I'm a Christian - Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

So what does it mean?

So here we are at the final chapter. So far you have had the chance to learn about history and tradition, learn a little Wesleyan Theology and participate in fellowship with your peers. This study has spent a great deal of time telling you what it looks like as a Christian and what worship looks like. We have learned about humanity and the need for God’s grace. And the steps of grace (one grace, several steps in the journey) that we travel through as Christian people who call themselves Methodist. But the real question that has not been answered completely at this point is what does it all mean. It begins with our belief. We proclaim belief in Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, who was born fully human and walked the earth for approximately 33 years, taught us by lessons and example, died on the cross for our sins and then was resurrected on the third day, conquering sin and death forever. Sound right? But do we really believe it? That is the real question. Real belief is lived out! Real belief is seen in us by others.

Three Simple Rules

John Wesley established Three General Rules for the people called Methodist. Remember when you were in Kindergarten or the First Grade? Remember the basic rules? They were share with others, play fair, don’t hit people, clean up your own mess, say you are sorry when you hurt someone, take a nap every afternoon, hold hands and stick together when you go out into the world and  live your life enjoying the wonder of the world. What happened? Did somehow we forget all these things when we began the second grade? Bishop Reuben Job wrote a little book some years back called, Three Simple Rules. In it he tried to summarize what Jesus taught us so many years ago. And what John Wesley was so passionate about all his life. So I have to ask the question, when we are out in the world, do others see God in us? Do we look around at each other and see our transformations to become more Christ-like? If not, why not? We profess to be Christian’s right? We with a smile on our face tell others how we go to church on Sunday and how wonderful it is. So do they believe that we are somehow different than they are if they are not professing Christians? Truth is, we live in a world today that is too fast, too complicated and turbulent, and it strives to divide us as it forces us to blend in.

The first rule is “Do no harm.” Now that seems simple enough to me. I remember that old saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Words do hurt don’t they? And sometimes we say those words without thinking about the harm they may cause. Sometimes words are spoken and the effects of them last lifetimes. I know families that don’t speak together anymore because words were said that divided them. So what does no harm really mean? Simply, it means when we enter the playground, you know, work and such, it’s just the toys that got more expensive; we must work hard not to hurt anyone. Imagine with me for a moment that every thing you say and everything you do not once causes another to be harmed. In the Old Testament there was a man called, Jabez. His name literally meant causing others pain. And so he prayed for God to assure he did not. And God answered his prayer. So each day we wake up, we pray that God will work within us so that we do not hate, do not gossip, do not bad mouth others, and do not do anything that causes another human being to be hurt. Sounds like a tough job to me.

The second thing we must do is to “do good.” Hmmm! That sounds easier than the first one, Pastor Don; I think I will try that one first. Well, what does it mean to do good? What if tomorrow morning you woke up, went to work and there on your doorstep is a homeless person. Would you pass him or her by as you go into your air conditioned office? Or would you offer to feed them, clothe them and bring them out of the weather. Hmmmm! Doing good suddenly doesn’t sound so simple anymore. What if I told you that our Discipline, the book that defines us and drives us, says that we must use every opportunity to be merciful and kind? Sounds a bit life our Galatians scripture doesn’t it? Proverbs 25: 21 tells us that if our enemies are hungry, give them bread and if they are thirsty give them water to drink. But Pastor Don, these are our enemies. We don’t like them and they don’t like us! REALLY? HMMMM! This doing good stuff is tougher than I thought. And Jesus said to us in Luke, one of the passages we just heard, to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us. Is it getter a little hotter in here or is it just me?

I love Micah 6: 6-8. It should be our mantra each and every day of our lives. The final simple rule is to “love God.” Micah puts it best when he says do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God? There are ways to work at this. Daily bible reading, constant prayer and sharing in fellowship with one another are ways we work at our relationship with God. There was a time when I was in management in an industrial setting. When I left there a young man paid me a great compliment. He said, you know, I did not always agree with the things you did. But you never surprised me and when you fired me, I knew it was coming. That caught you by surprise didn’t it? Our love for God should not surprise us or God. It should and needs to be the same kind of love that God gives to us. When we are having a great day, thank God! When we are having a bad day, thank God too! We should thank God that our day is not worse than it is. Or better yet, thank God because no matter how bad our day is, it doesn’t end on a cross bleeding and suffocating to death. Hmmmm! That puts it better perspective don’t you think.

