Grace Upon Grace Hymn Sing

 This hymn sing is a reflection on Wesleyan Theology and prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. It can be used at any time in the church year.

Grace Upon Grace Hymn Sing

Grace Upon Grace

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth... From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” - John 1:14, 16-18

What does it mean to be a United Methodist? What sets us apart in our theology and beliefs from other mainline Christians? These are questions that those new to the United Methodist Church and even those who have been here their whole lives may ask.

There is a long answer to this question. There are books written on this. Powerpoints made. Classes taken. And those are well and good and they should be done.

There is also a short answer and that answer is “grace upon grace upon grace.” The people called United Methodists are a people of grace.

It’s not that other thoughts of Christianity don’t have grace or don’t see grace as important - they do believe in grace and they do think it’s important. Wesleyans, that is Methodists who come from the theological tradition of John Wesley, emphasize grace above all else. An example of this is when John Wesley, arguing against pre-destination, said that while Christ is sovereign king, the crown upon his head is Love. Therefore, it is impossible for God to act outside of that Love

Wait - are we talking about Love or Grace? Yes.

“Grace” is one of those church-y words we sometimes throw around without fully understanding the meaning and one of those words that has lots of definitions - one dictionary had seven definitions. And a dictionary definition of Christian grace might be something like the unmerited and undeserved favor or gifts of God including forgiveness of sins. This is a meaningful definition. Another definition of grace, one which is my favorite, is that grace is simply how God acts towards us in this world. Every action of God for us, toward us, with us - is one of grace.

Today we will sing hymns by Charles Wesley, hymns with words of grace - as we explore what grace means to us.

Let us sing, “Maker in Whom We Live” UMH 88

Prevenient Grace

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:6-8

Methodists tend to talk about God’s grace in three categories to help us understand how God acts out of love on our behalfs.

The first category of grace we emphasize as United Methodist is “prevenient grace.” Previenient literally means - “comes before.” Comes before what? The grace that comes before we even know there was grace to be had.

I have often described this as the constant voice of God whispering in our ears from the moment that we are born, telling us over and over and over again - “Hey! I’m right here. I love you.”

I was once told that for some, it wasn’t the soft whispering of God but it was God yelling at a megaphone right into their ear - they just weren’t ready to hear it yet.

Prevenient grace might be shared in a lot of ways - a loving church community who surrounds you with love, the baptism of an infant, family and friends who constantly share God’s love with you, the million little or big things that are God surrounding you before you even know to call it God. Basically it means that God has always been and will always be at work in your life - recognized or not.

Another metaphor we often use for grace and a relationship with God is a house. Prevenient grace is the porch, the place where we have not yet made a conscious decision to enter into a relationship with God but we are still in God’s embrace.

God’s prevenient grace is for everyone born and is present throughout our lives - God is always acting in ways yet unknown to us.

Let us sing, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” vs. 1, 2, 4, UMH 479

Justifying Grace

“but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” - Ephesians 2:4-8

There comes a time in our lives when we are ready to listen to that voice of God that is constantly whispering love in our ears, trying to get our attention.
There comes a time in our lives when we are ready to walk through the front door, to enter into the house of God, to enter into a relationship with God.
This is what we as Christians call justifying grace - what others may simply called “saved.”

To justify means to make right. When we accept the grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness God has to offer us, we are made right with God. We enter into a mutual relationship - me and God, you and God, us and God.

For many individuals, they may be able to point to an exact place and moment in time where they first experienced God’s justifying grace for themselves - where they learned of God’s love for them and prayed to be made right with God.

And still for others, there may not be one defining moment of justifying grace but countless small decisions, moments unseen by others, but that add up to the culmination of confessing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

I think that part of being human is accepting God’s justifying grace for ourselves over and over again, always recommitting our hearts and lives to Christ.

John Wesley wrote about an experience of justifying grace in his journal. He wrote, “while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

Charles wrote the hymn, “And Can It Be That I Should Gain” following an experience of justifying grace. “Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me?

