February 19/20  :  METHODISM FOR TODAY

                               THE CHARACTER OF A METHODIST

                              Revelation 2.1-4                             

                              Communion at 8 am

In John Wesley's day, if you were called a Methodist, it was not a compliment!  Trying to move beyond people's opinions about the radical Methodists who read the Bible, sang lustily, preached with fervor and served the poor, Wesley wrote his first tract with the ordinary title, The Character of a Methodist.  In this tract, he described what he believed would be a perfect Christian.  He quickly added "Not as though I had already attained."

This weekend, we are going to take a look at this foundation of Wesley's taken from scripture. When you read the scripture from Revelation for this weekend, you may be puzzled.  Here is a hint.  John wrote to the church in Ephesus. Their faith had become lukewarm.  In just a few years, the passion and zeal of the people in Ephesus had faded.  John Wesley had come into the world two hundred years after the Protestant Reformation and after many pendulum swings in British religious culture.  He experienced a lukewarm feeling toward faith in his day that he sought to revitalize.  I wonder if the application for us is the pondering of our faith journey.  Do we have passion and love for Christ or has it become lukewarm over the years?  What might the scriptures and the richness of our tradition say to us to revitalize and strengthen our faith today?

I'll have copies of the tract, The Character of a Methodist, available for those interested.  Last week some of you were also interested in Wesley's sermons.  I'll have a copy of  Wesley's sermon, The Almost Christian or what it means to be an all-together Christian available too.  These copies will be at the Welcome Center.  

See you in worship!

Blessings,

Pastor Susan