Slow Theology

I’m United Methodist Because…

...the gospel is found on our knees, and on the sweat of our brows!

Rev. Pete Geoffrion

INTRODUCTION

It is easy to get swept up in the many good things The United Methodist Church is doing. The work the church does to feed the hungry, answer the cry of those who are in prison, or respond to natural disasters, each of these is but a small taste of the daily work of the people called United Methodist. For many United Methodists, the reason for doing what we do is found in the doctrine of The United Methodist Church.

The apostle Paul in a letter to the congregation in Corinth describes doctrine as, “the message from me or them, this is what we preach and this is what you have believed.”¹ Within congregations, God’s Word is shared. God’s Word is taught, or preached. God's Word is learned, and believed. Put simply, doctrine is what the church teaches about God and God’s relationship with God’s people.

That said, two United Methodist doctrines in particular jump out for me as reasons I participate in the work that defines The United Methodist Church: salvation and sacrament. In a sentence, I believe The United Methodist Church has taught me: God’s reign is among us, and with God and a shared faith, each of us can make good in the world around us.

I know my life is profoundly shaped by this truth, which is “grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in experience, and tested by reason.”² Looking closer at these two, salvation and sacrament, I will share what I find so awesome in the doctrine of The United Methodist Church, because it is in our particular teachings that our particular actions find meaning, and their intrinsic importance.

PART ONE: SALVATION

In his sermon, “Salvation by Faith,”³ John Wesley, a Methodist founder, says, “What salvation it is, which is through this faith…whatever else it imply, it is a present salvation. It is something attainable, yea, actually attained, on earth, by those who are partakers of this faith. For thus saith the Apostle to the believers at Ephesus, and in them to the believers of all ages, not, Ye shall be (though that also is true), but, ‘Ye are saved through faith.’” John Wesley then goes on to say being saved means those who are experiencing this salvation are saved from “guilt,” “fear,” “the power of sin,” and “the consequences of sin.”

John Wesley also was clear to say in his sermon “The Way to the Kingdom” that salvation is not something to be waited for, or simply imagined taking place elsewhere, but instead very much among us folks here.

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. And is not the time now fulfilled? For, “Lo! (saith he,) I am with you always,” you who preach remission of sins in my name, “even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20.) Wheresoever, therefore, the gospel of Christ is preached, this his “kingdom is nigh at hand.” It is not far from every one of you. Ye may this hour enter thereinto, if so be ye hearken to his voice, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”⁴

This grand statement would not be useful to us if it was not also experienced among us. It is not for us to boast about our own work, but to name as true and alive among us what is the hope of God’s glory.⁵ Salvation for me as a United Methodist is something that I can play in, work in, love in, and worship in, because God does not dangle it over my head like a dog treat, but instead God gives me this salvation, and in it I am free from sin and death. One of favorite hymns is “Ye Servants of God” in which we sing Charles Wesley’s words:

God ruleth on high, almighty to save,

and still he is nigh, his presence we have;

the great congregation his triumph shall sing,

ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King.

It is remarkable as I sing this hymn while writing this post how meaningful these words have been for my life in God’s salvation. God’s reign isn’t about domination, or oppression. God’s reign is about closeness and a reality that is not defined by sin, but by Jesus, our King!

PART TWO: SACRAMENT

It is common in United Methodist congregations to hear the words, “Christ, our Lord, invites to his table…” during times of worship when the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is celebrated. When Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, invites me to participate in God’s good gift I have assurance I am participating in God’s grace among us. In light of all I’ve shared about salvation, it is no surprise to me that I value God’s gift of sacrament so much.

For The United Methodist Church, as John Wesley explains in The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church,⁷ a sacrament is:

• put in place by Jesus Christ.

• much more than just identify folks as Christians.

• a definite sign of grace, and God’s good will.

• showing that even as God’s work in us may be invisible—God’s work enlivens, strengthens, and confirms our faith.

Within The United Methodist Church, there are two sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist. They show the relationship established through Jesus between God and God’s people. But, John Wesley doesn’t want us to get stuck there—the sacraments are so much more than just that! God is at work in the sacraments.

Charles Wesley’s, “O the Depth of Love Divine”⁸ poetically expresses the way gave witness to this doctrine. Looking at verse four we see the beauty of the sacraments and the way God’s grace in known:

Sure and real is the grace

the manner be unknown

only meet us in the ways

and perfect us in one.

Let us taste the heavenly powers,

Lord, we ask for nothing more.

Thine to bless, ’tis only ours

to wonder and adore.

Charles Wesley reminds us that we do not need to question God’s presence, nor the grace that God manifests. Charles also shares in the reality, which exists within the sacraments to truly change lives. We have been given authority, and that power we experience in the sacraments is available to us to do the great things God has in mind for the church. Thus, Charles concludes by naming the blessing that congregations share when they are free to “wonder and adore” as children of God.

This is why John Wesley is so excited in his sermon, “The Means of Grace,” when we says, “a sacrament is ‘an outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same.’” It was important for John that there be a clear connection for the outward holiness and inward holiness, each being made possible by God, but also each is responded to by faith. Sacraments are a way for us to name such a response in our lives, and a way God continues to sustain and perfect us in God’s grace.

The two sacraments, Baptism and Eucharist, are different in how they are traditionally experienced and understood, but they both offer the same grace from the same God, and they are both cherished within the story of the church’s existence as being important to the very essence of what it means to be church, and to do what the church has been tasked to do. This is the truth that is known in the salvation God offers.

In this way Charles Wesley focuses us on the great work God does in his hymn, “Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast.”¹⁰ In The United Methodist Hymnal, this hymn is actually two hymns, hymn numbers 339 and 616. Just as the same grace can be experienced in different ways by different people, the same is true for the sacraments. This hymn has been placed in my hymnal as both an invitation into a relationship with God, and also as a celebration of that same relationship. I love the words that fill this song especially the verses that go:

Ye who believe his record true shall sup with him and he with you;

come to the feast, be saved from sin, for Jesus waits to take you in.

Baptism and Eucharist have no prerequisites, priority, nor sequence. Many participate in Baptism before they participate in Eucharist, but many also participate in Eucharist before Baptism. One distinction between the two sacraments is the frequency of the two. Baptism is something that happens to a person once in their lives, while Eucharist is something John Wesley thought should be frequent, he even went as far as to say “constant.” Baptism is the sacrament that names you as part of God’s saving work, Eucharist is the sacrament that testifies to your part of God’s saving work.

CONCLUSION

The vibrant reality of God’s work in the world is so much more than a thought exercise, or laundry list of claims, the world is made more tangible, beautiful and meaningful in light of God’s good will for the world, which is made known to us through God’s gifts of salvation, and sacrament. It is important for me in line with United Methodist doctrine to mention that both salvation and sacrament are available to everyone. I believe, through faith, in the salvation God provides, and in the covenant established through Jesus Christ, I celebrate with God, and all the saints the reign of God among us and the eventual fulfillment of this reign throughout creation. It is for these reasons that I pray you will claim these doctrines for yourself.

May God’s saving work continue to stir in you.

ENDNOTES

2: ¶¶103, 105, and 324.9(h) of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 2012.

3: John Wesley’s sermon “Salvation by Faith,” part II, points 1, 3, & 5.

4: John Wesley’s sermon “The Way to the Kingdom,” part I, point 5.

5: Romans 5:2, Galatians 6:14, James 4:16

7: ¶104 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 2012.

9: John Wesley’s sermon “The Means of Grace,” part II, point 1.

Friday, July 11, 2014