Statement of Faith
Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham
June 3, 2007
God's love enjoys expression within the metaphysical reality of the Holy Trinity, as the Father pours divine love into the Son; the Son pours divine love into the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit pours divine love back into the Father, in what may be envisioned as a divine dance that creates the energy that sustains each quark in the universe. Without this divine dance all life would cease and desist, there would be no more love, and there would be no more laughter.
God's love continually works through an evolutionary process to create the diversity of life in the world as we experience it today. Every species of life expresses the abundant fullness of God's creative love. We can know God in a general way through science and nature. Our Presbyterian tradition encourages education as a means of exploring the richness of God's general revelation through creation. We celebrate diversity among and within species as a sign of the wildly creative nature of the Holy Trinity.
God's love is most clearly revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. From his birth in a barnyard to his death on a cross, Christ exemplifies elegant humility. The church relives the life of Christ from his birth, life, death, resurrection, to his ascension into heaven, by means of the liturgical calendar. Each cycle of the liturgical year invites us into a deeper and fresher experience of the risen Christ.
God's love moves today through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit spreads the love of God into our hearts through the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. God's love challenges each person to respond to God's loving invitation and each human being will be judged by Christ according to their personal response to God's loving invitation. The good news is that our judge is our redeemer. This does not guarantee us anything but it does give us a solid basis for hope. Our relationship with God is based not upon fear of retribution but upon our own response to God's compassionate love for us and for all creation.
God's love is revealed in the Bible. The Biblical narrative tells the story of God's love for humankind. Over and over again, God acts in history to redeem God's covenant people: Israel and the church. Time after time, God's covenant people are lured away from God by our programs for self glorification. Our craving for security and survival, power and control, affection and esteem, work against us and deny us the freedom of resting in God's love.
God's love reaches out to the world through the church which is the body of Christ. God's love reaches out to all humanity and all creation. God works through the church today to fulfill Christ's mission of preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives. God's love invites us to work with God for justice in human affairs and in all creation.
God's love breaks down barriers that separate human beings from God and from one another. Christ dwells within all baptized believers, bringing salvation to all whom God chooses. God's love wills that all people should be redeemed. We, the people of God, are called by God to share this good news with all people everywhere. We are not responsible for how people react to the good news. We are responsible for whether we share the good news. The good news is that God is love. This loving God, expressed as Holy Trinity, disclosed in the Bible, revealed most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ, invites us into a relationship.