Let us sing, “And Can It Be That I Should Gain,” vs. 1, 4, 5, UMH 363

Sanctifying Grace

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1-2

When we walk through the door, when we begin a mutual relationship with Christ, it is not the end of our faith journey - just as a wedding isn’t the sum total of a marriage. We must settle into the home of God and live together. In his sermon Justification By Faith, Wesley wrote that justifying grace, “implies what God does for us through the Son.” Sanctifying grace is “what God works in us by the Spirit.”

Sanctifying means to be made more holy, more like Christ Jesus.

To experience sanctifying grace, we must let ourselves be fashioned more like Christ. We must let go of all that holds us back from perfect love of God and perfect love of neighbor as self. This is not always an easy process - the refining fire has been used as a metaphor. It can be painful to let go of things that keep us from love, that keep us focused on ourselves above others. And we won’t always get it right. Some days we take backwards steps and still others we move forward together with the Spirit.

Sanctifying grace is an untold number of little and big moments of choosing to love like God loves and letting that love work within us so that the grace of the God of Love shines brightly through us. This is our whole life’s work as Christians - we are ever called to Christian perfection.

Christian perfection does not mean that our lives would be without error - but that we would wholly love God and neighbor as self, becoming entirely sanctified through the power of the Spirit. Wesley never claimed this Christian perfection for himself but did believe that we could achieve it in this life.

In other words, saying “I’m only human” to diminish selfish behavior or a failure to love is not a valid excuse. We are only human - but the Spirit works within us to make us more holy, being capable of loving like God loves.

Before we sing our last hymn of our hymn sing, it would behoove me to say that grace is not a one and done deal. God is always at work in our lives. We may label that grace as prevenient, justifying, or sanctifying…but just because we are on the journey of sanctification doesn’t mean that God isn’t working in our lives in yet unknown or unseen ways or doesn't mean that there are still things we need to make right with God. The labels are just guides to help us understand how God cares for us with loving grace. The important thing is that each and every one of us knows that God loves us and is always offering us grace. Grace upon grace upon grace.

Let us sing “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” UMH 384

Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Service with Hymn Sing - Edited for 2023

Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Service with Hymn Sing - Edited for 2023

Call to Worship (Adapted from David Tripp, England, 20th Century, United Methodist Book of Worship)

L: As we begin this time of renewing our covenant before God, let us prepare ourselves for worship with prayer.

P: O God, we are yours! We are your people. We are your children.
L: We come together to recognize you as Lord of our lives and to thank you for your Grace.
P: And we come today to recommit ourselves to our relationship with you.
L: Search us and know us.
P: Remove anything that holds us back from you.
L: May your Spirit be with us now, speak your Word to our very souls.
P: And have mercy on us, today and always.
All: We pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Intro to a Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Service

Today we will share in a Covenant Renewal Service together. While this type of service predates John Wesley and Methodism as we know it, it was implemented by the Wesleys as an integral part of Methodist Societies. It is a service that has traditionally been held on New Year’s Eve or Day. When held on New Year’s Eve, it will often go by the name Watch Night Service. While a Covenant Renewal Service is apt at any time in the life of a congregation, the end of one year and the start of the next is a natural time to hold it. At the beginning of a new year, we often take time to take stock of our lives, evaluate what is important, and re-commit ourselves to those things. As Christians we recognize that there is nothing more important than our relationship, or covenant, with God.

Covenant is not a term we use very often in our modern society. In the simplest terms, it means agreement. The covenant through most of the Hebrew Bible is this, from Exodus 6:7: “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God.” This covenant still holds true. With the coming of Jesus, Christians add in the covenant made by his cross and resurrection, From Romans 8: “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we in fact suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” In both of these senses, our covenant with God can be used as a synonym for our relationship with God.

A Covenant Renewal Service seeks to remind us of the importance of covenant with God, of mutual relationship, and we therefore promise ourselves anew to be God’s people, adopted into the family of God through Christ.

In this service you will notice a mix of modern and traditional language. Much of the wording used today came from Wesley himself. The phrasing may seem odd to our ears but that’s okay - it reminds us that we are participating in an act that followers of God have done throughout the ages - recommitting our whole selves to God.