Truth is that we have to work at this some. So what does the world look like if you had never had the opportunity to view it from the perspective of an outsider? I used to spend a lot of time in airports, sometimes waiting for flights for hours. It was an incredible experience in which I had the opportunity to view humanity. All walks of life, people from different states, different countries and different walks of life. On any given day you could see every hair style, every clothing style and hear every language, even some that dialects that are English and yet not understandable by the average person. On any given day you would have the opportunity to see the best and the worst of humanity. I have seen people shoved, fist fights in airplanes, sickness and hatefulness. But I have also seen the young man who reached out the older gentleman to help him up the stairs, the older woman who befriended a young person down on their luck, people stepping up and stepping out of their comfort zones to assist others in some of the most difficult of circumstances. See, what I am suggesting is that national origin, culture and language have nothing to do with the concept of being who you can be. Even someone who was born on the other side of the tracks and lived their life in the squalor of a lower social class can be the one person who steps up and lifts a person out of a burning car or assists an elderly lady across the street. Have you seen the commercial where one person helps another and that leads to the person who watched this event helping another and so on and so on? It is a great reminder that sometimes we affect the lives of people we never meet and never see by the actions that they see in us on any given day. Kind of incredible to believe that you could befriend a person in Parksley Virginia and the results of that action cause a person in Bangkok Thailand to befriend a person! It happens every single day in places all across the world. And it can happen here and now with you.

The Vows We Take!

We take many vows as members of the church. Sometimes these vows are long lasting vows, taken once and remembered, like Baptism and our profession of Faith, sometimes they are our vows of confession that we take during Communion services and there are even vows we take as we became members of the church. Most, if not all of these vows are in the United Methodist hymnal.

Our vow of Volition says, “Through confirmation, and through the reaffirmation of our faith, we renew the covenant declared at our baptism, acknowledge what God is doing for us, and affirm our commitment to Christ’s holy church.”[1] At that moment when you stood before the church you agreed to acknowledge that God is working in you to make you a transformed person in the image of Jesus. And we agreed to commit to the church.

Our Vow of Church Membership says, “As members of Christ’s universal church, will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries? As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?”[2] As we took these vows to become members of this church, did we hear ourselves agree to serve? We are called to serve where our talents and gifts will glorify God. We agree to offer ourselves and our monies to the church in order that it may further its mission. And we agree to witness our faith to the world around us.

            Each time we take communion we take the Vow of Confession and Pardon which says, “Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord.”[3] These vows we take have meaning and substance and require of us commitment.

So what is it specifically that we are vowing to do? What is it that God wants of us? In order to answer that question, I will present to you the Word of God from the Bible. God tells us in the story in Matthew 22 what we are to be obedient to. ^NRSVMatthew 22: ³⁶ "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" ³⁷ He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." And then he declares for us the mission of the church and each member of the church individually. ^NRSVMatthew 28: “¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." And finally I believe that we receive the Vision of the church in Paul’s writing in Acts. ^NRSVActs 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." So there you have it. We are to love God and one another, bring others into relationship with God and witness about our relationship to the world.

How do we do this?

There is a broad assumption that we need to deal with here. The assumption is that each of you has already made the commitment to Jesus Christ in your lives and is now focused on becoming better disciples. If that is not the case, now is the time to make that decision. If you have never been baptized, as an infant or adult, now is the time to let God work in your life. Once that decision is made, our focus becomes on being the best imitation of God that we can be to the world around us. It means obeying the commandments in Matthew 22: 36-40.

What does loving God look like? It shows up when you forgo the Sunday morning sleep in to attend church worship services. Loving God means that you spend time in prayer. Maybe you develop a routine in the morning of taking time away from the computer and the television to read a devotional, the bible and share a prayer. It means taking the time to pray for others who are in need. Loving God shows up when you take the time to be in fellowship with others.

What does loving your neighbor look like? It shows up when you forgo that leisurely day at the seashore to work with the Men or Woman of the church in their soup kitchen or food pantry or on someone’s house. It shows up when you share your meal with someone who is in need, offer coats to school children and share your financial blessings with those who are in need of electricity. As United Methodist it also shows up when you take a stand against hate and bigotry. When “racial” statements are made do you stand up and ask those saying it not to, or remain silent thereby telling those around you that you accept them?

Witness is often the most difficult thing we do in our society today. Everyone has become so scared of hurting others feelings that we fail to share the love of God. Witnessing does not require in depth knowledge of the Bible as many think. It simply means that you share your story of your relationship with God with others. Some of the most powerful witness never uses a scriptural reference.

