Faith isn't about answers. It's about asking questions and listening for God's voice in the noise.
"If someone wants to learn more about God, [Jesus] implies, it will involve more than believing someone else's answers. It will involve thinking deeply about the questions you are asking and why. Then it will involve acting on the answers you come up with in order to discover what is true."
- Barbara Brown Taylor, Holy Envy
Journaling Your Faith Story
The Catechism is a summary of the church's teachings, meant to be the launching point to further instruction and lifelong growth in the Christian faith. The ancient practice of new believers' learning in question and answer format is reflected in the Episcopal Catechism found in The Book of Common Prayer.
Perhaps you are outside the Episcopal Church and are curious about how what animates what we as a church practice. What are the beliefs that guide our practices of faith? Maybe you're new to the Episcopal story and this can help you engage it more deeply. Maybe you've been around the church a long time, but you want to go beyond Sunday morning practice. You may not be sure what is really behind the things we say and do in the liturgy, in the way we engage the Word and the Sacraments. Maybe you want to see how your story fits into the church story, and you want a companion in the journey.
Rather than simply learning answers to questions, I hope these prompts can be a way to help you engage with the essential questions of faith. Seven exercises will allow you to journal your way through the statements of faith and practice, and wrestle with them. Find your place in God's story and the community of faith.
Let's journey together through the Catechism. Discover:
My Story
Who am I? Where did I come from? What is my purpose? How are we to live in this world and connect to others?
The Story of God and Our World
Who are we in relation to God? What do we know about God and how do we know it? How is God involved in the world? How can we experience God in our lives?
Our Story
Where did we lose our connection to ourselves, God, and each other? How can we move beyond separation and be restored to goodness and unity? How can we continue Christ's work in the world and live together as the Body of Christ?