We will begin our service today by singing “Come, Let Us Use The Grace Divine,” a hymn written by Charles Wesley and traditionally used for Covenant Renewal Services. The hymn is based on Jeremiah 50:5:

“They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, and they shall come and join themselves to the Lord by an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.”

Let us sing.

Opening Hymn
Come, Let Us Use The Grace Divine, UMH 606

Children’s Song
This is Where Children Belong

Children’s Moment

Scripture Lesson
2 Chronicles 34:29-32

Gospel Lesson
John 15:1-8

Litany of Thanksgiving (From Covenant Renewal Service, UM Book of Worship, changed response)

Sung Response: “Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices” (Now Thank We All Our God, UMH 102)

Let us give thanks for all of God's mercies.

O God, our Covenant Friend,
you have been gracious to us through all the years of our lives.
We thank you for your loving care,
which has filled our days and brought us to this time and place. R

You have given us life and reason,
and set us in a world filled with your glory.
You have comforted us with family and friends,

and ministered to us through the hands of our sisters and brothers. R

You have filled our hearts with a hunger after you,
and have given us your peace.
You have redeemed us, and called us to a high calling in Christ Jesus.
You have given us a place in the fellowship of your Spirit
and the witness of your Church. R

You have been our light in darkness
and a rock of strength in adversity and temptation.
You have been the very Spirit of joy in our joys
and the all–sufficient reward in all our labors. R

You remembered us when we forgot you.
You followed us even when we tried to flee from you.
You met us with forgiveness when we returned to you.
For all your patience and overflowing grace. Amen.

Hymn of Thanksgiving
Now Thank We All Our God, vs. 3, UMH 102

Proclamation of Covenant Renewal (Adapted from Wesley’s Covenant Renewal Service, United Methodist Book of Worship)

Siblings in Christ,
The Christian life is one that strives to love God and to love neighbor as self.
We recognize that, first and foremost, we belong to God.

We first entered into the Christian life through baptism,
Where we were adopted as children of God and heirs with Christ.

This is the covenant we made with God and
Christ sealed it in his death and resurrection, that it might last forever:

On the one side, God promises to give us new life in Christ,
the Source and Perfecter of our faith.
On the other side, we are pledged
to live no more for ourselves but only for Jesus Christ,
who loved us and gave himself for us.

From time to time we renew our covenant with God,
especially when we celebrate the sacraments.

Today, however, we meet, as the generations before us have met,
to renew the covenant that binds us to God.

Let us make this covenant of God our own.

Baptismal Covenant Remembrance Hymn
Baptized in Water, FWS 2248

Invitation to Renew Your Covenant with God (All from Wesley’s Covenant Renewal Service, United Methodist Book of Worship)

Commit yourselves to Christ as his servants.
Give yourselves to him, that you may belong to him.
Christ has many services to be done.
Some are more easy and honorable,
others are more difficult and disgraceful.
Some are suitable to our inclinations and interests,
others are contrary to both.
In some we may please Christ and please ourselves.
But then there are other works where we cannot please Christ
except by denying ourselves.
It is necessary, therefore,
that we consider what it means to be a servant of Christ.

Let us, therefore, go to Christ, and pray:

Let me be your servant, under your command.
I will no longer be my own.
I will give up myself to your will in all things.

Be satisfied that Christ shall give you your place and work.

Lord, make me what you will.
I put myself fully into your hands:
put me to doing, put me to suffering,
let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and with a willing heart
give it all to your pleasure and disposal.

Christ is the Savior of his servants. [edited]
He is the source of all salvation to those who obey.
Christ will have no servants except by consent;
Christ will not accept anything except full consent
to all that he requires.
Christ will be all in all, or he will be nothing.

Confirm this by a holy covenant.

