29 min
Why Christianity? (2.0) (Part I) One More Thing
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- Christianity
Why Christianity? To answer that question, first we are asking what do Christians believe. What we believe is summarized in our creeds; both the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed.
Just joining us? We're so glad you're here for Season 4. This is a new recording of our topic from Season 2-- Confirmation-- with a new member of our team and a fresh take on three important questions:
Why Christianity?
Why The Episcopal Church?
and Why St. John's?
Join us & our youth this season as we prepare for Confirmation in The Episcopal Church!
Read the Apostles Creed below as you listen along to the episode.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed covers a ton of ground. First off, we believe in God— one God. God is the creator, and God created the world, and the universe. We believe science might help us learn how God created, but we learn why God created in the first three chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-3). We are also creators– we are made in the Image of God who creates, and so it is so important for us to have a creative outlet as well. God is also the Father, because Jesus called him father; but that does not exclude God’s feminine side. It names God as a parent, in relationship with Jesus and with us. It names God as who God is, not what God does for us. God is bigger than any human words, labels, or adjectives we can use to describe God.
The second part of the Creed talks about Jesus. We talked about how Jesus descends to the dead, and we talked about how our ancestors imagined the realms of Heaven and Earth and how that informed their early beliefs. We talked about the limits of our understanding of God and what we can learn from the Bible, too!
The third part of the creed talks about the Holy Spirit, and the church. We believe the Spirit is the guiding force in our daily lives, our prayer, and our discernment– listening for how God speaks to us. We talk about the catholic, or universal church, and we talk about the universal message of Jesus Christ. We talk also about the future– life everlasting, resurrection, and Christian hope. What is it that we believe about the future? In the end of the day, it is all about Love.
Reflection Questions: What do I believe? What do I struggle to believe?
Why Christianity? To answer that question, first we are asking what do Christians believe. What we believe is summarized in our creeds; both the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed.
Just joining us? We're so glad you're here for Season 4. This is a new recording of our topic from Season 2-- Confirmation-- with a new member of our team and a fresh take on three important questions:
Why Christianity?
Why The Episcopal Church?
and Why St. John's?
Join us & our youth this season as we prepare for Confirmation in The Episcopal Church!
Read the Apostles Creed below as you listen along to the episode.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed covers a ton of ground. First off, we believe in God— one God. God is the creator, and God created the world, and the universe. We believe science might help us learn how God created, but we learn why God created in the first three chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-3). We are also creators– we are made in the Image of God who creates, and so it is so important for us to have a creative outlet as well. God is also the Father, because Jesus called him father; but that does not exclude God’s feminine side. It names God as a parent, in relationship with Jesus and with us. It names God as who God is, not what God does for us. God is bigger than any human words, labels, or adjectives we can use to describe God.
The second part of the Creed talks about Jesus. We talked about how Jesus descends to the dead, and we talked about how our ancestors imagined the realms of Heaven and Earth and how that informed their early beliefs. We talked about the limits of our understanding of God and what we can learn from the Bible, too!
The third part of the creed talks about the Holy Spirit, and the church. We believe the Spirit is the guiding force in our daily lives, our prayer, and our discernment– listening for how God speaks to us. We talk about the catholic, or universal church, and we talk about the universal message of Jesus Christ. We talk also about the future– life everlasting, resurrection, and Christian hope. What is it that we believe about the future? In the end of the day, it is all about Love.
Reflection Questions: What do I believe? What do I struggle to believe?
29 min