People in our church would use different words to describe their faith, but what Christians have in common is an understanding that to face all the big questions of our life – our search for meaning, purpose, healing, hope, strength, a better future – we start by looking at Jesus of Nazareth, especially as we read about him in the Bible.
Jesus shows us who God is, what God is like, and how we can best live. He shows us that God made us and loves us. That love is so strong that God came to live like one of us in Jesus Christ (that’s what we celebrate at Christmas); he died on a cross (what we remember on Good Friday); rose again from the dead and offers us new life (what we celebrate at Easter). To help us, God sends his Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us (what we celebrate at Pentecost). We can connect with God through prayer and worship, and by reading the Bible.
Most of us have a lot of questions and many of us face times of doubt or struggle, but we’re in good company as we learn and ask questions together. We share the questions and struggles with Christians all around the world and through learning from the past as we try to understand Christian faith better and work out what it means for our lives today, to follow Jesus.
For upcoming opportunities here at Earley St Peter’s to explore questions about faith and life click here.
- Some helpful resources:
- Church of England Website
- Diocese of Oxford
- The Apostles’ creed – the classic expression of the Christian faith
- Christianity Explored
- The Alpha course