I believe that the nature and mission of the church continues to be centered on Jesus Christ, offering Jesus to all persons that they may know him as the Son of God and through him enter into the Kingdom of God growing in the image of Christ and witnessing to the world. The nature of the church is to be the sign of the reign of God, exists to be a redemptive community and to be the instrument of God’s presence by providing the means of grace in the offering of the sacraments, Word, order and service. The church is a foretaste, an appetizer of the Kingdom of God which will be fulfilled completely in the feast at the table of God on the mountain of God. The church through its worship brings the Word of God to the world and proclaims the message of grace, love and salvation. The church is, “a community of believers brought together by the profession of the same faith and conjoined in the communion of the same sacraments.”[4]

The mission of the church includes leading a meaningful, relevant worship within the church which relates to the community both inside and out through the use of a scripture based interactive and uplifting service. And in that worship we proclaim the WORD of God through the message and the grace of God with the Clergy presiding over the giving and taking of the sacraments. In addition to the worship service, the church builds disciples for the transformation of the world through Sunday school and small group study where we continue the study, discussion and understanding of Christ together in fellowship with one another. My role as a member of the Clergy carries with it the responsibility to lead and empower others to lead these opportunities for discipleship growth.

In addition, the church is responsible for outreach and nurturing ministries to the community and the world. We do this through service ministries aimed at providing for those who are in need with an emphasis on eliminating poverty where we are able to do so, standing against social injustice wherever we find it and reaching out with love to those we encounter. The church has lost its focus as the center of the community and we as clergy should work to reestablish this within our appointed communities.

Our primary task is completed by receiving, relating, equipping and sending disciples in the world, found in our miss ional statement in (Matthew 28:19) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." I believe that the nature and mission of the church is summed up in those words, that we are tasked with finding those who are searching wherever they may be, building relationships with them in order to win them to Christ, building disciples through our instruction on the Word and then sending them out in mission to the world.

In the end, our job ain’t easy as the song used to say. But the reward is out of this world and the joy of helping others is above words. I hope that you will share in the ministry of your church. God Bless!

Questions

1.    Discuss ways to follow the General rules in your daily life?

2.    Discuss how you are living out your vows and your belief in Jesus Christ.

3.    How has this study changed your perception of being

a.    a Christian?

b.    A Methodist?

---

[1] United Methodist Hymnal, 1989, page 33

[2] United Methodist Hymnal, 1989, page 38

[3] United Methodist Hymnal, 1989, page 12

[4] Garrett, 2005/06, n.p.

I'm a Christian - Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

Baptism, Salvation, Grace and Holy Communion

History of Sacraments in America

            In order to look at the practices of early American Methodist as it came to the administration of the sacraments, we first need to delve into the mind of John Wesley. From that perspective we can truly see what he intended for this new movement as it relates to the administration and the meaning of the sacraments. But from that point we need to deviate to the actual understanding and practices of the early Circuit Riders, local Pastors and/ or communities. These two points tend to be in harmony in the macro sense but could be very much at odds in the micro.

How John Wesley saw it!

            There is no question to any who have studied or have been exposed to John Wesley as to his desire for personal holiness which included the sacraments. His own Anglican background forms the basis for much of what he believed, which in the end was tempered by his experience with the Moravian’s and his own study of the scripture and work in the field which in and of itself was somewhat unique or even rare for a traditional Anglican Priest. In order to look at his view on how the sacraments should be administered, we divide the sacraments into Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Of Baptism, there is not a great deal of information from John Wesley. This may be in part due to his Anglican roots where he may have felt that the subject of Baptism spoke for itself through the tradition of the church. The Anglican Church at the time of John Wesley practiced the traditional baptism of infants and adults. On the subject of adult baptism we find little reference, but on the subject of infants, John has indicated his belief in its justification through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“On balance, then it seems best to say that Wesley remained convinced that infant baptism conveyed the regenerating Presence of the Holy Spirit, though he emphasized that the full effectiveness of the gracious Presence emerged gradually as the developing child responsibly appreciated it.”[i]

On the subject of communion, his views were greatly influenced by his own desire for personal holiness. He is quoted as having said that, “The Eucharist does not itself confer grace, but the Holy Spirit through the sacraments does confer grace…”[ii] And we know from his personal accounts that:

“He communed every week if possible ( a rarity in his day), and often communed daily in the octave of Easter and the twelve festival days of Christmas…This helps explain why he encouraged the American Methodists in 1784 to celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly…”[iii]

How the American movement saw it!

