Good Friday Affirmation of Faith

It's been a while, folks. But there are times where the liturgical season intersects with my interior life and I need to let something out. I find that rewriting an affirmation of faith helps me find the unspoken words I have within myself to speak into creation my identity as a christian, especially when it is hard or scary. So on this good friday, an affirmation.

I believe in God; sometimes through sheer force of will only. I do not see God but I perceive God’s creation all around me—I see God in the wilderness, in the vastness and intricacy of nature, in community, and in you. I believe in God who is parent of us all, no matter what experience of “parent" we have encountered in our life—God’s parenthood fills those gaps. I believe in God’s infinite creativity.

I believe in Jesus; God’s Son and God enfleshed; homeless and vagabond Lord of humanity. I believe in Jesus’ impatience with injustice who still loved the oppressed AND oppressor and desired for the liberation of all.  I believe that Jesus was the Great Surpriser: surprising rabbis and teachers as a teenager, surprising disciples and convincing them to put their lives aside for the sake of the gospel, surprising Lazarus with new life, surprising Pilate with his courage, surprising humanity by defeating death. I believe that Jesus’ gospel transforms the world, and transforms us in the present tense. I believe Jesus gave his life to us and we took it in the most violent way we could imagine at that time. I believe that Jesus sang and danced—even if it such accounts aren’t in the gospel accounts we call “Holy Scripture.” I believe Jesus had an acute eye for suffering and befriended the kind of people that others tried their hardest not to notice. I believe Jesus is God’s love poured out into the valley of dry bones we call humanity, and that Jesus is breathing life into our dry bones, calling out, loudly, “LIVE!”

I believe in the Holy Spirit; a pesky Goose and profoundly peaceful presence; a movement of Godnessthat is designed for the moment at hand. I believe that the Holy Spirit works through the church, and despite the church when necessary. I believe that the Holy Spirit continues to reveal God’s will to us each day. I believe that the Holy Spirit is present when we sing, dance, love, draw, dream, music, make love, preach, rest, paint, celebrate, struggle, relax, YOU NAME IT, the Holy Spirit is moving among us.

I believe in the Church, even when it fails us. Not the building or the bureaucracy, but the vessel for telling God’s incredible story and the community of people building God’s kin-dom every day.—and I believe it can always become more loving and more like who God desires it to be.

I believe in the cloud of witnesses that paved the way for success and failure before us, and that the glorious choir is singing in anticipation for that great and Holy Day where everything and everyone is reconciled to God.

I believe that I am worthy of forgiveness, and I believe that you are worthy of forgiveness—but that we must have the humility to say sorry.

I believe in resurrection, of bodies, of lives, of communities, and of the Body of Christ. Miracles surround us.

I believe that eternal life surrounds us, and that we are a part of it and recipients of eternal life through the Love of Jesus Christ.

All to the greater glory of God, intrinsically bound to the humble love and service of our neighbor. Amen.