Wisdom Wednesday: The Methodist Story, Part 2
Grace and peace to you. I’m Rev. Joe Cailles, the pastor of Peakland United Methodist Church in Lynchburg Virginia. Today is Wednesday, November 1, 2023 Peakland United Methodist Church is reading this book, Being a United Methodist Christian which explores our beliefs, our best practices and our history as a United Methodist Christian. Last Sunday, I talked about how United Methodists understand grace, God’s loving attitude and God’s loving actions that surround us all our days. Sometimes, we go through life unaware that God loves us. We don’t see God in our lives, we don’t feel God’s love, and we may not even believe in God. But God is still there with us; God’s kindness and care is still with us even if we don’t see it or feel it or believe it. John Wesley called that prevenient grace, the grace that goes before us before we’re aware of it. Babies being baptized are not aware of God’s love, but God loves those children, and as the babies grow, we the church teach our children and we teach each other about God’s love, At one point in our lives or at many points in our lives, we clearly see the ways God is with us and God has always been with us. We see that we are better off with God and that God washes away our sin and helps us to live more lovingly with God and with each other. We methodists call that justifying grace. We were lost and now are found. We were blind and now we see the straight line of God’s love for us and our love for those around us. And then every day in all sorts of ways God draws closer to perfect love, perfect love for God and perfect love for each other. Wesley calls that sanctifying grace. Now, God’s grace is not an original theological insight from Wesley. Every other Christian denomination and church that I’ve ever heard of understands God’s grace. And truly, most of our United Methodist beliefs aren’t that distinct from other Christians. John Wesley never intended for methodists to be a separate denomination with its own set of beliefs. He wrote, as to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think. We think and let think. That’s us at our best. From the start of my work as an ordained ministry, I have regularly sought other Christians and Christian communities to join in ministry. On New Year’s Eve 1999, I participated in an ecumenical Watch Night Service at Williamsburg United Methodist church with other local churches. In Lexington where I was the pastor of Trinity, I was part of one of the strongest clergy groups that I had ever experienced, with other Christians, Mormons, Jews, and Muslims. Here at Peakland, I am eager to reach out, serve all and extend God’s table with other United Methodists and all other churches and groups that seek to grow closer to God and closer to each other. I am United Methodist by choice and by God’s grace. I am proud of our United Methodists history and heritage and the ways we share God’s grace and love with the world. And along with that, it’s important to understand that we at Peakland who are proud United Methodist do not need to be against other churches or faith communities. Being a United Methodist Christians does not mean and will never mean that we are anti-Baptist or anti presbyterian or anti Catholic or anti anything. We respect the differences that we do have. United Methodists and Baptists don’t agree on the meaning of baptism. United Methodists and Roman Catholics don’t agree on the role of women in church leadership. We at Peakland seek and will continue to seek commonalities with others, common beliefs and common ways to serve our community and world. That’s another thing that’s great about being a United Methodist Christian. Thanks be to God.
