Statement of Faith

I've never liked writing a statement of faith because I feel like it limits my ability to change my mind. However, my first assignment this semester was to write out a one page statement of faith. So, here it is......

I believe in the loving, outstretched arms of God. Like a mother bending down to catch the children bolting into her arms after a long day of school, I believe God’s arms are always open and ready for an embrace. However, children do not always notice their parent’s presence. Thus some parents are left standing with their arms reaching out, merely waiting for their children to notice them. God’s arms are always open to his children; whether they know it or not, his children are always within his outstretched arms.

I believe all are beloved children of God. I believe God stretches out his hands to all people. All people are children of God. All people are loved by God. All people receive God’s grace. Looking back upon Christian history and looking at stances some Christians take today, I think this statement is a particularly important part of my faith. God’s love is not dependent on our actions. God’s love is. God’s love is not dependent on the color of our skin. God’s love is not dependent on a political stand. God’s love is not dependent on sexual orientation. God’s love is because we are all children of God.

I believe the stories, parables, poems, songs, etc. of the Christian Scriptures are an important way in which God reveals His grace to us. Beginning with the coming together of the Torah, God has had his hand in scripture. Despite the fact that many other religious texts circulate in our world, from the beginning it has always been clear that there is something “extra” about the God found in the Christian Scriptures. There is something about the God of the Christian Scriptures that stands above and beyond the gods of other religious documents – his grace. Through the original telling/writing of the stories, through the assembling of the Christian canon, and through the faithful readers of the text, God has had his hand in helping people understand his gracious, outstretched arms.

I believe that God joins us in the dances of life through the presence of the Holy Spirit – guiding us, teaching us, and dancing with us, as we seek to understand what it means to live in this kingdom. Once again, the outstretched arms of God never fail us. This time, they come in the form of a dance partner – someone to help us dance through the triumphs and trials of life. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s grace meets us where we are and joins us in our dance through life, helping us along the way to find, receive, and in return, share the grace of God. However, the presence of the Holy Spirit also helps us to understand the importance of community. Just as the Holy Spirit comes to partner with us in the dance of life, so should we join together with our brothers and sisters, arm in arm dancing through the wonders of life.

-Anna