"I Believe..." part 1

Every pastor I know has at some time had to write a statement of what s/he believes.  In the Presbyterian church they are called our "Statement of Faith".  It is a formal document, limited to one page, and required to cover such a diverse range of topics as the Trinity, Scripture, the Confessions, the Sacraments, the Church, and the Kingdom of God. The advice I was given when I first wrote one was "Don't just copy the Apostles' Creed--be yourself!  Oh, but don't leave anything else or say anything controversial."  Be yourself, but only within the box of orthodoxy.  Quite a feat to fit all that into one page. 


 I have a Statement of Faith which I revise occasionally, much labored over and available for all to see on my website.  It is a formal document, and I've always wanted to write something less structured, less formal and less confining.  A sort of informal list of what I believe.  I was looking at different posts on Tumblr and I was inspired by this post:

Who knew Audrey Hepburn could be inspirational as more than an actress and fashion icon? Although really, I should never be surprised when inspiration comes from unexpected places.  So tonight I've decided to start that list of what I believe.   It is incomplete.  It is informal.  And it feels wonderful to put it down at last! 


Here's my list so far:

I believe.....

....That it is more important to get things started than to get things perfect.


....That all humans were created to live and grow and learn from each other.


...That fear is the opposite of faith and the enemy of love.


...That it is greater to master the art of listening than the art of speaking.


...That God's love is real and demonstrated by Jesus Christ and specifically defined in 1 Corinthians 13 and that we are all called to imitate this love.



...That the idea of different races is offensive to God and the cause of some of the greatest evil in human history.


....That Church is a place we go to share ourselves and our experiences with others, not a place we go to find others who are just like ourselves.


....That none of us is perfect.

....That hierarchical thinking (ie, my suffering is greater than yours, or my injuries are nothing compared to yours, or your sins are greater than mine) is in itself sinful.  All of us are sinners.  All of us have troubles.  All of us are called to help each other, not to judge each other.  


....That playing games is fun in and of itself regardless of who wins.


....That it is as important to our development to learn how to lose and play again as it is for us to experience winning.


....That as trite as it is, children ARE our future.  Thus when we harm children or neglect them we are undermining the future of humanity.  


....That God's Kingdom will come and God's Will will be done.  However I think it will be a great surprise to all of us when that happens because I don't think anyone has truly imagined what the experience will be like.


....That I wish I'd said this:

That's what I've got so far.   I encourage everyone to start their own list--for clarity, for self discovery and yes, for fun!


Evermore and evermore,


Mary-Lynn