I
We believe in the God of Life, whose breath is in us
and whose mercy encircles the creation.
We believe in Jesus Christ, who loved us indestructibly
and who shared our pain.
He is with us now as he promised, even to the end of the age.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who welcomes us
into the household of faith, gives us gifts in abundance,
enlivens our hearts with joy, and urges us into the world
to testify without fear to God’s justice and grace.
Hoping against hope for the promised realm of peace,
we love one another while we live,
we honor every creature God has made,
we stand against the power of sin and death,
and we bless the earth and all that fills it.
Glory, thanks and praise be yours,
O Living God, now and forever!
Amen.
II
We believe in the wideness of God’s mercy,
wider than the sea.
We believe that no one falls outside God’s care.
We believe that in Jesus Christ,
God embraced the human condition,
our shame and our glory.
Everyone is kin to us in him.
We believe that the Holy Spirit never rests,
but works in the world to gather every creature
and seat us together at the banquet of love.
We believe we are called to a ministry of grace,
a way of hospitality.
We believe that God’s mercy is ours, and ours to share.
We believe. Lord, help our unbelief.
Amen.
III
We believe that the day is coming
when God’s grace will change the human heart,
and we will live as one with every living thing.
We believe that the day is coming
when Christ’s compassion will fill the earth,
and no one will do harm, be hurt, or feel alone.
We believe that the day is coming
when the Spirit’s freedom will unbind our souls,
and we will live generous lives for each other
with a joy no circumstance can alter.
We believe this day is coming,
and we wait and work for it with steadfast hope,
for God has promised it, and God is faithful.
Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Sicut Locutus Est 
Thanks for this, Vicki. I find it hard to believe that a terrific writer like you “failed utterly” at anything! You’re right about never being able to say it all. I think that’s a good thing: like white spaces on a water color that make the painting believable and true. I appreciate your response. Thanks again.
Well, I find it so very interesting that you posted these beautiful creeds a day after you posted “Abundantly Far More,” because reading that piece made me think of creeds and statements and the like. I love “Abundantly Far More,” and agree absolutely with your point, but I disliked it in the sense that it left me feeling I had failed utterly in a statement writing/crafting effort. I remind myself and others that a necessarily brief vision statement simply *cannot* say everything–nor is it meant to. But now I want to add a whole bunch of things–and that ain’t gonna happen. Oh well. 🙂
Thanks, as ever, for these soul-stirring and spirit-challenging gifts.