To make this covenant a reality in your life, listen to these admonitions:

Admonition 1:

First, set apart some time, more than once,
to be spent alone before the Lord;
in seeking earnestly God's special assistance
and gracious acceptance of you;
in carefully thinking through all the conditions of the covenant;
in searching your hearts
whether you have already freely given your life to Christ.
Consider what your sins are.
Consider the laws of Christ, how holy, strict, and spiritual they are,
and whether you, after having carefully considered them,
are willing to choose them all.
Be sure you are clear in these matters, see that you do not lie to God.

Covenant Admonition Hymn
Take Time to Be Holy, vs. 1, UMH 395

Admonition 2:

Second, be serious and in a spirit of holy awe and reverence.

Covenant Admonition Hymn
How Great Thou Art, vs. 1, UMH 77

Admonition 3:

Third, claim God's covenant,
rely upon God's promise of giving grace and strength,
so you can keep your promise.
Trust not your own strength and power.

Covenant Admonition Hymn
Standing on the Promises, vs. 1 UMH 374

Admonition 4:

Fourth, resolve to be faithful.
You have given to the Lord your hearts,
you have opened your mouths to the Lord,
and you have dedicated yourself to God.
With God's power, never go back.

Covenant Admonition Hymn
I Surrender All, vs. 1, UMH 354

Admointion 5:

And last, be then prepared to renew your covenant with the Lord.
Fall down on your knees, lift your hands toward heaven,
open your hearts to the Lord, as we pray:

Hymn of Invitation to Covenant
Are Ye Able, vs. 1, UMH 530

Covenant Prayer (At this time, any who are willing and able may come and kneel at the altar as they pray. Others may remain seated as they wish and assume an internal posture of prayer where they are.)

O righteous God, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
see us as we fall down before you.
Forgive our unfaithfulness in not having done your will,
for you have promised mercy to us
if we turn to you with our whole hearts.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

Here from the bottom of our hearts we renounce all idols,
covenanting with you that no known sin shall be allowed in our lives.
Against your will, we have turned our love toward the world.
In your power
We will watch all temptations that will lead us away from you.
For our own righteousness is riddled with sin,
unable to stand before you.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

Before all heaven and earth,
We here acknowledge Christ as our Lord and God.
We take you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for our portion,
and vow to give up ourselves, body and soul, as your servant,
to serve you in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

Jesus, we do here on bended knees accept Christ
as the new and living Way,
and sincerely join ourselves in a covenant with him.
O blessed Jesus, we come to you,
hungry, sinful, miserable, blind, and naked,
unworthy even to wash the feet of your servants.
We do here, with all our power, accept you as our Lord and Head.
We renounce our own worthiness,
and vow that you are the Lord, our righteousness.
We renounce human wisdom, and take you for our only guide.
We renounce our own wills, and take your will as our law.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

We do here covenant with you, O Christ,
to suffer with you,
to take our lot with you as it may fall.
Through your grace we promise
that neither life nor death shall part us from you.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

God has given holy laws as the rule of your life.
We do here willingly take your holy laws as our rule of life.
All your laws are holy, just, and good.
We therefore take them as the rule for our words, thoughts, and actions,
promising that we will strive
to order our whole lives according to your direction,
and not allow ourselves to neglect anything we know to be our duty.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

O God, who knows our hearts,
you know that we make this covenant with you today
without guile or reservation.
If any falsehood should be in it, guide us and help us to set it a right.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

And now, glory be to you, O God the Father,
whom we from this day forward shall look upon as our God and Father.
Glory be to you, O God the Son,
who have loved us and washed us from my sins,
And now is my Savior and Redeemer.
Glory be to you, O God the Holy Spirit,
who by your almighty power have turned our hearts from sin to God.

L: Almighty God, we come to you with our whole hearts.
P: Have mercy on us.

