Our Beliefs

St. Andrew’s Church

Great Cornard

Our Beliefs

Christians believe that God made the world. It matters little whether everything sprang into existence, or whether God set in course the process by which plants and animals began to evolve and to grow and multiply. The important thing is that the world didn’t come about by accident. Take a look at a car in the street. The workmanship involved in putting a car together is amazing – and people would laugh at the idea that all the pieces of the car sprang together by chance to make a Porsche. And yet the same people might suggest that this whole planet; the oceans; the rocks; the mountains; humans themselves – all spring from blind chance.

Christians believe that our creator chose to make us – we were not the result of some blind fluke. This is all very good news for us – because it means that we are here for a purpose. Part of that purpose is to get to know our God, in readiness for the time when we shall go to be with him in heaven. And so Christians meet together in churches to worship God, and to try to get to know him better by talking and listening to him in prayer, just as we spend time talking and listening to our friends.

Christians also believe that the stories the Bible tell us are important. Perhaps the most significant stories are the ones that tell us about the life of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that God loves us so much that he decided to become like one of us, and to show us how he intended us to live. And so God’s Son was born in a humble stable and laid in an animal’s feeding trough because there was no cradle on hand. God who had made the world came to live amongst us, and we could not even find a bed for him to sleep in ! Jesus spent his time on earth going about doing good; healing people who were sick; welcoming people who were outcasts; talking about the importance of loving one-another and loving God. His words were deeply deeply challenging, and people don’t like to be challenged. And so they tried to get rid of Jesus; they nailed him to a rough wooden cross, and left him to die. But the best part of the story was yet to come. Jesus showed that his love and God’s love was stronger than death – and three days later he came back to life.

There is no doubt that this is the most important event that our planet has ever seen – and it is the very heart of the Christian story. A story that is about love, forgiveness, sharing, giving – and – most importantly – about all our tomorrows.