Why I'm a United Methodist, Part 4

When I was 8 years old, my church had a revival.  The 3rd night was designated as "Youth Night" and after the sermon, the preacher called all of the youth and children up to the altar.  I remember kneeling at the altar while the preacher led us in repeating a prayer.  I don't remember the prayer itself, though I'm pretty sure that it was some version of what is known as the "Sinner'sPrayer".  In my young mind, being a Christian meant that you went to church, didn't smoke, didn't drink, and didn't cuss.  I had to go to church, drinking and smoking weren't options at that point, so all that was left as a means for proving or disproving my new-found Christian faith was cussing.  I assumed that if I was in fact a Christian, I'd be physically unable to say a cuss word.  So, for the sake of finding out if my conversion was legitimate, I decided to run an experiment.  After successfully saying the word "s---", I concluded that I was not, in fact, a Christian.  

Sadly, many people (Christians and non-Christians alike) have an understanding of the Christian faith that is not that different from my childhood version.  There are many people who simply believe that being a Christian means being doing 'good things' and not doing 'bad things'.  But God calls us to greater heights than this.  We are called to be holy and through God's sanctifying grace, we are led to this holiness.

Reason Number 4 - I'm a United Methodist because holiness of heart and life is so central to the theology and practice of who we are as United Methodists.

It was liberating for me when I learned that holiness is not about personal moral achievement.  It is grace, a gift from God.  The United Methodist doctrine of sanctification is much deeper and loving than the over-bearing moralism of Christian fundamentalism.  If we look to a Hebrew understanding of holiness, the basic meaning is not moral perfection but 'set-apart-ness'.  In terms of what God does in a person through sanctifying grace, God works in them leading them to a new way of living in the world.  God does not call us away from the world like hermits nor does God set Christians up on some moral pedestal so that we can look down our noses and judge all of "those people".  Rather, God leads us away from the destructiveness of sin, self-absorption, and idolatry to a life shaped by the humble, sacrificial love of Jesus and the indwelling peace of the Holy Spirit.  John Wesley's Covenant Prayer (see below) teaches us that we are set apart not because of our worthiness or moral perfection but to be used by God for the sake of reconciliation and giving witness to the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside by thee.

Exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

I also found it liberating and energizing to learn that holiness is not merely personal holiness.  Methodists have long preached and sought to live out social holiness.  For me, social holiness is not about political reform or moral crusades - it means that God's love revealed in Jesus and made present in the Holy Spirit can actually change things in the world.  Sanctification is not merely an internal transformation in individual disciples but it's also about God using disciples to change things in the world around us.  Christians are to make God's Kingdom visible in how we treat our neighbors (hint: 'neighbors' = everybody), in how we work for justice and peace, and in how we care for hurting, sick, and broken people. 

I love that in the United Methodist Church, we are concerned with both the transformation of a person's heart and life while also working for the transformation of the world through the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  To see this in action, check out the work of UMCOR.

By the way, I still do my best not to cuss.  But if I do, I'm pretty sure that grace abounds…

In invite your feedback - why do you belong to your church?  What do you love about your church?  And, I kindly ask for no negative comments about the United Methodist Church or any other denomination.  Make sure your words give grace to those who read...

Why I'm a United Methodist, Part 3

My journey, like almost everybody's journey, has been somewhat circuitous, turning this way and that, with ups and downs and a few places when a wheel went off the road a little.  There have been and continue to be mistakes - wrong turns, potholes, occasional fender-benders.  I'm going to stop with the traffic metaphors, I promise.  Through all of my miscues, mistakes, and mess-ups, I'm still here with a beautiful, loving wife, two awesome kids, and a vocation that I love deeply.  Some of that is the result of hard work, some good choices, and a lot of help from other people.  But mostly, I'm where I am - I'm who I am - because of God's abundant, awe-inspiring grace.

If you spend any time studying about Methodism and if the material you're studying is any good, it won't take long at all to realize that God's grace is the beating, loving heart of United Methodist theology.  We are a people soaked in, supported by, and suffused with God's grace.  I love this about my church!

Reason Number 3 - I'm a United Methodist because God's grace is so central to the theology and practice of who we are as United Methodists.

I should probably give an illustration here or tell some pertinent story about grace, but the examples are too many, the instances too abundant.  Every time I step into the pulpit or counsel a hurting person or baptize a child or bless the communion elements or preside over a funeral I do so only by the power of God's grace.  That God is willing to use me in those ways amazes and astounds me.  After all, I know me.  I know the things I've done (or not done), the things I've said (or not said), and God help me, all the things I've thought.  And God knows all of that stuff and then some.  Stuff I don't remember or didn't even realize.  And yet God still calls me to preach and teach and serve.  I tell ya, that's grace.  My favorite line in any praise and worship song is in Chris Tomlin's song Indescribable: "You've seen the depths of my heart and you love me the same." 

I love the Methodist "way of salvation", which is one way to describe how we understand God's grace.  We typically talk about grace in 3 (or maybe 4) forms: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying.  If you're feeling like 3 doesn't cut it, you can add convicting in there also, between prevenient and justifying.  I love that these forms of grace work in unison to cover the whole of our lives.  A Wesleyan understanding of grace sees God's loving, gracious activity in our lives not only in isolated, individual moments - it's more like grace is woven through the tapestry of our lives, woven throughout from the beginning. 

God's prevenient grace goes before us.  I think back over the course of my life and I see God's fingerprints all over the place.  Even in moments of struggle, pain, or loss, God was at work all along the way, leading me by His grace.  I trust that you can say the same thing about your life as well.  God's grace still goes before me, God's fingerprints are still all over the place, even when I don't recognize them. 

There are times when we become aware of that grace, of God's loving presence and we accept for ourselves the gift of that grace.  There was a moment in my life (Sunday, November 28th, 1992 to be precise) when God's grace and love became real to me in a way that it had not before.  In this moment, I experienced God's justifying grace and it really did feel like my heart was "strangely warmed".  I didn't run to the altar, I didn't shout or cry, I didn't actually say anything - but everything changed.  God began a work of transformation in me that is still ongoing.  I felt that my sins were forgiven, that God loved me, and I became conscious of that Story that I was written into at my baptism.  I experienced and understood the love and mercy of Jesus in a profoundly new way and I'm still feeling the ripple effects of that moment of justifying grace.

That moment began a process/journey of what we Methodists call sanctification, which is God's grace at work in us, perfecting us in love.  When we are justified by God's grace, that's not the culmination or end of the story - it's only the beginning!  I love that about being a United Methodist!  God is still working on me, still shaping me through the Holy Spirit.  What I love about the United Methodist understanding of grace is its vibrancy - all three 'forms' of grace are always present.  It is not ultimately a fixed system or progression, as if the Holy Spirit is bound to some predictable script.  God's grace is alive and dynamic, always present and available. 

In invite your feedback - why do you belong to your church?  What do you love about your church?  And, I kindly ask for no negative comments about the United Methodist Church or any other denomination.  Make sure your words give grace to those who read...