|
Celebrating our lives together in Christ |
CREEDS
Episcopalians affirm two historic
creeds that are statements of our basic beliefs about God. The Apostles' Creed
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 96) is the ancient creed of baptism; it is
used in the Church' s daily worship to recall our Baptismal Covenant.
The Nicene
Creed is the creed of the universal Church and is used at the
Eucharist (Book of Common Prayer, p. 358). Both have trinitarian
structure, based upon the fundamental
Christian conviction that the Trinity is one God: Father, Son,
and Holy
Spirit.
ETHICS
Episcopalians believe that in the Ten Commandments
(Book of Common
Prayer (p. 847) we have a basic summary of our duty toward God and our
neighbors.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
Episcopalians believe that the
Holy Scriptures (the Bible)
contain all
things necessary
to salvation. The public reading of scripture in corporate worship is a
distinctive mark
of liturgy in The Episcopal Church. Private reading is strongly
encouraged. We are taught to "read, learn, mark, and inwardly digest"
the words of
scripture with the intention that they may lead us "to embrace and ever
hold fast the hope
of everlasting life"
Although the study of scripture is often viewed as a very complicated
task requiring
professional skills, Episcopalians, while embracing modern insights,
believe that Scripture is a gift to the Church and all its members.
According to the Catechism
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 854),
Episcopalians "understand the meaning
of the
Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true
interpretation of the Scriptures."
THE SACRAMENTS
The Episcopal Church is a sacramental church. The sacraments are
outward and
visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure
and certain means
by which we receive that grace. The two great sacraments given by
Christ to his Church are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.
Holy
Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children
and makes us
members of Christ' s Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of
God.
The Holy
Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the
continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his
coming
again. Episcopalians believe that Christ is personally and actively
present in
the consecrat elements of bread and wine; thus they are called "the
body and blood of
Christ given tohis people, and received by faith." The benefits
we receive in
the Holy Eucharist are the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening
of our union with Christ
and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet that is our
nourishment in
eternal life. When we come to the Eucharist, it is required that we
should examine our
lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all people.
Because the two great
sacraments are means by which we initiate and then sustain and
deepen our relationship
with Christ, they are treated with utmost reverence and respect.
Other sacramental rites evolved in
the Church under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. They include confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony,
reconciliation
of a penitent
(confession), and unction (anointing of the sick). Although these
sacramental rites are
means of grace, they are not necessary for all persons in the same way
that Baptism
and the Eucharist are.
God is not limited by these rites; they are patterns of countless ways
by which God uses material things to reach out to us.
WORSHIP AND PRAYER
Episcopalians believe that prayer is responding to God by thought and
by deeds, with or without words. Episcopalians believe that prayer is
deeply personal.
Although prayer is unique to each person, a shared faith in Christ
expressed through
liturgical worship is also an essential component of the Christian
life. Liturgy refers to a public service of worship that expresses
the common faith of the
Church. Episcopalians believe that in corporate worship we unite
ourselves with
others to
acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God' s Word, to offer prayer,
and to celebrate the sacraments. The administration of the sacraments,
and other rites
and ceremonies of the Church are contained in The Book of Common
Prayer,
1979.
The Book of Common Prayer is a hallmark of worship in The Episcopal
Church. Many
Episcopalians find comfort, encouragement, and great challenge in the
worship and
teaching it contains. The cadence of its language and the value of
repetition assist us in keeping a continual remembrance of those great
things God has done
for us.
INTO ALL THE WORLD
While individual Episcopalians have many different perspectives on the
problems that
beset our communities, nation, and world, none can escape the clear
teaching that "we respect the dignity of every human being" and that we
are sent "to
love and serve the Lord." A long tradition of social
witness is rooted
in the Anglican
conviction that Christ has come to save and preserve our "bodies and
souls."
Episcopalians care deeply about the causes of personal and systemic
evil and are
prepared to join others in the cause of justice and peace.
Episcopalians tolerate and
encourage dialogue and even disagreement on social matters in the hope
that common engagement will lead to lasting and real solutions.
|
|
|
|
