Thoughts for the Day

But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today we look at the Methodist Church, and briefly at its roots. John Wesley (1702-1791) together with his brother Charles, never intended to start a new denomination but wanted to reform the Church of England and renew the spiritual vitality of the church. Nicknamed "Methodists" their movement gained popularity, as they sought to address the social issues and inequalities of the time.

Methodists today still place an emphasis on the pursuit of holiness in everyday life, which includes acts of love, justice and mercy towards others. In worship there is an emphasis on scripture and on preaching, rather than on say, receiving Holy Communion. Because of this hymns play a large part in teaching christians how to live out the christian life. If Anglicanism follows a hierarchical system with the Archbishop of Canterbury serving as the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Methodism, in contrast, adopts a more lateral system rooted in the belief that the church is a community of believers who are interconnected, so ministers and lay-leaders work alongside one another. The ultimate authority being the General Assembly which meets every few years.

The Methodist Church and the Church of England worked hard to achieve some kind of union during the 20th century, and the work still continues. There are many places in England, where local churches have joined together in a covenant. Here the rich symbolism of one meets the emphasis on personal faith of the other.

The Methodist Covenant Prayer
(Often said at the beginning of a New Year)

I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.