The Reverend Mark R. Burnham Statement of Personal Faith In abundant love, God created the world and all that is in it, pronouncing creation to be “very good.” As part of that creative act, human beings are formed in God’s image and are called to live in healthy relationship with God, with creation, and with one another. Graciously granted the freewill to respond appropriately to God’s love, we too often turn away in sin and live in self-interest. Yet God has not abandoned creation, and so in loving-kindness both yearns for and seeks our return home. In abundant mercy, God chose to become incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, whose baptism proclaims Jesus to be “God’s Beloved.” Christ is God’s ultimate expression of love and the revelation of true humanity. Jesus came proclaiming the Good News to all people in both word and deed. Thus, his life and ministry on earth are our standards for Christian life and leadership. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us and was raised on the third day. His resurrection broke the power of sin and death and is the hope and promise of eternal life with God. In abundant grace, the Holy Spirit is God’s ever-present power in the world. Throughout history and continuing today, the Spirit both comforts and challenges us. As both the giver and the renewer of life, the Spirit binds us together as the body of Christ— the Church. By the Spirit’s power we witness to the amazing story of God’s love for the world. In acts of generous hospitality, we open our lives and our hearts to friend and stranger alike, never knowing where and how the Spirit blows. In abundant hope, we move out boldly into the world, guided by the Holy Spirit and trusting in God’s future. All the while we look toward the promise of the coming fullness of God’s reign, remaining ever alert for the presence of God all around us. In the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper the Church celebrates the sign and seal of our continued experience of God’s renewing grace found in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God’s Word to us, and through prayer and careful study they are our guide to a Christian life.
In
gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our
daily tasks
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