We believe that life is worth living; that it is a generous gift bestowed on us; that there are infinite reasons for us to celebrate and look forward to tomorrow.

This is a good world because it was created by a good God. We are not results of chance, but a caring God designed and moulded us intentionally. He wants enjoy life and wants us to enjoy life; he created the world out of the fullness of his being. Our God is a jubilant and party-throwing God.

He is also loving. He chose not to reject us because of our desire to live separate from him – that rebellion and self-centeredness which is usually called sin, and which generates the suffering of the world. So instead of condemning us to pay for our indifference and cruelty and vanity, he chose to redeem us: he moved to our neighbourhood to live like one of us and build a bridge between humans and God. Jesus was God in human form, and he shook the course of history with wisdom and grace like which has not been seen before or since. He ascended to a cross to give of himself, pay the penalty of our sins, and offer us the chance of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

So now a RSVP invitation is at hand: a joyous, God-infused life is available to those of us who accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and live for him. We come to enter his community, also called his body or the church, to live rightly for his pleasure, and to join his mission of renewing this world to the paradise God intended in the first place. We serve Christ’s cause of redemption with all our might, like a brief, sweaty day before death showers us clean and we are raised again to join God’s eternal party in the new heavens and new earth.