NICENE CREED

We believe in one God,
    the Father, the Almighty,
    maker of heaven and earth,
    of all that is, visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    the only-begotten Son of God,
    eternally begotten of the Father,
    God from God, Light from Light,
    true God from true God,
    begotten, not made,
    of one Being with the Father;
    through him all things were made.
    For us and for our salvation
        he came down from heaven:
    was incarnate from the Holy Spirit
        and the Virgin Mary,
        and was made man.
    For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
        he suffered death and was buried.
        On the third day he rose again
            in accordance with the Scriptures;
        he ascended into heaven
            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
        and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, 
    who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
    who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
    who has spoken through the prophets.
    We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
    We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
    We look for the resurrection of the dead,
        and the life of the world to come. Amen.

THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

The Anglican ethos has often been described in the Latin phrase, via media (middle way). The desire of the early Anglican reformers was to stay true to the ancient traditions of the early church but in a way that was accessible and relevant to the people of 16th Century England.
So right at the heart of Anglican Christianity is a desire to be simultaneously rooted and relevant, ancient and modern, traditional and innovative. Nowhere is this more plainly seen than in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).

Originally written in 1549 by Thomas Cranmer, the BCP revolutionized the life and worship of the Church in England. Cranmer’s BCP was a brilliant innovation that brought new life and meaning to the ancient worship traditions of the church, because, for the first time, they were simplified (made user friendly) and written in the language of the people rather than in Latin.
The BCP is also thoroughly infused with Scripture references from the beginning to end as Cranmer had a deep conviction in the transforming power of God’s written word.

At Holy Trinity Edmonds we use the 2019 BCP to give structure to our services and to assist us in worshiping together as a community.  Continuing in Anglican tradition we attempt to be simultaneously rooted and relevant, ancient and modern, traditional and innovative each week in our worship services.

Holy Communion

Holy Communion is also called The Lord’s Supper, The Lord’s Table, The Mass, The Jesus Meal, and The Eucharist.

These terms are interchangable. The word Eucharist means, “thanksgiving.” We celebrate the Lord’s Supper as an act of joyous gratitude.

We believe in the REAL PRESENCE of Christ in the bread and wine. What we mean by this is that Jesus Christ is truly spiritually present with us as we partake of the bread and wine.

We do not believe that the bread and wine change in any way.  They continue to be bread and wine, however we do believe that Christ is present to us in the Communion, by faith, just as he is present in his Church, spiritually, by faith. And because he is actually present we regard this sacrament as a means by which we receive the tangible goodness of God. Christ’s Real Presence is a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Christian Church is about – living in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  When we gather together we joyously expect Christ to be present in the Eucharist. In fact, we believe the Holy Spirit is at work in every part of our services.