O mighty God, the Lord Omnipotent, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you have now become our Covenant Friend.
And we, through your infinite grace, have become your covenant servants.
So be it.
And let the covenant we have made on earth be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Offertory Prayer

Offertory & Choir Anthem

Doxology

Closing Hymn
Blessed Assurance, UMH 369

Benediction

May we leave from this time of worship today with the assurance that we are God’s children, that God’s love never fails, and God’s covenant is forever and ever. Now go in peace, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Call to Worship inspired by "Rejoice, the Lord is King" by Charles Wesley

L: Come! Let us adore our God and King.
P: Rejoice! The Lord is King!
L: Jesus our Savior reigns!
P: Rejoice! The Lord is King!
L: God’s Kingdom cannot fail!
P: Rejoice! The Lord is King!
L: Rejoice in God’s Glorious hope!
P: Rejoice! The Lord is King!
L: Again I say, rejoice!
All: Rejoice! The Lord is King!

Hymn Sing for United Methodist Heritage Sunday/Aldersgate Day

The following is a hymn sing designed for Heritage Sunday/Aldersgate Day in the United Methodist Church.

Call to Worship, Methodists as a Singing People (See UMH vii for reference)

L: As Methodists, we have been called “A Singing People”
P: We love singing praises to God - it warm our hearts,
L: In his Directions for Singing, found in the United Methodist hymnal, John Wesley encourages us to learn the hymns in the hymnal before all other songs.
P: He says that we should all sing together as frequently as we can! That even for those who find it a cross to bear, singing will be a blessing.
L: He says we should sing lustily and with good courage and to beware of singing as if we were half dead or half asleep.
P: We lift up our voices in strength! We strive to unite our voices together to make one clear melodious sound to God.
L: We sing together: hymns that we love, clearly and melodiously, with strength and modesty, in time and in tune - an act of fellowship and worship.
P: But above all we sing spiritually, with an eye to God for every word we sing.
L: Today as we sing and learn, may we worshipfully and continually offer our hearts to God.
P: We sing today and every day until that time when we sing before the throne of God.
All: Let us worship God in song! Amen!

Opening Hymn
O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing, vs. 1, 3, 7, UMH 57

Scripture Lesson
Colossians 3:12-16

Heritage Sunday Explanation & Hearts Strangely Warmed

Today is what The United Methodist Church calls Heritage Sunday. According to The Book of Discipline, "Heritage Sunday shall be observed on Aldersgate Day (May 24), or the Sunday preceding that date. The day provides an opportunity for reflection on heritage, celebration of where the Church has been, how it understands itself as it shapes us today, and the meaning of Christian conferencing. Heritage Sunday calls the Church to remember the past by committing itself to the continuing call of God." And that is what we will do today through hymns from our Wesleyan heritage and small teaching moments about our history, theology, and the United Methodist Church then and today.

Heritage Sunday is held the Sunday preceding Aldersgate Day, May 24th. Aldersgate Day is the anniversary of the day that John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Movement, had a life-changing and heart warming experience on Aldersgate Street. The son of an Anglican minister who was ordained himself and a fellow at Oxford, Wesley had gone to the colonies to be a missionary. To make a long story short, it did not go well. It’s almost like a sordid soap opera: making a bad first impression among his parishioners by throwing liquor overboard of the ship, a scorned lover, skipping bail, and secretly getting on a ship back to England in the middle of the night. His stint as a missionary only lasted two years. And so in May 1738, Wesley’s spirits were low. He was questioning his faith, his calling, his place in life. And he reluctantly went to a Bible Study on Aldersgate Street. That evening after the study he wrote this in his journal: "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

This “strangely warming” heart experience is what we as Methodists call justification - when we realize that God’s grace is active in our lives and accept it for ourselves, making our relationship with God right or justified.

The hymn “And Can It Be” reflects that heart strangely warmed experience and God’s justifying grace. It was written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John and co-founder of the Methodist movement. Charles himself had a heart strangely warmed and justifying moment just 3 days before John, on May 21st. After his experience Charles wrote in his journal, “I have found myself at peace with God, and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ.”

As we sing the words “Amazing love, how can it be?” let us remember God’s grace and goodness in our lives and allow our hearts to be strangely warmed.

