Set up road signs
for yourself, make yourself guideposts, consider well the highway,
the road by which you went.
Jeremiah
31:21
Making Ready for
the Journey
Outline
of the Faith
Formation
Bible Study
Sunday School
Discernment
Continuing Education
Prayer Life
And
as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt
before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do
to inherit eternal life."
Mark
10:17
Each
of us makes a journey from birth to our ultimate destiny. For
some of us our journey is cut short. Others become hopelessly
lost. For many, there is constant suffering and hardship along
the way. For many, there are times of great joy and wonder.
We all make decisions along the way that hurt ourselves or others
or the environment in which we live. Regardless of the outcome,
we do not make the journey alone. Those who walk with God in
Jesus Christ, travel with fellow pilgrims to eternal life.
They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within
us while he talked to us on the way, while he opened to us the
scriptures?" Luke
24:3
Jesus
Christ through the Holy Spirit of God has given us the good news;
we don't have to carry the heavy baggage of sin, sorrow and guilt.
There's a better way. No matter how much baggage we accumulate
along the way, we begin each new day free of that burden because
he has taken that burden upon himself. We need only acknowledge
the burden, repent of our wrong choices, and ask that the burden
be lifted from us. Each new day begins and continues a renewal
and growth in our Christian spirituality and faith. For two thousand
years, wise and compassionate men and women of constant and true
faith have found in Holy Scripture and in the life and teachings
of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit road maps for the
journey. Throughout history, from the prophets, apostles, evangelists,
theologians, biblical scholars, teachers, preachers, martyrs and
missionaries have come the liturgy, the interpretations, the doctrines,
the meditations, the prayers, the inspiration and traditions of
and for this body of pilgrims we call the Church.
Outline
of the Faith
And when we come to ourselves and want to confess
our faith in God, how do we express what we believe? Does it
matter? What we believe determines who we are, what we do, and
the purpose for which we live. What do we share with the community
of faith in which we identify? In addition to Holy Scripture,
there are countless books, articles of faith, creeds, doctrines
and interpretations of scripture. Where do we begin?
In our community of faith, the Episcopal Church, there is a
summary of religious teachings and commentary on the creeds
called An Outline of the Faith, commonly called the Catechism.
It is found in the Book of Common Prayer. It is to provide a
brief summary of the Church's teaching for inquirers. It is
intended as an outline of instruction and is not meant to be
a complete statement of belief and practice.
Formation
We must be prepared for the journey in faith.
Formation is the process of making ready and is what we learn
along the way. It prepares us to make sound decisions when faced
with obstacles and choices. It can provide us guides or road
maps and help us understand the directions we are given and
give us the opportunity to learn and grow with our fellow travelers.
There are many ways we can achieve a greater understanding of
who we are, our place in the Church, and experience spiritual
growth. There are times when individual prayer, meditation,
study, reflection and devotion are appropriate, even necessary,
but the most effective growth is often in a group setting. Spiritual
growth and Christian formation is a life-long
process. For many people it begins as a child attending Sunday
School and continues with confirmation classes,
Bible Study groups, discernment
of gifts for ministry, and continuing education
in a ministry.
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Bible
Study
An
Sunday School
(continued)
top
Discernment
An
Continuing Education
(continued)
top
Prayer
Life
(continued)
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