            From the beginning of the American movement, it quickly became apparent that different understandings were at work between what the Anglican Church believed and what the American minister faced as a daily challenge. Some of them may well have resulted from the desire for detachment from anything English and others for the necessity of purpose that would become evident as the movement gathered momentum. “For the early period it may be concluded the Baptism must have meant less than official definitions and systematic treatises suggest.”[iv] In fact, early accounts indicate a lack of ordained elders available and the complete disregard by Episcopalian leadership to affect any kind of change or assistance. This led some drastic action by some.

“Although Strawbridge was not ordained, he believed that those under his spiritual care needed the sacraments. And so in 1762 or 1763, he performed the first baptism, that of a child…”[v]

A need for doctrine of the church was sensed and so in 1773 the following rules were agreed to at the first conference in America:

1. “Every preacher who acts in connection with Mr. Wesley and the brethren who labour in America, is strictly to avoid administering the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
2. No person or persons to be admitted to our love-feasts oftener than twice or thrice, unless they become members…”[vi]

But by the year 1779 when faced with a lack of ordained elders who could administer the sacraments and facing an increasing need for them, the Conference of Fluvanna voted 19 to 10 to ordain themselves in order to fulfill two important requirements of John Wesley, the necessity of communion and the prerequisite of ordination in order to administer the sacraments. It is interesting that the very nature of John Wesley’s belief was at the foundation of a break from his viewpoint on the organization, structure and polity of the early church. 

“In the course of this year (1779) there were great troubles and distresses in the Methodist connection, both among preachers and private members; owing to an unhappy division which took place among the traveling preachers. Many…concluded, that if God had called them to preach, he had called them also to administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”[vii]

Wesley had sent Joseph Pilmore over in 1770 with instructions on how to perform a ‘love feast’ in an effort to deal with the problem. He introduced to the American culture the idea of the ‘love feast’ as a way of compromising the issue of ordination. By 1789 it had become a duty of the ministers to conduct ‘love feasts’ when they visited with the societies and classes throughout their circuits. “In its most basic form, an American Methodist love feast consisted of a sharing of bread and water and a time of testimonies.”[viii] Communion was typically administered when the presiding Elder arrived during his quarterly visit. By 1812 local Pastors were ordained in order to provide sacramental administration. Either communion or the ‘love feast’ was by invitation only and invitation was restrictive and often difficult to obtain. This was done in order to allow the attendees the freedom to witness without fear. Doorkeepers were used to keep people who were not members out. You might gain admission for two or three times but admission required a ticket or permission slip for all. During ‘love feasts’, it was a common practice to take an offering for the poor, hence the connection with the word love. It was also a time of intense and shared witnessing with some accounts of frenzied excitement and even visions were reported. The view was that this communion of fellowship led to personal and communal holiness.  

“Early Methodists offered a variety of reasons why love feast privacy was so important. The most obvious was the desire to safeguard the atmosphere so participants felt able to speak freely in testimony. In some ways, personal testimonies were synonymous with the love feast itself, and so creating the best atmosphere possible for speaking was a self-lefting goal. As the bishops noted in 1798, including unawakened persons could "cramp, if not entirely destroy. . . liberty of speech" in love feasts. A particular concern was preserving the liberty of women members since some non-Methodists opposed women speaking in the church.^”[ix]

So we can expect then that the earliest forms of communion and ‘love feast’ worship were very spiritual affairs. The very private nature of these events led to an ability to share one with another of the emotional and intellectual aspects of delving into the study and understanding of the very nature of God. In fact we know that the early American movement viewed these events as being a little bit of heaven on earth.

The Human Need for Grace

We understand our very nature is to be disobedient to God’s will in our own lives and the life of our communities. “Human beings are sinful and without God incapable on their own of being righteous, however they are not irredeemably sinful and can be transformed by God’s grace.”[x] We believe that we are born into a sinful nature where we desire to exert our will over the will of God. We spend our life fighting this nature where we each fight for control of our lives rather than relinquishing that control to God and seeking discernment for our lives through the Holy Spirit. In that inescapable nature our doom is assured except for the intervention of God. Humanity cannot bridge the sinful gap between our own humanity and God. Because of that, it was necessary for divine intervention in the death of Jesus. John Wesley summed up our depraved nature in his sermon on the New Birth saying: “And in Adam all died, all humankind, all the children of men who were then in Adam's loins. The natural consequence of this is, that every one descended from him comes into the world spiritually dead, dead to God, wholly dead in sin; entirely void of the life of God; void of the image of God, of all that righteousness and holiness wherein Adam was created. Instead of this, every man born into the world now bears the image of the devil in pride and self-will; the image of the beast, in sensual appetites and desires. This, then, is the foundation of the new birth, -- the entire corruption of our nature. Hence it is, that, being born in sin, we must be "born again." Hence every one that is born of a woman must be born of the Spirit of God.”[xi] Without divine intervention we would be incapable of redemption and so God provides the means through Jesus, his life, death and resurrection.

