“Q. Why is the Church described as one?
A. The Church is one, because it is one Body, under one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— The Book of Common Prayer, p 854
Scripture:
To encounter the Scriptures is to encounter God. There are many ways someone might get a sip of water but, eventually, rain needs to fall. Scripture is rain for the Christian life. We might find wisdom in one place, a glimpse of the holy in another, but we will need to return to the source of our understanding of the movement of God across all ages to frame and understand what it is that we are seeing, hearing, sensing, and feeling. We will need to drink deeply of the source of our knowledge of God in Christ.
“Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life…”
~ The Book of Common Prayer, p 184
In the Episcopal Church we take part in certain regular acts of prayer and worship. These are called Sacraments and are a participation in Christ’s ministries on earth. The two primary Sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion, which Christ specifically gave to the disciples with five more Sacraments also recognized as means of grace.
“Q. What are the sacraments?
A. 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.”
Sacrments:
We believe that God is actively present in the world and in us. In the Sacraments we realize his Presence and his favor towards us. Through the Sacraments, which are freely given to us by God, our sins are forgiven, our minds are enlightened, our hearts stirred, and our wills strengthened. The two chief Sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion, which were commanded by Christ. There are five others that the Church recognizes, including Marriage and Confession. To learn more about the seven Sacraments, click the “learn more” button below.
~ The Book of Common Prayer, p 857
“Q. What are the creeds?
A. The creeds are statements of our basic beliefs about God.”
~ The Book of Common Prayer, p. 851
The Creeds:
The Creeds are statements that contain a summary of our basic beliefs. The word “creed” comes from the Latin word Credo, which means “I believe.” In the Episcopal Church, we say both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed in our worship. Because we are a community of faith, we openly declare our beliefs and in this way unite ourselves to Christians in the past, present, and future. The Creeds are a way of speaking about God, who God is, how God works in history and in our time, and what our relationship is with God.
“Q. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.”
The Book of Common Prayer:
The Episcopal Church is bound together in a unique way by the Book of Common Prayer. We believe that praying shapes believing — and that God is calling to us in each moment if we can find the space to hear that voice. While other churches might place more emphasis on doctrinal purity or strict behavior codes as a way to shape and guide their communities, we have found that welcoming the Holy Spirit by regular prayer in the patterns of the ages has a still deeper and more powerful way of shaping us. To learn more about the Book of Common Prayer and how we use and pray through it, please click the “learn more” button below.