Below are articles I wrote during the summer of 2004 as the column in our weekly church newsletter.  In them I try to address, in brief form, some of the basic beliefs and faith concepts of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  This is by no means the only topics but they will introduce you to us. 

TOPICS

• Being Christian
• Jesus Christ
• God
• Holy Spirit
• The Church
• Salvation / Eternal Life
• Kingdom (Realm) of God
• The Bible
• Baptism
• Communion / Lord’s Supper
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Ministry and Unity in Diversity
• Christian Unity

#1   BEING CHRISTIAN

We say we are Christians, so Jesus Christ is primary in our faith experience.  We believe that Jesus was a human being who lived and died nearly 2,000 years ago in the country of Israel .  We also believe that in Jesus, God lived and dwelled fully, as in no other human being.  We proclaim, “God became flesh and dwelled among us.”  We give him the title, ‘Christ,” the “Anointed One,” to designate that he was God’s chosen one to show us most fully God’s will and way for us.  Historically the Church has proclaimed that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.

In Jesus Christ we see God most fully.  As we examine the life and ministry of Jesus we can catch a glimpse of how God chooses to live and treat people.  Jesus forgives those who have sinned; Jesus heals those who are wounded and broken; Jesus includes those who were excluded by the society and religion.  In all this Jesus was revealing the very heart and mind of God who desires to include all people in love and grace.

In Jesus Christ we also see how God wants us to live.  By examining his life and teachings we gain insight into how we are to treat our neighbor, even our enemies. This is not something that we can accomplish on our own, but only with the help and strength of God in Christ.

Central to our faith is that Jesus died, was buried and raised from the dead.  Jesus’ death on the cross shows us the extent of God’s desire to give us fullness of life.  The love of God in Jesus Christ is even greater than death; life with God is eternal.

#2   JESUS CHRIST

“We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.”

You find those words printed in our bulletin every Sunday; we say them together as we gather around the Lord’s Table.  These words summarize the basic element of our faith as Christians.  There are other things that we probably all agree on as well as many things we may not agree upon, but proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is our common denominator as Christians.  This is as close to a creed as we get in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

In the 1st Century church, to say “Jesus is Lord” was understood to be counter to “Caesar is Lord” that was the cry of the Roman society.  Jesus is of God and the way to God; Caesar (or any human leader) is not God.    The imagery comes from a culture in which certain people had authority over others – “lord” and “master.”  To say, “Jesus is Lord” was not only a religious statement, but also a political statement.  They were declaring allegiance.

There are many people and objects to which we can give allegiance in our day and age.  We frequently call them gods - objects to which we give ultimate loyalty other that God known in Jesus Christ.  As a Christian we are proclaiming that there is no higher allegiance than to Jesus Christ - not country, not the company, not money or health or any form of power.

To be a savior implies being rescued or “saved” from something and for something else.  As Christians Jesus Christ is our savior in that he forgives us of our sin and desires to give us life fully and completely; we call that “salvation.”  Jesus expresses the totality of God’s love by including all who desire the fullness of life. 

If we take a serious look at the life of Jesus, he was a radical.  Jesus pushed the edges; his witness and mission was one of radical inclusion and grace, recasting the image of God’s salvation.  For us to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is to state that through Jesus we have found the fullest expression of God’s loving grace and that we commit our lives to him and his way of living. 

In Christ, God is showing us the way to full life; in committing to Christ we are setting aside all other gods and priorities in our lives.

#3   GOD

“God” is the name that we use for that spiritual source who has always been and who always will be.  God is the one we proclaim who brought all of creation into being, from the galaxies 20 billion light years away to our own solar system and planet we call earth.  God is the one who oversaw human formation and placed within us God’s own Spirit – the spirit of life.  We call God our Creator.

We also call this God our Redeemer.  God desires to be in relationship with us, the created.  God made us so that the fullness of our humanity can only be experienced when we are one with our Creator.  Yet, in order for that relationship to be meaningful, God chose to give us freedom; we are not puppets on a string; the big computer in the sky does not preprogram our lives.  And in giving us this freedom God also recognized that we could say “no” to God.  Freedom means choice.

The Bible is the recorded history of God reaching out to humanity to offer this full life – salvation, eternal life, after humans said “no” to God .  God has spoken through people like Moses and prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, Micah and Zephaniah.  Sometimes we respond and sometimes we don’t.

God came to us most fully in Jesus of Nazareth, whom we call the Christ.  In Jesus we see God most fully – God’s love, God’s grace, God’s forgiveness.  The more we understand Jesus the more we understand God.