I have seen in the past several years the congregations fight to exert their will over the will of God in their lives. It is a constant struggle to overcome our very natures when faced with spending the blessing that God has brought to the offering plates as opposed to saving it for the proverbial rainy day that will never come. Even if it did, the members would not realize that the God given umbrella needs to be opened at that moment rather than remain in the Umbrella Holder where it is protected until eternity comes. And yet they hold on to security blankets rather than test the Lord as in Malachi 3:10. But I have seen the Holy Spirit work even in these discussions, by the willingness to share in benevolence needs, affirming that it is only in the divine grace of God that we receive salvation and it is in this grace that lives are changed and transformed.

The Kingdom of God, resurrection and eternal life

Through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Kingdom now exists in the plane of human existence and is very present in our lives each and every day. It is not fully complete as Paul says, (1 Corinthians 13:12) “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” I agree with the words of John Wesley, “And this ‘kingdom of God’, or of heaven, ‘is at hand’. As these words were originally spoken they implied that ‘the time’ was then ‘fulfilled’, God being made ‘manifest in the flesh’, when he would set up his kingdom among men, and reign in the hearts of his people.”[xii], as proclaiming that the Kingdom of God (or Heaven in Matthew) surrounds us as Jesus Christ is in us through God’s grace and our own justification. “The thing about which everything turns, like a wheel where God is in the middle and everything is oriented to it.”[xiii]

The death and resurrection of Jesus is the single most pivotal moment in the history of the world. That was the pivotal moment when Christ won the victory over death and took dominion of the world from Satan through his descent into hell and rising from the dead. “Indeed, because of Christ, all persons stand before the possibility of a new relationship to God, whether they recognize and acknowledge it or not.”[xiv] From scripture we recognize that Jesus, in this resurrected form was physical with divine capabilities, he could eat and yet walk through walls. Paul through scripture reminds us that our sin which leads to death comes from Adam and yet through the resurrection of Jesus we are made whole.

Eternal life is the gift that Jesus’ death and resurrection has given through our reception of Him by our faith. (Mark 10:29) “Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, (30) who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age-- houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions-- and in the age to come eternal life.” The scripture reminds me that I have been promised and now have eternal life as a result of the gift of Jesus Christ and my willingness to follow Him in the ministry in which he called me. As a result I believe that one day we will shed this earthly vessel and take on a spiritual one as Paul describes to us in his writings because of God’s grace through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Christian Baptism

The meaning and significance of Christian Baptism begins with the understanding that we are born in sin from birth by virtue of Adam’s sin. John Wesley stated this in his sermon titled “New Birth”. And we understand that God’s grace is extended to us through the sacrament of baptism to bring us into the community of the Body of Christ. “In baptism we are initiated into the community of Gods people, the body of Christ.”[xv] In Baptism, it is God’s activity that is paramount. “It is noted previously that he (Wesley) appropriated the definition of a sacrament as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace…”[xvi] In sacraments, the significance is that God is the principle actor. Baptism comes to us throughout the tradition of early Jewish custom, through the scriptural teaching of Jesus and the tradition of the church. Water is used in our liturgy as a reminder of the Old and New Testament cleansing power through water that cleanses us of original sin. As we recognize the scriptural foundation of baptism we also recognize that there is no defined method. Methodists recognize sprinkling, pouring and immersion as acceptable methods of this sacrament.

As United Methodists we should work hard to lift up those being baptized as being incorporated into the community of believers and focus on the covenant of the community to share in the growing journey that begins with Baptism. “…Wesley’s view that the sacrament is a means, not an end. Baptism, whether of an infant or an adult, is the foundation, the beginning, but not the end of a process.”[xvii] And we live out our baptism in our journey as we progress towards justification for infants and/ or sanctification for adults. It is here that we often part from other denominations understanding of what baptism means. It is Act of God that we participate in but do not in and of ourselves have a part that changes anything. We come willingly as adults or young adults or as infants to be joined to God’s church. Baptism is not Salvation!

