Who was Jesus?
We Believe That...
Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago in an obscure Middle Eastern town called Bethlehem. During his first 30 years he shared the daily life and work of an ordinary home. For the next three years he went about teaching people about God and healing sick people by the shores of Lake Galilee. He called 12 ordinary men to be his helpers. He had no money. He wrote no books. He commanded no army. He wielded no political power. During his life he never travelled more than 200 miles in any direction. He was executed by being nailed to a cross at the age of 33.
Today nearly 2 billion people throughout the world worship Jesus as divine - the Son of God. Their experience has convinced them that in the wonders of nature we see God as our loving Father; in the person of Jesus we discover God as Son; and in our daily lives we encounter this same God as Spirit. Jesus is our way to finding God: we learn about Jesus by reading the Bible, particularly the New Testament and we meet him directly in our spiritual experience. Jesus taught us to trust in a loving and merciful Father and to pray to him in faith for all our needs. He taught that we are all infinitely precious, children of one heavenly Father, and that we should therefore treat one another with love, respect and forgiveness.
He lived out what he taught by caring for those he met; by healing the sick - a sign of God's love at work; and by forgiving those who put him to death. Jesus' actions alone would not have led him to a criminal's death on the cross: but his teaching challenged the religious and moral beliefs of his day. Jesus claimed to be the only way to reach God. Above all, he pointed to his death as God's appointed means of bringing self-centred people back to God. Jesus also foretold that he would be raised to life again three days after his death. When three days after he had died on the cross his followers did indeed meet him alive again, frightened and defeated men became fearless and joyful messengers. Their message of the good news about Jesus is the reason this church exists. More importantly, it is the reason why all over the world there are Christians who know what it means to meet the living Jesus, and who believe that he alone has the key to human life.
And if you are still looking for God then you might find this website useful.
May your time in our church (or on this website!) be a blessing to you.
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Watch Canon J John, in his own inimitable way, explain, among other things, who Jesus is. |
‘Dentist doesn't believe God exists!’ Do you agree? Watch this and see if you change your mind. |