One

I thought I'd take inspiration from the 'photo of the day' posts, which are numbered, and use most of the days between now and Ascension Day (on 21st May) to simply count, and see what reflections come out of that.

So, we start with One.

The Nicene creed begins 'we believe in one God...' and includes the phrase 'we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church', which is what came to mind when thinking about 'one'.

'one holy catholic and apostolic church'
What does that mean?

It's a list of the 'Four Marks of the Church' that were agreed upon way back in the 4th century when the Nicene creed was formulated.

Very briefly, they say that the Church is:

One - the Church is the Body of Christ. As Paul says in Galatians 3, 'you are all one in Christ Jesus'.
We may go to one church (little 'c'), but we belong to one worldwide Church (big 'C'), all united by the core belief in God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - that we share.
(Reflecting on this is always slightly sobering, I find, (especially after thinking about the Reformation martyrs yesterday), knowing how the Church is still so divided and argues amongst itself so much)


Holy - the Church is holy. Founded by Christ guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church is made holy. ...That doesn't mean members of the Church are perfect, or ever can be in this life - but through God's grace the Church is holy.


Catholic - the word Catholic often is a shorthand for 'Roman Catholic', but here it has a different meaning; catholic (little 'c') means universal. The Church is open to, and for, all people.


Apostolic - the Church began with the Apostles, and its beliefs and traditions have been handed down to each generation since. Of course, these traditions have evolved over time, but they stem from the very beginning of the Church.
Many Churches, including the Anglican Church, also hold to the idea of apostolic succession - the Apostles appointed people to follow in their footsteps as leaders of the Church, and they likewise did the same, all the way down to our current bishops.



A prayer suggestion for today? ...When Jesus was asked how we should pray, he taught us one prayer. Here it is, with a few video clips exploring it too: The Lord's Prayer


♫ I'm not sure there are many songs that have the word 'one' more than this! … One Vision - Queen