Salvation, Grace and Marks of Grace

Runyon says, “Grace is not simply one generous act by a judge but a process involving the constant presence, recognized or unrecognized, of the Spirit drawing the person into a relationship that will sustain and reinforce on the way.”[xviii] From the moment we are born, God’s prevenient grace surrounds us, seeks to call us to relationship and provides God’s love to us. And into this grace, a grace that we can never earn, we live our lives in need of repentance which is a desire to seek forgiveness for our sinful disobedient nature. From the fall of humans in the garden, our disobedient human nature is in need of forgiveness. Forgiveness is only achieved through the atonement for our nature by Jesus’ death on the cross. And when we acknowledge that we are in need of forgiveness and come to God with repentive hearts, we meet God there waiting for us with grace and love. We seek to be restored to God’s favor since we are unable to restore ourselves. “In essence, repentance is our personal acknowledgement of our spiritual need, as we are awakened to it by the Spirit.”[xix]

Justification is being reckoned righteous; it is pardon; where we are restored to the right relationship through the atonement of Jesus’ death. It happens when we acknowledge our need to be in relationship with God. Regeneration or “New Birth” is that moment when we receive the power of the Holy Spirit and we are “Born from above” as Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about. Whether justification and regeneration happen instantly together or as Wesley believed, justification logically preceded regeneration; we take the next step on a journey towards perfection in Christ. “Justification begins the process of restoring the image of God in us, for our lives are realigned for a purpose: not only to receive from God but to share what we have received with others.”[xx] When we are justified and regenerated through our faith, we receive God’s forgiveness and “…we are made new creatures in Christ.”[xxi] It is in the moment that we ask for forgiveness and are justified that we receive our Salvation and its promise of Eternal Life. As we continue the journey in faith, God’s grace continues to transform us in this new creation. At that moment when we are made perfect in the image of God, Wesley would say that we are sanctified. “In sanctifying us, God gives us power to live a life of love toward God and neighbor.”[xxii] When our love for God is with our whole heart, mind and soul and we truly love our neighbors as ourselves then we are completed. For many of us, this complete transformation may not occur until after our physical lives are complete. But our Wesleyan background causes us to ask; “Why not now?”

When we think of the marks of a Christian life, we look to Wesley who stated in his sermon on “The Marks of the New Birth” that our transformed lives are inwardly and outwardly visible. That the fruits of our faith and transformation in our New Birth give us power over sin. We live in a world where our lives enjoy a peace with the knowledge of God’s love. In that place there is hope in Christ and it is this hope that we witness to the world. And most importantly, there is love. In God’s love we find a constant desire to love our neighbors and are obedient to God. What we desire comes first through faith and grace and then through Christian discipline. 

Communion (The Lord’s Supper)

The meaning and significance of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is relived for us each time we participate in the communion of Christ through the meal. At the table we remember the stories of Abraham’s journey, the paschal lamb of Passover and the Supper in the Upper Room as we await the promise of Isaiah 25 of the feast on the mountain. “The Lord’s Supper is yet another of God’s gifts that sustains the holy life. It is the successor to the Jewish Passover meal (Matthew 26:26, Notes) and reminds us of Jesus’ death as the institution of a new covenant with God (Mark 14:24, Notes).”[xxiii] We embrace the presence of Christ in the bread and juice as part of the mystery of the sacrament in communion with those who participate rather than believing that it is the actual body of Christ or just a remembrance service. We also hold that this mystery makes this meal sacred, that God is the principle actor in it. We recognize the importance of the language of “blood’ and ‘covenant’ in the gospels of Mark, Luke and Paul and its link to the covenant at Sinai. Our heritage is that the Eucharist is acted out in community and John Wesley believed it to be a ‘converting means of grace’. “The term Holy Communion invites us to focus on the self giving of the Holy God, which makes the sacrament an occasion of grace and the holiness, our communion with God and one another.”[xxiv] And so, we make it available to everyone allowing God’s grace to work in those who need the saving grace of Christ.

Questions

1.    Now that you have had a chance to hear the story of John Wesley, what significance does the early American Movement have on sacraments?

2.    How might the idea of a Love Feast be used or is currently in use in your church?

3.    What is your understanding now of our human nature and how does it influence your thoughts on the need for God’s grace?