God desires that all of creation live in peace and harmony with one another; that takes place when we consciously seek God’s way and not our own.  When we seek to live God’s way we enter into what the Bible calls the Kingdom of God , a realm that transcends time and space, something eternal.  This is not achieved by our own effort; it is a gift of God as we walk with God in faith and love.

#4   HOLY SPIRIT

This week’s topic is the Holy Spirit.  Historically the Church has defined the Holy Spirit as the third piece of the Trinity, along with God and Jesus Christ.  There is only one God but we experience God in three different ways and forms.

The Holy Spirit speaks to God’s presence with us in spiritual form, in all times and places.  It was the presence of the Holy Spirit that empowered the early believers to recall the words of Jesus and to share that good news with others.  It is the Holy Spirit that works within us bringing us to faith. It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to proclaim that the risen Christ is alive and present in our midst here and now.  The power and presence of the risen Christ is at work among us and in the world through the Holy Spirit. 

The Apostle Paul makes little distinction between Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ and Holy Spirit.  All are one and the same but emphasize various elements of God.

Traditionally the church has held that the Holy Spirit comes on a person at baptism.  I would argue that the Holy Spirit is at work in a person’s life bringing her/him to a point of confession.  It is the Holy Spirit that opens our eyes to new learnings, energizes us to act in faith and service, encourages us when we stand alone, speaks our needs to God when we can’t even put them into words.

Historically the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has shied away from much talk of the Holy Spirit because of the emotionalism that is sometimes associated with it.  However, the Holy Spirit is a significant element in a life that is growing in faith and service.  We need to reclaim that and celebrate it in our lives and in our worship. 

The Holy Spirit is at work in your life; do you recognize it?

#5   THE CHURCH

To quote a song a few years back by Avery and Marsh, “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is the people.’  The song goes on to proclaim, “all who follow Jesus all around the world, yes, we’re the church together.”  That does a pretty good job of summarizing up the idea of church.

We frequently refer to the physical building as the church, but in actuality the church is the people who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and proclaim him Lord and Savior.  All people in all lands who make this proclamation are members of the church, the gathered people of God.

Englewood Christian is a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination; it has been a founding belief throughout our history that “we are not the only Christians, just Christians only.”  Members of other denominations are Christians as much as we are; we are all equally part of the Church, the living Body of Christ on earth.  We may have theological differences and we may experience God differently or have varying means by which to worship and express our faith, but we are ultimately one church.  There may be hundreds of denominations but there is only one church.

God is the one who calls people to be a part of the church; it is by the power of God that the church has continued to exist over these 2,000 years.  God is the one who defines this community and uses it to express God’s desires to the world.  The church is, at the same time, both divine and human; it is of God but we are still humans who are tempted to sin.  But God has chosen the church as God’s means to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We are the church, the Body of Christ, in whom the Risen Christ lives and serves.

#6   SALVATION / ETERNAL LIFE

Have you ever been asked the question, “Are you saved?”  Or, “Do you have eternal life?”  The topic of salvation and eternal life is central to the Christian faith.

Let us affirm that humans are created in the image of God; we are blessed with God’s Spirit.  We also recognize that God gives us freedom of choice and that means that we can say “no” to God.  Turning our back on God and going our own way is called “sin.”  The story of the Bible is the brokenness of humanity when we say no to God; in the Bible we keep reading about how God desires to call us back into relationship with God.

To be in a right relationship with God is called salvation or eternal life.  When we turn toward God and seek to live God’s way our sins are forgiven and we discover the fullness of God’s grace and life.  This doesn’t mean that we are then perfect or free of sins but that we are living toward God and seeking to live God’s way. 

Salvation or eternal life is not something that begins when we die; it begins the moment we trust in faith and walk in God’s way.  For Christians this love and grace of God is lived out in Jesus Christ.  We have made Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

The emphasis of salvation and eternal life is not in the longevity of life after death but the quality of life, life lived in the Spirit of God’s love and grace.  It involves living completely the great commands of Jesus to love God with our entire being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  Commitment to Jesus Christ may be a personal decision, but it ties us to the community of faith.  Christianity is not a personal religion but a community of faith.  

We catch glimpses of this eternal life and salvation on this earth when the hungry are fed, the homeless are helped, the lonely are visited, the sick are cared for, when grace and forgiveness are extended, when equality and justice are offered to all.  Salvation is a way of living, a way of being that begins here and now when the Spirit of Christ dwells within us and transforms our lives.

#7   KINGDOM (REALM) OF GOD

Jesus spent more time talking about the Kingdom of God (Heaven) than any other topic.  This was central to his ministry.

Kingdom is the word used to describe the territory that a king would own and control, or a nation that was ruled by a king.  Israel was a kingdom in the Old Testament times when they had kings.  When the Romans ruled the Mediterranean area they could be called a kingdom, though frequently referred to as an empire.

