesus into the world. I believe Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of the living God, who came to earth to bridge the great divide between humanity and God almighty. Jesus was purely human yet purely divine; one with God and the Spirit. Through him, humans are given an example of what it looks like to live a life seeking after God’s own heart. In his death upon the cross and in rising from the dead, Jesus acquitted us of the guilt that otherwise would undo us. By his grace we are saved and are made right with God.
Jesus sent the gift of his Holy Spirit to intercede for, direct and guide us every day of our lives. The Spirit dwells within all people, and in baptism Christians come to an awareness of the spirit and listen to the spirit’s call throughout their lives. The Spirit is the third “person” of the trinity, the one who prays for us when we have no words, counsels us, and helps us discern what is the will of God. As he promised, Jesus will one day return to earth as King and judge and will establish his eternal kingdom.
I believe the Church is Christ’s gift to carry-out Jesus’ mission on earth: To spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the world and to build his Kingdom through his message of hope, love, grace and reconciliation. The church is meant to be a community of faith that welcomes all into Jesus’ family. It is a place where all come for nourishment of body and soul, for healing, for community. The church, made up of flawed human beings, ushers in the kingdom of God by welcoming the stranger, and extending the grace and love of Jesus Christ and God almighty to a world desperate for love. The church invites people to turn and be reconciled to God, as God’s beloved. Jesus equips the Church for this mission, and the Church, guided by the Scriptures and the Spirit, seek to live it out, glorifying God.
God’s story is manifest in creation, and through both creation and Scripture, we come to understand God’s revelation in Christ. The natural world reveals a loving and caring God who desires a relationship with God’s people. Scripture unveils the saving grace of Jesus Christ and offers a framework for life, ethics, faith, and endurance. It connects us to God through the Holy Spirit, who enriches and transforms our reading and understanding. The Scriptures communicate God’s love for creation and God’s desire to be in relationship with it. They instruct people of faith to love God and to love their neighbors, just as Jesus loves God and His neighbors.
The sacraments are outward signs of an inward grace. These signs are the declaration of a public faith grafting together the family of Christ; divine rites where we encounter the living Christ in our midst and are brought into union with him. The outward washing in Baptism is a sign of our inward cleansing through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. At the Lord’s supper, we commune together as Christ’s family and renew our ingrafting into Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. The bread and cup remind us that Jesus is our nourishment, our spiritual food, who by his death and resurrection offers us grace and restores our relationship with God and all of creation. These symbols are both powerful reminders of God’s love and provision for us and comprise a divine mystery where we encounter the risen Christ.
[1]Book of Confessions 7.001
Rev. Amy Ruhf-Brien 