(The Creed) sets out what Christians can expect each other to take for granted.  You might even say that it tells why we can trust each other in the Christian community.  We’re looking in the same direction, working with the same hopes and assumptions.

Tokens of Trust, by Rowan Williams

The Bible is a long book. Various audio recordings of Old and New Testaments run to 70+ hours. How do you summarize all that when someone wants to know what to believe or what to do?

Jesus wrapped up the Old Testament revelation in two laws. Love God and love your neighbor.

In an early letter, Paul summarized the Gospel for the church at Corinth:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve… (I Corinthians 15: 3-5)

The Church meditated for three centuries before gathering at Nicea to codify a larger statement of beliefs.

The one true God who has called everything into existence has a purpose for us within that master plan. He sent His Son to redeem us and His Holy Spirit to guide us. The Father intends to complete what He has begun.

Becoming familiar with all the stories and testimonies of men and women in the Bible takes time. If it takes 12 years to get a normal high school diploma we shouldn’t be surprised that learning our faith will also take some time and study.

But meanwhile, as the Archbishop of Canterbury says, we can begin by “looking in the same direction” with others in the Christian community. We can “expect each other to take for granted” that we all want to love God and love our neighbors...and that we claim ownership in the faith of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church handed down to us by the saints.