As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that just as God affirmed his love for and pleasure in his Son,¹ he does the same for us, calling us Beloved with and in Christ.² It is our belief that this is most clearly evident when we participate in the sacraments, especially baptism and the Eucharist. In the “visible word” of those sacramental events we “hear” God say of us “Beloved.”

We believe that being God’s beloved is rooted in what God has done for us in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. We can pass through the water and find our place at the Table not because we have earned it, but because God has extended us this unlikely invitation.

We believe that being the beloved of God is more than a beautiful thought or a lofty idea that guards us from poor self-image and keeps us feeling good about ourselves. Instead, it remains for now a secret, mysterious truth that has yet to become for everyone a visible reality, ³ although by faith we see evidence of it in the commonplace experiences of our daily life.

Therefore, our call as the children of God is to withdraw from the shadow of the darkness and run recklessly into the light of the Gospel, which makes plain our sinfulness and just so heals us.⁴ As the beloved of God we must live attentively and intentionally so that through Christ we may become the bread of life broken for the world and our lives may be poured out for others. By living in confidence that God has made us dear to himself through the Son and the Spirit, we freely give ourselves in love and so that our neighbors and enemies may know that they are God’s beloved, as we are. Knowing we are loved infinitely, we can take every risk and love without reservations or self-defense.

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