And Can It Be That I Should Gain, vs. 1 & 3, UMH 363

Children’s Moment
(Recommended: Wesleys Take the Web: a Mobile Friendly History of the UMC video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Zx7xVw14I)

A Hymn for Every Season

Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, and co-founder of the Methodist movement was an Anglican minister and above all, a prolific hymn writer. He wrote over 9,000 poems in his lifetime, over 6,000 of which have been hymns. Our hymnal has almost 70 of his hymns and poems in it. His hymns shaped and reflected the theology and life of the Methodist movement. It’s one thing to say that Jesus is the incarnation of God. It’s another to belt out with all your heart and soul, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th’ incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.” His hymns were sung as part of the early Methodist movement and in our churches today, shaping the life of the church and theology just as much as sermons. Charles remained an Anglican minister his whole life, never agreeing with the Methodist split to become their own denomination when John ordained Methodist ministers to go and serve and offer sacraments to Christians in the revolutionary United States of America as most Anglican ministers fled back to England at the start of the American Revolution. Nevertheless, he was a founding member of the Holy Club, a group of Christians doing their best to live out their faith at Oxford, which became the foundation and launching point for the Methodist movement. He also oversaw Methodist groups throughout England, preaching, writing hymns, and shaping the theology of a movement that continues today.

All the hymns we are singing as a congregation today were written by Charles Wesley. He wrote hymns for every season of the church year. Some of his most popular hymns that we are not singing today are Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Maker in Whom We Live, Jesus, Lover of my Soul, and A Charge I Have to Keep. We will now sing two of his most favorite hymns, a nod to how Charles Wesley shapes the life and theology of our church. A hymn for Christmas and a hymn for Easter. Let us sing, above all spiritually, as we remember the one who helped shape Methodists into “a singing people.”

Hark the Herald Angels Sing, vs. 1, UMH 240
Christ the Lord is Risen Today, vs. 1, UMH 302

Conferences & Connectionalism

In 1784, John Wesley ordained Thomas Coke and others to do ministry in America. With the American Revolution brewing, Anglican ministers, who took vows of allegiance to the Church of England and the King, found themselves in sticky situations by staying in the American colonies. Many left to return to England for their own safety. This created a pressing pastoral need. There were not enough ordained ministers in America to perform the sacraments. To offer Communion and baptize. Many of those living in America considered themselves part of the Methodist movement so Wesley made a pastoral decision: if the Church of England wouldn’t send ministers or couldn’t safely send ministers to meet this need, the Methodists would. The only thing is, as an Anglican minister, he did not have the authority to ordain, only Bishops could do this. So this act is the official start of Methodism as its own separate denomination instead of just a movement within the Church of England.

And still, life in much of the colonies and then the early United States, was more spread out and there weren’t enough clergy for every community to have their own and so the circuit rider - or saddlebags preacher - was born. Circuit riders were ministers who rode their horses from community to community, creating a circuit. They would offer the sacraments and preach in a town then get on their horse and travel to the next, ever riding in a circuit. Lay ministers would preach and organize the church until the circuit rider returned. Circuit Riders were so committed to their charges that the phrase “This weather is only fit for crows and Methodist preachers” was coined. This early structure continues to shape the structure of the church today with United Methodist ministers being appointed to charges and being itinerant while the church belongs to and is shaped by the laity.

Francis Asbury was the most famous circuit rider and Bishop in that first Methodist church. He rode over 270,000 miles on horseback traveling to his charges. That’s enough to travel around the globe nearly 11 times.

On Christmas Eve in 1784, Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury gathered with all the known Methodist preachers in America, about 86 at the time. The call had gone out for all of them to ride to Baltimore, Maryland and meet to officially establish The Methodist Episcopal Church, making its own denomination. This first conference was called The Christmas Conference.

Still to this day, Methodists are organized by conferences. General Conference which happens once every four years is composed of half laity and half clergy and they are the only body who can set polity and officially speak for The United Methodist Church. We also have Jurisdictional, Annual, and District conferences for regional conferencing. 

