Belong Totally to God

October 22, 2008

Dear St. Paul’s Family,


    “Do not look forward to the mishaps of this life with anxiety, but await them with perfect confidence so that when they do occur, God, to whom you belong, will deliver you from them. He has kept you up to the present; remain securely in the hand of his providence, and he will help you in all situations.”

In a time of great economic uncertainty and global instability, we would do well to remember these words from St. Francis de Sales, the seventeenth century bishop of the diocese of Geneva.  His life and example are a call to steadfast faith amidst troubling times.

He was born in France in 1567, and after studying both law and theology in Paris, he dedicated his life to the priesthood, a decision that surprised his parents.  The pastorate was not initially a natural fit for him.  Although fully committed to serving the church, he had to get over the fact that doing so would mean he would have to cut his long, golden, curly hair.  One historian characterized his preaching as “when he preached, the listeners thought he was making fun of them.”  And people began to complain to the bishop that de Sales was too conceited and controlling.

But over time, and with practice, de Sales matured into the ministry.

He developed a passion for evangelism, and saw a vast mission field available to the church in Geneva, Switzerland, a bastion for Calvinist Protestantism.  He organized a missionary envoy to go and convert them, and in the end, his team consisted of two – him and his cousin.

Talk about a tough day in the office.  Throughout his efforts to build the kingdom, he had doors slam in his face and rocks thrown at him.  In the bitter winters, his feet froze so badly they bled as he tramped through the snow. He slept in haylofts if he could, and once had to sleep in a tree to avoid wolves. He tied himself to a branch to keep from falling out and was so frozen the next morning he had to be cut down.   After three years of evangelizing, his cousin had left him alone and he had not made one convert.

But de Sales did not quit.  Because he could not get a face-to-face audience with people, he wrote his sermons down, reproduced them, and slid them underneath people’s doors.  To this day, he is known as the patron saint of journalism because of his printed efforts.  Slowly, his efforts warmed the hearts of the people of Geneva, and it is said that he returned to France having converted 40,000 of them to Catholicism.

Over time, his spiritual journey brought him to Christian mysticism, and he developed a passion for spiritual direction.  People, clergy and lay alike, began to come to him to learn how to practice the devout life, and to hear the voice of God.  He is credited during this time period as opening the way of spiritual practice, holiness, and devotion to common lay people.  When it was thought that spiritual piety was reserved only for the professionally religious, de Sales offered all people the way to practice this kind of holy life.

In fact, his hallmark book, Introduction to a Devout Life, originally a collection of letters he wrote to people seeking his direction, became widespread in its popularity all throughout Europe in 1608.  His writings included this pamphlet, “Wise and Loving Counsel,” in which he called those who wishing to live a devout life to “belong totally to God.”

    Do not look forward to the mishaps of this life with anxiety, but await them with perfect confidence so that when they do occur, God, to whom you belong, will deliver you from them. He has kept you up to the present; remain securely in the hand of his providence, and he will help you in all situations. When you cannot walk, he will carry you. Do not think about what will happen tomorrow, for the same eternal Father who takes care of you today will look out for you tomorrow and always. Either he will keep you from evil or he will give you invincible courage to endure it.
    Remain in peace; rid your imagination of whatever troubles you.
    Belong totally to God. Think of him and he will think of you. He has drawn you to himself so that you may be his; he will take care of you. Do not be afraid, for if little chicks feel perfectly safe when they are under their mother's wings, how secure should the children of God feel under his paternal protection! So be at peace, since you are one of these children; and let your weary, listless heart rest against the sacred, loving breast of this Savior who, by his providence is a father to his children, and by his gentle, tender love is a mother to them.
    First thing in the morning, prepare your heart to be at peace; then take great care throughout the day to call it back to that peace frequently, and, as it were, to again take your heart in your hand. If you happen to do something that you regret, be neither astonished nor upset, but having acknowledged your failing, humble yourself quietly before God and try to regain your gentle composure. Say to yourself: "There, we have made a mistake, but let's go on now and be more careful." Every time you fall, do the same.


STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD

    The writings of St. Francis de Sales would later become a significant influence on a young Anglican priest named John Wesley, whose sermons would often echo a familiarity with de Sales.  From his sermon “On Love,” Wesley writes:
    
    The love which our Lord requires in all his followers, is the love of God and man; -- of God, for his own, and of man, for God's sake. Now, what is it to love God, but to delight in him, to rejoice in his will, to desire continually to please him, to seek and find our happiness in him, and to thirst day and night for a fuller enjoyment of him?
    As to the measure of this love, our Lord hath clearly told us, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." Not that we are to love or delight in none but him: For he hath commanded us, not only to love our neighbour, that is, all men, as ourselves; -- to desire and pursue their happiness as sincerely and steadily as our own, -- but also to love many of his creatures in the strictest sense; to delight in them, to enjoy them: Only in such a manner and measure as we know and feel, not to indispose but to prepare us for the enjoyment of Him. Thus, then, we are called to love God with all our heart.

    This Sunday,  I invite you to come hear our District Superintendent, Bernie Colorado, offer a sermon based on Great Commandment of Jesus in Matthew 22:34-36.  He will guide you through the classic Wesleyan formula for the devote life, summarized recently by Bishop Reuben Job as “The Three Simple Rules:”  

    1.  Do no harm.
    2.  Do good.
    3.  Stay in love with God.

    Come discover how obedience to these principles will free you to live in the fullness of God’s grace and peace, amidst a world of fear anxiety.

In God’s Love,

Magrey   


The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org


Matthew 22:34-46
34  When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
35  and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
36  "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
37  He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38  This is the greatest and first commandment.
39  And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
41  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:
42  "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."
43  He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44  'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"'?
45  If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
46  No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.



DISTRICT CELEBRATION OCT. 23
Plan on joining us for a celebration of ministry in our sanctuary led by our District Superintendent Bernie Colorado and Field Outreach Minister Sarah Stevens.  The event includes the congregations of Aurelia and Sutherland-Larrabee, and begins at 7:00pm.

CONGREGATION-WIDE GATHERING NOV. 2
Following the service on November 2nd, you are invited to the Fellowship Hall for a chance to hear details about the 20/20 Vision Plan, the long-term strategic plan of the church that will be considered for adoption at our charge conference on November 10.