My Confession of Faith
Preamble
This is a living document, as much as words on page can be. I have been formed through the sum of my life contexts and experiences to this point and as I continue to gain life experience I will continue to be formed. The Anabaptist faith is a confessional, rather than creedal, tradition and these words capture me at one particular place and time in the evolution of faith. I have been steeped in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, having grown up in an Evangelical Mennonite home and having studied during my formative young adult years at both Canadian Mennonite University and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. The sources of my theology include Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience, however I will venture to write this intuitively and am not striving for a fully formed systematic theology. I also write this confession of faith through the lens of the Christian ministry of healing, through which I have personally experienced transformation and to which I am called as a spiritual caregiver.
Confession
This I choose to believe: All of creation was mysteriously brought into being through God and the very essence of creation is good. At the core of every human being is the sacred image of God. Brokenness hides the image of God in human beings, separating us from ourselves, from one another, and from God. No human being is exempt from brokenness, which ultimately leads to death. Jesus Christ, the Divine Incarnate One, walked on this earth as a whole human being and is an archetype of the Way. His resurrection is a hope and a promise of reconnection and new life following the little and big deaths in our lives. Human beings have the innate capacity for healing as empowered by the Holy Spirit. This healing necessarily happens in community. To uncover the image of God within and return to who we have been created to be moves us toward wholeness and is the Path of Life.
Commentary
All of creation was mysteriously brought into being through God and the very essence of creation is good.
Creation’s origin is a mystery just as the conception of a child is an awesome and mysterious process that can be explained by science only in part. Having been created in mystery, creation has been endowed with mystery. All of creation has its origin in God. God has called all of creation good and this goodness of creation points to its Creator. God delights in God’s creation.
At the core of every human being is the sacred image of God.
Each and every human being, without exception, has been created in the image and likeness of God.
This is part of the grand mystery of creation.
Brokenness hides the image of God in human beings, separating us from ourselves, from one another, and from God. No human being is exempt from brokenness, which ultimately leads to death.
Brokenness is often referred to as sin and includes anything that disconnects us from ourselves, from one another and from God. Total disconnection is death. Every human being inherits some measure of brokenness at birth – not all is as it was created to be. Because of this inheritance human beings begin to accumulate wounds through both choice and life circumstance. Pain is experienced. Trust is broken. Relationships end. Shame enters in. We cope with our brokenness through addictions, violence to self and others, withdrawal, an incessant drive to please others, and break-neck busyness.
Jesus Christ, the Divine Incarnate One, walked on this earth as a whole human being and is an archetype of the Way.
Discipleship is about modeling our lives after the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived as a whole human being in the midst of the world’s brokenness. He felt deeply, thought critically, and experienced the physical-ness of his body to the fullest without ever losing sight of who he was and Whose he was. He consistently remained connected with himself, with others and with God. Jesus perfectly balanced care of his self with care of the other. His was the completest of human experiences. He also experienced complete union with God and was therefore Divine.
His resurrection is a hope and a promise of reconnection and new life following the little and big deaths in our lives.
Our lives follow cyclical rhythms of disorientation-reorientation, disconnection-reconnection, pain-healing, darkness-light, death-new life. While in the midst of the darker places of our journey it can be difficult to remember that we have been given the promise of new life. In times of pain and disorientation we can look to Christ on the cross and find a companion who understands and will walk with us through the shadow of death. When the pain and disorientation is lived through to its end and new life begins to emerge, the pain may eventually come to be embraced as the valuable teacher that it is. Christ’s resurrection has paved the way and is our hope that following every painful event in our life, healing and new life will emerge if we allow it to.
Human beings have the innate capacity for healing as empowered by the Holy Spirit.
By Divine design, human beings strive for healing and growth throughout their life. Just as the physical body in a supportive environment heals itself from illness and injury to the best of its ability, so too our entire being heals naturally when given the opportunity to do so. Even patterns and behaviours that may seem destructive on the outside are most often best attempts to survive. Our life’s journey will naturally unfold before us. If we open our awareness we will hear the Spirit’s call in each stage and phase of life and then we have the freedom to choose how we will respond to the call.
