What is a Catechism?
According to one source:
cat·e·chism (kt-kzm)n. is 1. A book giving a brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity in question-and-answer form.2. A manual giving basic instruction in a subject, usually by rote or repetition.
Catechisms can help us to teach our faith to our children and to each other. If used in a dedicated time of family study and worship it can be a very useful tool for faith formation.
The United Church of Christ has many "testimonies of faith" one of which is the Heidelberg Catechism. The Heidelberg Catechism was published in the German university town of Heidelberg in 1563, a year before the death of the Reformer John Calvin who inspired its core testimony: that God does not abandon humanity to death but in sovereign freedom restores the broken relationship between God and God's children. The center of this drama is Jesus Christ. In the words of the 20th-century theologian Karl Barth (quoting a German hymn), the message of the Heidelberg Catechism is: "Get out of the way, you spirits of sadness, for Christ the sovereign of joy is coming in!" The Catechism was widely used in the Reformed Church in the United States—one of our antecedent denominations—and is still held in high regard by all churches of the Reformed tradition.
The Heidelberg Catechism asks us this question regarding the resurrection
How does Christ's resurrection benefit us?
The answer given is:
First, by his resurrection he has overcome death,
so that he might make us share in the righteousness
he won for us by his death.
Second, by his power we too
are already now resurrected to a new life.
Third, Christ's resurrection
is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection.
For family reflection:
What do you think the resurrection means for you as a Christian? What does it mean for the world at large? In what way
According to one source:
cat·e·chism (kt-kzm)n. is 1. A book giving a brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity in question-and-answer form.2. A manual giving basic instruction in a subject, usually by rote or repetition.
Catechisms can help us to teach our faith to our children and to each other. If used in a dedicated time of family study and worship it can be a very useful tool for faith formation.
The United Church of Christ has many "testimonies of faith" one of which is the Heidelberg Catechism. The Heidelberg Catechism was published in the German university town of Heidelberg in 1563, a year before the death of the Reformer John Calvin who inspired its core testimony: that God does not abandon humanity to death but in sovereign freedom restores the broken relationship between God and God's children. The center of this drama is Jesus Christ. In the words of the 20th-century theologian Karl Barth (quoting a German hymn), the message of the Heidelberg Catechism is: "Get out of the way, you spirits of sadness, for Christ the sovereign of joy is coming in!" The Catechism was widely used in the Reformed Church in the United States—one of our antecedent denominations—and is still held in high regard by all churches of the Reformed tradition.
The Heidelberg Catechism asks us this question regarding the resurrection
How does Christ's resurrection benefit us?
The answer given is:
First, by his resurrection he has overcome death,
so that he might make us share in the righteousness
he won for us by his death.
Second, by his power we too
are already now resurrected to a new life.
Third, Christ's resurrection
is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection.
For family reflection:
What do you think the resurrection means for you as a Christian? What does it mean for the world at large? In what way
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