When Jesus talked about the Kingdom (or Realm) of God, he was referring to that where God rules and reigns.  This realm is not a physical place on this earth but it is nevertheless real. The citizens of God’s realm are those who consciously choose to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior of their lives.  Much of Jesus’ teachings are spent in trying to describe the way God’s citizens are to live and act.  God’s Kingdom is a way of living and relating, and frequently God’s way of living is contrary to the ways of the kingdoms and nations of this world.   Jesus talked about loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us; Jesus talked about not letting material possessions control our lives.  Jesus spent his ministry including those that the culture had deemed unworthy or not equal.  Jesus preached that love was the greatest force of all. 

With our baptism and Confession of Faith we are made citizens of the Realm of God.  We have citizenship in that Realm here and now but its fullness won’t be experienced here – that comes after this life.  Believers in all other countries are also citizens; the Realm of God transcends all human and political barriers and differences. 

In this Realm of God there is complete love and peace; there is oneness in the celebration of the diversity of all God’s children.  We are constantly trying to live into this.

When we claim the name Christian we are claiming our citizenship; when we enter the sanctuary on Sunday we are recognizing that God stands above all other loyalties.  We are proclaiming that God has priority over all areas of our lives.  This is what we say; now, do we practice it?

#8   THE BIBLE

The Bible is the central document for the Christian community.  Written over a period of 1,000 years with numerous writers and editors, the 66 books that make up the Protestant Bible tell the history of how God and God’s people have interacted and lived.  The writings tell us of God’s speaking to God’s people, how people of faith lived and responded, including turning away from God.  It tells of God constantly coming to us through prophets to tell us God’s way of living and relating.  For Christians the New Testament tells us of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and how followers of his, with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, came to live and respond to the message of Jesus through the Church.  The Bible is all about the covenant relationship God desires with God’s creation.

The Bible includes historical narrative, songs, poetry, oratory, letters and, what we call, gospels.  None of the writers and editors knew that what they were doing would one day be called Holy Scripture; they were writing to share how they had seen and heard God acting and how God’s people were responding.  It is a book of faith.  It was recorded for others to hear.  Today we affirm that in that process the Spirit of God was at work.  The Bible is a human document through which God speaks a word that is timely and important for each generation.  To understand the Bible correctly, one must understand the cultural context in which it was written before making an application for today.

We take the Bible seriously but not literally, as some try to do; it was not intended to be taken literally.  In the reading of these words we listen for the truth that God has for us today.

#9   BAPTISM

Baptism is that act in which we present ourselves to God in faith and God acts to forgive sins and include us in the family of faith.  Baptism is an ancient rite of the church, going back to the time of Jesus, where water is used as a symbol of cleansing and rebirth.  The root meaning of the word means to “dip, plunge or immerse.”  Within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we have understood the early church’s intention to be that every new Christian, upon confession of faith, would be baptized as a symbol of commitment to Christ but an act of God’s grace on our lives.

Two specific symbols come to mind when I think of baptism.  The first is the use of water for cleansing.  Water is used to wash off the dirt and grime; it makes clean.  So in the waters of baptism, the sin of the past, the dirt and grime of life, are washed away, forgiven, cleansed, made whole.  We start over.  The second image has to do with the act of baptism itself – the acting out the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  We die to our old self and are raised to a new life in Christ.  God is the one doing the action.  The act of baptism is a powerful symbol expressing faith, commitment and God’s grace.

Our belief is that the early church practiced total immersion.  We encourage people to wait until they are old enough to make a conscious decision of faith in Christ before baptism.  We recognize, however, that some Christian denominations practice infant baptism followed up by Confirmation as a youth.  As a part of our ecumenical sense of the total family of God, we accept the baptism from other denominations, regardless of the form, if that baptism is meaningful to that person.  We do not require rebaptism; baptism is a one-time event of faith.

In our baptism we proclaim to put Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that we put citizenship in the Realm of God above all other loyalties.  Can you remember your baptism?  What does it mean for you today? 

#10   COMMUNION / LORD’S SUPPER

More than any other act or event that we do, it is the gathering around the Lord’s Table each Sunday that proclaims most who we are and what we are about.  The Communion service, sharing in the bread and cup, is the focal point of the worship service and theologically states who we are.  The symbol of our denomination, the chalice, proclaims the centrality of the Lord’s Supper in our ministry.

We share in the Lord’s Supper every Sunday believing that this was the practice of the early church; originally it was a full dinner.  Bread and wine were at every meal.   It is not an altar around which we gather to reenact his death (though he did die to show us God’s love for us), but it is the Lord’s Table that we focus upon.  It is a dining room table around which we can celebrate the risen Christ who is in our midst and invites us to share in the banquet of heaven.  Sins are forgiven; grace is offered. 