This healing necessarily happens in community.
This is the role of the church. Because brokenness separates human beings from themselves, one another and God the only way to mend that brokenness is through genuine encounter and engagement. This type of engagement requires vulnerability. Admitting our pain, shame, weakness – any parts of ourselves that we wish we could simply disown – to ourselves and to God can be terrifying. Revealing our brokenness to one another is difficult as everyone has, in one way or another, been wounded in relationship and has learned to hide their brokenness as a measure of self-protection. There is always risk involved in opening up to one another but it is only through genuine encounter and compassionate engagement that we are able to live through our brokenness. When our wounds are met by the Holy with compassion and grace – and I believe that God often uses people to meet us there – healing will happen. Community also provides accountability to help us through the challenges of the healing process. Wholeness is achieved when we are able to release the pain that binds us, reclaim those parts of ourselves that have previously been disowned, and restore relationships. As one person’s healing happens within a community it helps to open up safe space for further healing in that community. This ripple effect is why it is particularly important for leaders and caregivers to have experienced their own healing, so that they are available as conduits of God’s grace to those they care for. As compassion is received in one’s own life so can compassion be offered to others. As members of a community learn to honour the Divine image in each person and respect who each other has been created to be in all their diversity, it is only then that relationships will be defined by love rather than fear, and connection will be restored.
To uncover the image of God within and return to who we have been created to be moves us toward wholeness and is the Path of Life.
Through the power of God and in the context of community, those who choose the Path of Life on an ongoing basis choose to claim their place as beloved children of God. When brokenness is healed, the image of God within is unveiled and we move closer to becoming our true self. As our true self emerges, our character begins to align itself more and more with the character of the One in whose image we have been created. Only then can we truly respond to God, ourselves and others with genuine compassion.
This is a living document, as much as words on page can be. I have been formed through the sum of my life contexts and experiences to this point and as I continue to gain life experience I will continue to be formed. The Anabaptist faith is a confessional, rather than creedal, tradition and these words capture me at one particular place and time in the evolution of faith. I have been steeped in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, having grown up in an Evangelical Mennonite home and having studied during my formative young adult years at both Canadian Mennonite University and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. The sources of my theology include Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience, however I will venture to write this intuitively and am not striving for a fully formed systematic theology. I also write this confession of faith through the lens of the Christian ministry of healing, through which I have personally experienced transformation and to which I am called as a spiritual caregiver.
Confession
This I choose to believe: All of creation was mysteriously brought into being through God and the very essence of creation is good. At the core of every human being is the sacred image of God. Brokenness hides the image of God in human beings, separating us from ourselves, from one another, and from God. No human being is exempt from brokenness, which ultimately leads to death. Jesus Christ, the Divine Incarnate One, walked on this earth as a whole human being and is an archetype of the Way. His resurrection is a hope and a promise of reconnection and new life following the little and big deaths in our lives. Human beings have the innate capacity for healing as empowered by the Holy Spirit. This healing necessarily happens in community. To uncover the image of God within and return to who we have been created to be moves us toward wholeness and is the Path of Life.
Commentary
All of creation was mysteriously brought into being through God and the very essence of creation is good.
Creation’s origin is a mystery just as the conception of a child is an awesome and mysterious process that can be explained by science only in part. Having been created in mystery, creation has been endowed with mystery. All of creation has its origin in God. God has called all of creation good and this goodness of creation points to its Creator. God delights in God’s creation.
At the core of every human being is the sacred image of God.
Each and every human being, without exception, has been created in the image and likeness of God.
This is part of the grand mystery of creation.
Brokenness hides the image of God in human beings, separating us from ourselves, from one another, and from God. No human being is exempt from brokenness, which ultimately leads to death.