4.    Has your view of Baptism been changed by our discussion and how?

5.    Should we baptize infants? Why or why not?

6.    How does our understanding of the Lord’s Supper impact your own experience?

---

[i] Randy L. Maddox, Responsible Grace, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN., 1994), p 225

[ii] Paul Sanders, The Sacraments in Early American Methodism in Perspectives on American Methodism ed. Russell E. Richey, Kenneth E. Rowe, Jean Miller (Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 1993) p 80

[iii] Maddox, p 202

[iv] Sanders, p 88

[v] Kenneth Cain Kinghorn, The Heritage of American Methodism, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN, 1999), p23

[vi] Jesse Lee, A Short History of the Methodists in the United States of America, (Magill and Clime, Baltimore, MD, 1810), p 40

[vii] Lee, p 63

[viii] Lester Ruth, A Little Heaven Below: The Love Feast and Lord’s Supper in Early American Methodism, ed Michael Mattel, Wesley Center for Applied Technology, 2003, p 2

[ix] Ruth, p 2

[x] Garrett, Dr. Daniel, 2005/06, n.p.

[xi] Outler, Albert and Richard Heitzenrater, eds., 1991, page 338

[xii] Outler, 1991, page 128

[xiii] Gutenson, Dr. Chuck, 2004, n.p.

[xiv] Runyon, 1998, page 54

[xv] Felton, Gayle Carlton, 2006, page 2

[xvi] Maddox, 1994, page 200

[xvii] Runyon, 1998, page 140

[xviii] Runyon, 1998, page 29

[xix] Maddox, 1994, page 162

[xx] Runyon, 1998, page 42

[xxi] Smith, 2008, page 46

[xxii] Abraham, William, 2005, page 62

[xxiii] Yrigoyen, 2001, page 33

[xxiv] Felton, Gayle Carlton, 2005, page 9-10

I'm a Christian - Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

Worship, Christian Year

Worship

How we define the beginning of worship often defines what we believe about our heritage and our faith. Some would argue that worship begins with the early Christians as they gathered to share the details of Jesus life, his teachings, his miracles and healings and his death and resurrection. Some would go further and say that our worship derives from its Hebrew roots. Most scholars would say that our worship follows patterns that come from synagogue worship. We must always remember that the earliest Apostles were all Jews first, even Paul, who began the path that led the early church away from its Hebrew rules and requirements. Early Christian leaders called our pattern of worship as “synagogue liturgy.” The word “liturgy” comes from the Greek word meaning, “work of the people” or “service to the people.”

            Liturgy in the Eastern Church has not changed much in two thousand years. The service follows preset patterns established by early church leaders, it is primarily the work of the Clergy and the Choir and/ or musicians with the congregation simply listening without great participation. Liturgy in the Western Church has driven in different directions. Some churches like the Ana-Baptist, Quakers and Puritans have no set liturgical flow in worship, while most Protestant movements have some informal order of worship. Most United Methodist churches follow an order of worship that is recognizable from church to church, though the appearance of contemporary and praise styles of worship is changing the face of worship across America.

            A traditional Christian worship service consists of two elements, the Synaxis (the service of the Word) and the Eucharist (Holy Communion). Synaxis comes from the same Greek word as synagogue and means gathering together. This part of the service is centered on the Word of God and involves scripture, message, and prayers. The Eucharist is the service of Communion. At most Protestant religious services this is not present every week but at preset times throughout the year. As United Methodist we believe that worship is:

1. Worship is encounter – meaning that at every worship participants have opportunities to encounter Jesus Christ. We believe that worship is an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. Worship is central – we believe that worship is central as a whole, to lead your local congregation, and to your participation as a Christian in the church and in the world. In worship we discover that we are the church.
3. 5 principles of worship – We believe there are five principles of worship that should be evident in every worship:
1. God’s word is primary
2. Active congregation participation is crucial
3. Spontaneity and order are both important
4. Worship must be relevant and inclusive
5. Worship is communal
4. Our pattern for worship follows a basic pattern but may be structurally different in churches from location to location. The basic pattern for worship is:
1. Entrance (Processional, Hymn, Praise liturgy, Response liturgy)
2. Proclamation and response (Hymn, Sermon, Scripture, Prayer)
3. Thanksgiving and communion (Prayer, Hymn, Communion)
4. Sending Forth (Benediction)

What you will see in the church

            Churches may vary in floor layouts, in pulpit design and the display and location of the altar table so take this lesson to be a model of a typical church. Within the sanctuary you will find at least one pulpit. If there are two within the church one tends to be a little higher than the other. The lower pulpit is where scripture is typically read, announcements are made, and prayers are offered, in other words, all the non-message related parts of the service. The message almost without exception comes from the high pulpit. Some pastors may preach from outside the pulpit, some may move around the stage or front of the church, but almost all start at some semblance of a pulpit. If there are chairs in the pulpit area, these are the places speakers will sit. If there are more than three, typically three will be placed in the center or located adjacent to the Altar table. To the right of the Altar sits the “Moses” or “Law” chair symbolizing God’s law sent to the world through Moses. To the left of the Altar table sits the “Prophet” or “Elijah” chair symbolizing the prophecy of God. If there is a third chair in the middle that is often referred to as the “Jesus” chair. The Presider who is bringing the message would typically sit in this chair as Jesus representative bringing the Word of God through the message.