It is the Lord’s Table, not mine, not Englewood Christian’s, nor our denomination.  We believe that any and all people who claim Jesus Christ as Lord are invited to partake of the feast.  We do not question one’s theology or politics.  It is around this Table that the entire Body of Christ – all those who believe – must come together and recognize the common bond we have that makes us one.   Around the table we are one family; this place and moment transcends theological differences and political agendas. 

Around the Lord’s Table we remember our baptism, our act of commitment and faith.  It is around this table that we also recognize the Realm (Kingdom) of God that is coming but not yet fully here.  Here and now we share in the Realm of God but we long for that day when we will enjoy the banquet feast of peace and love in its totality.  We recall the saints who have gone before and we are connected with those who will follow us.  We recognize the brokenness and sin that divides and kills; we glimpse in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the power of God that overcomes all brokenness and offers us true life. 

It is amazing all that is symbolized in that loaf of bread and the fruit of the vine. 

#11   CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)

Our denomination had its beginnings in the early 1800s in what are now West Virginia , Ohio , Kentucky , western Pennsylvania and the Indiana area.  Out of a desire to get away from the hierarchal structures and political divisions, Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone, along with others, longed to return to the simple form of New Testament worship and organization.  This desire to follow the New Testament along with the rugged individualism that prevailed on the frontier, the Christian Church shaped our theology and values. 

One of these elements is the emphasis upon lay leadership and involvement.  Alexander Campbell was really opposed to having paid ministers in a congregation; that changed after the Civil War when congregations got larger.  We have lay leaders presiding at the Communion Table along with the ordained clergy; we have lay involvement in Elders and Deacons as well as the business structure.  A foundational element has been the belief that every person is capable and responsible to think through one’s own theology; it wasn’t the responsibility of the minister to tell you what you are to believe.  That is why every congregation has a wide diversity of people in terms of belief and thought.

Another element of this individualism has to do with each congregation being locally autonomous; by that I mean that each congregation owns its own building, determines its own budget; hires and fires its own pastor.  There is not a bishop with authority over the congregation; no one can tell us where and how our budget should be spent.  Our association with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is covenantal, not legal.

#12   MINISTRY AND UNITY IN DIVERSITY

First, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) firmly believes that every person is called into ministry at the time of his/her baptism.  Ministry is not the job of just the ordained clergy; everyone who proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord is called to serve, to share, to witness, to lead, to make a difference.  We are empowered with the Holy Spirit to use the skills and gifts we have to build up the Realm of God.  That may be different for each one of us but that is the uniqueness of the Church.  We are in ministry as we encounter our neighbor, when we are at school, when we go shopping, when we are at work.  We are not just talking about Sunday morning and the church organization; we are talking about all of life.  You are a minister!

Second, I remind you that our basic statement of faith is: Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.  There are a lot of other things we believe together but we also recognize that there are a lot of places where we may not all agree on a scriptural interpretation or how we should live out our faith.  Yet, we are all one in the body of Christ.  We have unity in the midst of our diversity.  This is frequently a challenge for us but yet it is so essential to our understanding of church.  We don’t all agree on topics such as the war in Iraq or abortion or homosexuality or how to handle social issues that challenge our country or how to interpret the Bible; yet we are all sisters and brothers in Christ.  We are still sitting around the same table sharing in the bread and cup.  It might be easier to start a group where everyone thinks and agrees on things but that is not the Church.  It is precisely in the midst of our diversity that we must affirm our oneness in Jesus Christ as Lord.

#13   CHRISTIAN UNITY

Two major themes drove the early founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the early 1800s.  First was the desire to return to the New Testament order of things and the second was a strong belief in Christian unity.

It is a foundational belief of our church that any and all who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are a part of the church – the Body of Christ.  There may be 75 different denominational names in the Yellow Pages of the phone book, but the church is still one.  Thomas Campbell wrote in the opening decade of the 1800’s, “The Church of Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally and constitutionally one.”  By that he meant that regardless of what humans do to it, the church is one.

One of the early slogans used by our movement was “We are not the only Christians, we are Christians only.”  We have sought to live that out over these 200 years as we have been involved in every major ecumenical movement that has taken place, National Council of Church, World Council of Churches, Council on Christian Unity and every state and local ecumenical organization.  We recognize our common unity in Christ as Lord and try not to let other doctrinal issues divide us.

We have adapted some of our earlier stands in order to be more inclusive of the larger community.  Church membership and the acceptance of other forms of baptism is one element.  The Lord’s Table is open to any and all who believe, not just to those who are members of our particular denomination or hold particular doctrinal beliefs.

David Helseth

Pastor