Moreover, the United Methodist Church continues as then: as a connectional system. We believe we are stronger together than apart. Our polity, our ministers, and even outreach, mission, and ministry are done at a level beyond the local church. From itinerant ministers and the seminaries that educate them; to the United Methodist Committee on Relief that is often the first to arrive and the last to leave after disaster strikes; to our general boards which address systemic issues in our world and equip and educate our churches to survive and thrive in our modern world; to the relationships and partnerships our clergy and churches can have together. We are a connectional Church and stronger for it.

Shortly after its publication, John Wesley started using the hymn “And Are We Yet Alive” at the start of every Methodist society meeting, a tradition that continues today at Annual Conferences across the world as they meet. The song reminds us of our connectional system, of being stronger together than apart, and how God’s grace has seen us through the last year apart.

And Are We Yet Alive, vs. 1, 3, 4, UMH 553

A Theology of Love and Grace

It is not just our unique history and polity that defines us as Methodists but also our theology. When people ask what sets Methodists apart, two of the top answers are Love and Grace. While these are prevalent in the whole Christian Church, they play an especially central theme in Wesleyan theology. John Wesley asserted that Love was God’s Reigning Feature. That means that God’s Love is the crown upon the head of God and the throne on which God sits. God’s sovereignty cannot be separated from God’s love. Therefore, Wesley strongly asserted that we as humans have free-will to respond to God’s grace as we choose. The God who is Love, loves us and all creation above all else and therefore does not force Grace upon us. This was in direct contrast to the Calvinist theology of predestination, something which Wesley adamantly preached against.

And while God does not force Grace upon us, God is always always always offering us grace, even before we know there is Grace to be had. As Methodists this is a defining aspect of our theology. We call it prevenient grace. The grace that comes before. When we accept God’s grace that is always offered to us, we call that Justifying Grace - the experience of strangely warmed hearts that we talked about before. And then there is Sanctifying Grace, the grace of God that is ever with us, our whole lives long, helping shape and guide us to more perfect love of God and neighbor.

God’s Love and Grace are always with us and this is the central theology of Methodism. Let us now sing of that love and grace.

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, 1, 2, 4 UMH 384

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to Generosity
Offertory
The Doxology

(If observing Holy Communion, suggested focus on the UMC's Open Table and the hymn "Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast)

The Holy Club & Holiness Today

The Methodist Movement has always been one centered on living out our faith. In their days at Oxford, John and Charles Wesley joined with other friends to form a spiritual support group, if you will. They studied the Bible and prayed together. They shared in Holy Communion at least once a week, They also held each other accountable to living out their faith. They cared for the poor and needy together: visiting the elderly, teaching children, and going to the prison to visit those there weekly. This group had zeal and dedication to their faith and living it out. And other students there didn’t understand it - they gave the group deriding nicknames including Bible-moths, The Holy Club, and Methodists. The last one because of their almost methodical method of living out their faith.

As the movement grew beyond this Holy Club of friends at Oxford, they adopted the name Methodists, proud of the way they encouraged people to fully live out their faith.

In Methodist theology we talk about Means of Grace - the ways we experience God and live out our faith in this world. And it can be divided into four categories. Individual acts of piety: like prayer and reading the Bible. Communal acts of worship: like receiving the sacraments and singing hymns together. Individual acts of charity: like volunteering at the soup kitchen, making a donation, lending a helping hand. And communal acts of justice: like standing up and speaking out for equity and justice in this world. Wesley was a strong anti-slave trade advocate and often got kicked out of churches for speaking against the slave trade. Methodists continue to be advocates for justice today and we are proud that our greater connection includes The Commission on the Status and Role of Women, The General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Board of Church and Society. Methodists are not silent on issues of injustice.

Indeed, Methodists are encouraged to holistically live out their faith as individuals and in a faith community, to ever strive to more perfect love of God and neighbor. As we sing our closing hymn “Forth in Thy Name I Go” may you be encouraged and embolden to reflect Christ in all you do.

Forth in Thy Name I Go, vs. 1 & 4, UMH 438

Benediction

Today I pray that your hearts were strangely warmed. To sing of God’s love together, to learn of our heritage, to be encouraged to live out our faith. Now go in peace, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.