            Churches that have more elaborate traditions in the church may have an Acolyte, a young man or woman who lights the candles on the Altar table.  The symbolism here is that they are bringing in Jesus through the lighted candle they carry. They reach the Altar and then light the two candles at either end of the Altar table, one representing “The Divinity of Christ” and the other representing “The Humanity of Christ.” At the end of the service they will extinguish the two candles into one light symbolizing Jesus leading the church out into the world for mission. The candles themselves represent the three elements of Christ in the church. The candle wax symbolizes his body, the candle wick his soul and the candle flame his divinity. During Communion, the elements of Communion are on the table. When we look at the table during a communion Sunday we should reflect on what we see there. What we see reminds us of Jesus at the burial place, the candles representing the angels on either end which also creates a beautiful picture of the Ark of the Covenant.

            The church year is divided up into periods of time representing the birth, life and death and resurrection of Jesus. Our Christian year begins the first Sunday of Advent, which is the first Sunday following Thanksgiving. During this time we celebrate the prophecy of the Messiah, anticipating the birth as the arrival of this promise of God to the people of the World. On Christmas Day and for the next twelve days we celebrate Christmas, the Birth of the Messiah, the Anointed One, and God in the World. This season ends with Epiphany which in the Western Church is the traditional time we believe the Magi or Wise Men arrived to see Jesus in person. During the season of Epiphany we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus in the church, transfiguration and it is during this time of the year that we typically focus on Jesus ministry and his teachings. Following Epiphany we enter into the season of Lent. It begins with a celebration in many cultures called by various names like “Fat Tuesday” or “Shrove Tuesday”. Lent is a time of reflection, fasting and prayer that lasts 46 days from Ash Wednesday till Easter Sunday. The week prior to Easter Sunday is “Holy Week” in the United Methodist Church and during that week we celebrate “Palm Sunday (Jesus entrance into Jerusalem)”, “Maundy Thursday (the gathering of Jesus and the Disciples and the beginning of Communion)”, “Good Friday (which is a misnomer meaning the day of Jesus death)”, and then “Easter Sunday (the day of resurrection).” Following Easter the church celebrates Ascension Sunday (the day Jesus Ascended to heaven), Pentecost (the day the Holy Spirit indwelled in the Apostles and the Christian church is born), and then a period called “Ordinary Time (that gives the church time to focus on various aspects of our faith life.

The calendar is set by two events in the year. In the Western world Thanksgiving establishes the season of Advent with Christmas falling on December 25^th. Why December 25^th was chosen is lost in the muck of time. Some suggest it is because the Hebrew “Festival of Lights” is celebrated on this day while others base it on the timing of Easter minus nine months. The why is not as important as what we are celebrating. Easter is set as the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox. The Paschal moon on or after the Vernal Equinox sets Passover and for those studied in the scriptures know, Jesus dies during the season of Passover.

We celebrate these various times in the Christian Calendar with colors.

Blue or purple is the color of royalty and a color of hope. Blue or Purple are the colors of Advent and sometimes used during the season of Lent.

White or Gold are joyous colors representing purity. It is used during the Christmas season up until Epiphany, the season of Easter and during Communion, Weddings, Baptisms and special occasions of the church.

Red is the color of fire and represents the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is used during Pentecost Sunday, some display red during Holy Week, Thanksgiving and at certain services like the service of Ordination.

Green is the color of Ordinary time and represents growth and earth.

During certain seasons symbolism is often used to celebrate the meaning of that season. Advent wreaths, Christmas trees, palm leaves and flowers are some of these.

Questions

1.    What are the important elements of worship that allow you to experience God’s presence?

2.    How does the historical traditions shape your focus on worship?

3.    How do the symbols of worship enhance or take away from worship as you understand it?

4.    Some would say that our Christian holidays are actually Pagan Holidays. How do you respond to this statement?