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UMC20230608 - Declaration of Faith - Part 5

We are in the fifth week of a journey through the Apostles Creed, a declaration of our faith, and are looking at what it is that we believe when we say the lines:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the holy catholic church,
      the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins,

The first half of the closing paragraph of the Apostles Creed outlines a strong belief in an active body of Christ that is a "catholic, community of saints who forgive". Here is what each of these phrases means:

  1. The catholic nature of the church: The word catholic (with a small 'c') is actually an English adjective that means "all-embracing". So a belief in a catholic church argues that even though there are many denominations around the globe, with different practices and interpretations, there is one, all-embracing church.

  2. The communion of saints: This is similar to the traditional Zulu belief that our ancestors are not gone, but walk with us and in us, cheering us on. It is a belief that we are inexplicably bound to those who have gone before us and that we are all running the great race together.

  3. The forgiveness of sins: Sin keeps us in the past, bound to a specific person, event, or guilt-ridden deed. This aspect of the body of Christ allows for forward movement. The letting go of (which is different to forgetting or agreeing with) something which chains us and poisons us.

Lastly, the Holy Spirit, the power behind all of this, is the thread that is running through the whole body of Christ. Binding us, guiding us, empowering us, uniting us. Do you realise that you are a part of this global, eternal, forward-moving, empowering, body? Ever growing and never diminishing.

Love, Cliff

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