Brokenness is often referred to as sin and includes anything that disconnects us from ourselves, from one another and from God. Total disconnection is death. Every human being inherits some measure of brokenness at birth – not all is as it was created to be. Because of this inheritance human beings begin to accumulate wounds through both choice and life circumstance. Pain is experienced. Trust is broken. Relationships end. Shame enters in. We cope with our brokenness through addictions, violence to self and others, withdrawal, an incessant drive to please others, and break-neck busyness.
Jesus Christ, the Divine Incarnate One, walked on this earth as a whole human being and is an archetype of the Way.
Discipleship is about modeling our lives after the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived as a whole human being in the midst of the world’s brokenness. He felt deeply, thought critically, and experienced the physical-ness of his body to the fullest without ever losing sight of who he was and Whose he was. He consistently remained connected with himself, with others and with God. Jesus perfectly balanced care of his self with care of the other. His was the completest of human experiences. He also experienced complete union with God and was therefore Divine.
His resurrection is a hope and a promise of reconnection and new life following the little and big deaths in our lives.
Our lives follow cyclical rhythms of disorientation-reorientation, disconnection-reconnection, pain-healing, darkness-light, death-new life. While in the midst of the darker places of our journey it can be difficult to remember that we have been given the promise of new life. In times of pain and disorientation we can look to Christ on the cross and find a companion who understands and will walk with us through the shadow of death. When the pain and disorientation is lived through to its end and new life begins to emerge, the pain may eventually come to be embraced as the valuable teacher that it is. Christ’s resurrection has paved the way and is our hope that following every painful event in our life, healing and new life will emerge if we allow it to.
Human beings have the innate capacity for healing as empowered by the Holy Spirit.
By Divine design, human beings strive for healing and growth throughout their life. Just as the physical body in a supportive environment heals itself from illness and injury to the best of its ability, so too our entire being heals naturally when given the opportunity to do so. Even patterns and behaviours that may seem destructive on the outside are most often best attempts to survive. Our life’s journey will naturally unfold before us. If we open our awareness we will hear the Spirit’s call in each stage and phase of life and then we have the freedom to choose how we will respond to the call.
This healing necessarily happens in community.
This is the role of the church. Because brokenness separates human beings from themselves, one another and God the only way to mend that brokenness is through genuine encounter and engagement. This type of engagement requires vulnerability. Admitting our pain, shame, weakness – any parts of ourselves that we wish we could simply disown – to ourselves and to God can be terrifying. Revealing our brokenness to one another is difficult as everyone has, in one way or another, been wounded in relationship and has learned to hide their brokenness as a measure of self-protection. There is always risk involved in opening up to one another but it is only through genuine encounter and compassionate engagement that we are able to live through our brokenness. When our wounds are met by the Holy with compassion and grace – and I believe that God often uses people to meet us there – healing will happen. Community also provides accountability to help us through the challenges of the healing process. Wholeness is achieved when we are able to release the pain that binds us, reclaim those parts of ourselves that have previously been disowned, and restore relationships. As one person’s healing happens within a community it helps to open up safe space for further healing in that community. This ripple effect is why it is particularly important for leaders and caregivers to have experienced their own healing, so that they are available as conduits of God’s grace to those they care for. As compassion is received in one’s own life so can compassion be offered to others. As members of a community learn to honour the Divine image in each person and respect who each other has been created to be in all their diversity, it is only then that relationships will be defined by love rather than fear, and connection will be restored.
To uncover the image of God within and return to who we have been created to be moves us toward wholeness and is the Path of Life.
Through the power of God and in the context of community, those who choose the Path of Life on an ongoing basis choose to claim their place as beloved children of God. When brokenness is healed, the image of God within is unveiled and we move closer to becoming our true self. As our true self emerges, our character begins to align itself more and more with the character of the One in whose image we have been created. Only then can we truly respond to God, ourselves and others with genuine compassion.