An Affirmation of Faith from 1 John 5:1-6 (Responsive Reading)

People: We believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Leader: We believe that Jesus is the Christ who was born of God and that everyone who loves the parent loves the child.
People: If anybody asks you who I am, tell'em I'm a child of God.

Leader: As children of God, we love God and obey God's commandments.
It is not burdensome for us to love ourselves. It is not burdensome for us to love our neighbors.
Whatever is born of God conquers the world.
People: Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Leader: We believe in God the Father.
People: If anybody asks you who I am, tell'em I'm a child of God.
Leader: As children of God, who are born of God, we can conquer the systems of this world.
Our faith will give us the victory over inadequate schools, drug trafficking in our neighborhoods, drive-by shootings, the criminal justice system, a materialistic culture,
and a media that portrays us as being less than children of God.
Whoever is born of God conquers the world.
People: Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Leader: We believe in the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
People: If anybody asks you who I am, tell'em I'm a child of God.
We testify . . .
Leader: . . . About those who came by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, about those who crossed the Delaware and the Ohio Rivers,
about those who lived in the swamp waters of Florida and Louisiana, seeking the truth of God's freedom.
People: We testify . . .
Leader: . . . About those who came through the waters of Katrina and about the systemic poverty and political racism that caused the humiliation and dispersion of our people.
People: We testify . . .
Leader: . . . About the blood of those who were lynched, about Emmett Till, about the blood of those who lost their lives so that we might have a right to the tree of life.
People: We testify . . .
Leader: . . . About the one who came by water, blood, and Spirit, Jesus Christ. Whoever is born of God conquers the world.
People: Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? We believe. Amen.

About the Author: The Rev. Marilyn E. Thornton is the Lead Editor for African American Resources at The United Methodist Publishing House and pastors the Emery United Methodist Church of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.