Strangely Warmed

Of the 44 sermons John Wesley wrote to be doctrinal standards for the Methodists in England, 13 were expositions of the Sermon on the Mount, which Wesley believed prescribed the practice of true religion. Three sermons were on the Beatitudes. Wesley interpreted the Beatitudes within the framework of 18th century evangelical piety, specifically the Wesleyan understanding of full salvation. To be fair, Wesley’s approach to the Beatitudes had a long history. The Church has commonly interpreted them in terms of personal piety and individual salvation.  Wesley did recognize some of the eschatological aspects of the Beatitudes. Those who find comfort in clinging fully to the promises of God will still mourn “the sins and miseries of mankind. They ‘weep with them that weep.’” The meek will not only inherit life oriented around God in heaven, they will also inherit the promise of Revelation, “the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” God will acknowledge the peacemakers to be ...

2 Timothy 4:1-5 Timothy was not a pastor of a local congregation, but rather Paul’s apostolic legate. He was Paul’s representative in the oversight of the churches that Paul founded. Still, much of what Paul has to say is applicable to the pastor we are installing today.  For the Pastor So, to the new pastor, the apostle says this. Preach the word. Teach the faith. Evangelize the world. Do the work of ministry, a word whose basic meaning in Greek is service.  Preach. Teach. Evangelize. Serve. These might be called global tasks of ministry. They would be included in any list of pastoral responsibilities, and I have no doubt that your new pastor excels in them But Paul reminds Timothy that preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and serving are not abstract tasks that one can do by oneself. One does not preach to the wind or teach an empty classroom. There are people on the other end of our preaching, teaching, evangelizing and serving. In the words of Jesus. The whol...

The United Methodist Judicial Council issued Decision 1514 on October 26, 2024. In it, the council nullified a bishop’s ruling of law, one which restricted the freedom of retired clergy to conduct ministry without an appointment. The decision effectively maintains the status quo in church law. A minority concurrence attached to the decision does not change its impact.   Background  In its statement of facts, the Judicial Council wrote: On April 22, 2024, the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference sent a letter to five clergy members who it determined had voluntarily withdrawn from The United Methodist Church (The UMC) by serving a church that had disaffiliated from the UMC beyond the date of disaffiliation. The minutes of the clergy session of the annual conference on June 6, 2024, state that Question 42 was read regarding clergy who have had their conference membership terminated by withdrawal to unite with another denomination. The mi...

Apart from saying nice things about each other, does the proposed  full communion agreement  between the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church have any practical benefit? Already, any baptized person can take communion in the Episcopal Church. United Methodists don’t even require baptism. That doesn’t mean the agreement would have no effect. In one context, at least, it would be quite valuable.  Some of the principal beneficiaries of the agreement would be Episcopal members of the United States military forces and their families. There are not enough Episcopal chaplains to provide sacraments at every military installation or in every deployed area of operations.  There are not enough United Methodist chaplains to do so, either, and our numbers are shrinking as well. United Methodist laity, though, are usually happy to receive communion from any Christian minister, and it doesn't need to be every week. United Methodists are easy to accommoda...

I love the prayer of confession in the rite for Morning Prayer. Here is the version found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) , and in John Wesley’s 1784 Sunday Service of Methodists in North America.   Almighty and most merciful Father;  We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.  We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.  We have offended against thy holy laws.  We have left undone those things which we ought to have done;  And we have done those things which we ought not to have done;  And there is no health in us.  B ut thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.  Spare thou them, O God, who confess their faults.  Restore thou them that are penitent;  According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord.  And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake;  That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,  To the glory of t...

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5) One of the most surprising things I observed while I was assigned to a number of senior Army headquarters was just how much time and energy went into convincing Congress and the American people that our organization was the greatest thing since sliced bread. We were important. We accomplished great and necessary things. Our organizational existence was vital to the well-being of the nation. Our contributions to the national welfare were worth far more than they cost, so don’t cut our budget. Yea, us!  I was even more surprised to see this same thing when I went to work for a senior administrative unit of my church. Just substitute “the mission of the church” for “the well-being of the nation” in the paragraph above.  At one point, my denominational employer hired new marketing specialists, product ma...

Update: The 2020/24 General Conference did not adopt these petitions. The Ordained Ministry legislative committee overwhelmingly voted not to recommend them for adoption and they died in committee. I am grateful for the decision. In October 2024, the Judicial Council issued a decision affecting the service of retired clergy. See Judicial Council Decision 1514 . As I looked over the petitions to General Conference, I was extremely disappointed to read the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s proposed revision of paragraphs 344.1.d and 357.6 in the Book of Discipline . The petitions seek to prohibit retired clergy from taking “paid or unpaid positions” in non-United Methodist churches without the approval of the bishop and the Board of Ordained Ministry.  United Methodist clergy members shall not serve in paid or unpaid positions in non-United Methodist churches without the prior approval of the bishop and the Board of Ordained Ministry.  - Proposed cha...