Our Only Comfort
This Sunday, we continue our summer series Putting It Together: Belief and Praise with a confession that speaks not from a place of abstract theology, but from the heart of the believer. Our focus is on one of the most beloved questions in the Reformed tradition—Question 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The answer is deeply personal: “That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
These words have offered assurance to Christians for more than 450 years. And this week, we reflect on what it means to find our comfort—not in control, not in certainty, but in belonging.
A Catechism of Comfort
The Heidelberg Catechism was written in 1563 in the German city of Heidelberg, during a time of religious division and spiritual uncertainty. Commissioned by Elector Frederick III, it was intended to unify the churches under his care—churches caught between Lutheran and Reformed tensions. While it didn’t fully resolve those theological divisions, the Catechism became a lasting testimony of Reformed faith marked by warmth, clarity, and grace.
It opens with comfort, and that tone carries through all 129 questions and answers. The catechism is structured around three central movements: guilt, grace, and gratitude—a rhythm that continues to shape Reformed worship and spiritual life today.
Why It Matters Now
In our fast-moving, fractured world, the Heidelberg Catechism doesn’t begin with demands or dogma. It begins with identity—with belonging. It reminds us that our comfort doesn’t come from having all the answers, but from knowing whose we are.
In the Reformed tradition, catechisms are not relics. They are tools: not to limit faith, but to give voice to it. And they always point us beyond themselves—back to Scripture, and forward to a life shaped by grace.
Of Head and Heart
Creeds and catechisms are often thought of as intellectual documents—statements for the head, crafted with precision and theological care. That’s not wrong. The Heidelberg Catechism certainly draws from deep Reformed thought and careful biblical reflection.
What makes the Heidelberg Catachism so remarkable is where it begins—not with a doctrine, but with a question of the heart: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”
Before it says anything about sin or salvation, the Catechism asks us where we turn for peace. Before it walks us through what we believe, it invites us to consider what sustains us—not just in Sunday worship, but in daily life and even in death.
It is, in the end, a profoundly pastoral document. It speaks to the head, yes—but it begins with the soul. It invites us to reflect, and then to rejoice: We belong to Jesus Christ. That is the comfort that anchors our faith. And that comfort leads us not only to confession, but to praise.
Be a Part of the Worship Experience
Whether you’re new to the Presbyterian or Reform tradition or grew up toting the book of confessions around, this Sunday is a chance to return to the core of our faith: that we belong to Jesus Christ.
Join us as at 10:00am on June 29th as we gather around the question that anchors our comfort and shapes our joy...and to remember: “That I am not my own…”