Dear St. Paul’s Family,
United Methodists are quite familiar with John Wesley’s “Aldersgate” experience, but know less about a similar moment in the life of his younger brother Charles. On Pentecost Sunday, 1738, 30 year old Charles was deathly ill, suffering from a near-fatal case of pneumonia. Additionally, and more significantly, Charles was suffering from a serious spiritual ailment: a severe bout with doubt and a need for assurance of his salvation. Lying on his death bed and slipping in and out of consciousness, he noticed a woman named Mrs. Musgrave, a family friend, enter his room. She said to him, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, I tell you, arise and believe, and you shall be healed of your infirmities.” The woman then left the room.
At that moment, Charles awoke from his slumber and felt a “strange palpitation” in his heart. His pneumonia began to clear, and he was also able to claim, for the first time, a solid assurance of his salvation. He uttered the words, “I believe. I do believe.” When he later saw Mrs. Musgrave and asked her why she came into the room and to say what she said, she had no recollection of that event.
It is no wonder, then, why Charles henceforth esteemed the Day of Pentecost. For him, it became more than a liturgical observance in the Christian year, and more than a narrative from the pages of biblical history. It also marked that moment when he became more than a professing Christian, but a committed follower of Jesus as well, guided and shaped by the Holy Spirit. He considered “Pentecost” to be the stage in a believer’s journey of grace in which the Holy Spirit transformed that individual more and more into the image of Christ.
In short, for Charles Wesley, Pentecost was Sanctification.
So naturally, he wrote a hymn about it. In fact, he wrote thirty-two, compiled in 1746 as a songbook titled, Hymns of Petition and Thanksgiving for the Promise of the Father. It begins with these verses, from a song simply titled, Hymn 1:
The purchased Comforter is given,
For Jesus is returned to heaven,
To claim, and then THE GRACE impart:
Our day of Pentecost is come,
And God vouchsafes to fix his home
In every poor expecting heart. [1]
“THE GLORIOUS WORK OF SANCTIFICATION”
Charles advanced his love affair with Pentecost so often to his older brother that John Wesley acknowledged it in a journal entry On October 28, 1762:
“Many years ago my brother frequently said, Your day of Pentecost is not fully come; but I doubt not it will; and you will then hear of persons sanctified, as frequently as you do now of persons justified; and any unprejudiced reader may observe that it was now fully come.”
In other words, Charles constantly reminded John that the results of effective ministry never stop at a person’s conversion, and the work of our churches should be more than just adding new members. Instead, every ministry ought to have “Days of Pentecost,” seasons in which people became more committed to Christ, and strove to go deeper in their discipleship than mere lip service or superficial piety. Charles had no doubt that in their renewal efforts, there would come a time when the number of persons sanctified would at least match the number of people justified, and that would truly be a moment to celebrate.
John Wesley would heed his brother’s encouragement, and would even couch the fruitful results of his ministry in terms that echo the Pentecost story in Acts 2. Whereas Luke the history writer would claim conversions among the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and Pamphlyians, Wesley shared these words, reflecting on the work of the Spirit throughout the British Islands.
“Here began that glorious work of sanctification, which had been at a stand for twenty years. But from time to time it spread, first through various parts of Yorkshire, afterwards in London, then through most parts of England; next through Dublin, Limerick, and all the south and West of Ireland. And wherever the work of sanctification increased the whole work of God increased in all its branches. Many were convinced of sin, many justified, many backsliders healed.” [2]
OUR DAY OF PENTECOST
Revisiting these rich stories from our Wesleyan roots reminds me of the many reasons I consider Pentecost to be my favorite Christian holy day. Unlike Christmas and Easter, retailers have yet to commercialize Pentecost with trinkets, greeting cards, lawn decorations, and sale circulars. It is also the very point in the biblical narrative that we enter the story most vividly. God’s revelation to the early church of Acts is the very same way God is revealed to us today: through the invisible, yet undeniable, power and promise of the Holy Spirit at work in and among us.
But Charles Wesley’s affection for Pentecost ought to add a deeper dimension to our understanding of what this Sunday is all about. It is an invitation for us to allow the Spirit to deepen our commitment to discipleship, to shape our perspectives, priorities, and behaviors around the person of Jesus Christ.
It is my prayer that this Sunday’s Pentecost service will afford you the opportunity to experience the sanctifying, purifying grace of God revealed to the church through wind and flame. Join us as we hear this glorious, vivid story from Acts 2, and experience the Holy Spirit at work in and through our lives.
Grace and Peace,
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
[1] A free online version of Hymns for Whit-Sunday is available from Google books.
[2] From Wesley’s Concise Ecclesiastical History
RESPONSE TO THE FLOODS
At our Annual Conference in Des Moines last Sunday evening, clergy and lay delegates from the Northwest and Southwest Districts gathered to strategize response and relief efforts for the communities affected by the rising flood waters of the Missouri River. At this point, our district and conference disaster response coordinators are working with local emergency management officials to work within the systems already in place to address this imminent need.
As we await word of what we will be asked to do in response, you can already begin preparing items that you might wish to donate. Cleaning supplies, such as mops, gloves, bleach, rags, and sponges can be gathered and kept at your home until such time as we send word for you to bring them to the church. We’ll then find a way to get them to the distribution site in Sioux City. Also, there will be a need for bottled water for the volunteers that will be working there in the heat of the summer sun. Again, keep those at your home until we ask for them. Finally, there will certainly be a need for volunteers to work on mucking out the flooded homes and businesses once we are given word that it is safe to do so. This can be a powerful way you could put God’s love into action by contributing even half a day for the cause. Let’s all be in prayer, and be ready to respond.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
We are excited to have 66 children registered for next week’s Vacation Bible School! Please be in prayer for the kids and the adult volunteers as we experience God’s love through fun songs, lessons, and activities. If you wish, we are still in need of gallons of fruit juices for the kids throughout the week. And, the children will be taking up an offering every day for the “Bishop’s FIT Challenge” which will fund relief efforts for the towns in Iowa devastated by tornadoes and the communities facing rising flood waters. You’ll have a chance to match their contributions with a special offering on June 19.
To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit http://mdevega.blogspot.com
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