Good Morning. As we awaken to a lovely and dry fall day here in Minnesota, our prayers and concerns go out to the people of the Mid-Atlantic and the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. Be safe. Whether or not you recognize the impact of climate change, we all must admit that we are experiencing pretty unusual weather patterns, including a blizzard in West Virginia and parts of western Maryland.
Next June will mark the 310th anniversary of the birth of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. He wrote in his journal on May 24th, 1738: “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” Wesley was already a “Christian” when he had this experience. That “strangely warmed” heart glowed with the passion of faith, and Wesley went on to have an enormous impact on Christianity. The glow of Christ’s presence has warmed millions of hearts.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.” Wesley recognized that with Jesus in your heart Christ’s presence lights up your whole body and fills it with light, a light that cannot be denied. A large part of his experience acknowledged the need for trusting in Christ and trusting your heart.
Some people say, “That’s too subjective.” Well, it’s certainly true that we can abuse any part of our relationship with God with either inauthentic emotionalism or “hyper-objective” rationalism. But in the end, the relationship between you and God is something that only you can feel; only you can affirm.
Christianity involves a great deal of trust. Trust in ourselves. Trust in the promises of scripture. And most importantly trust in God and God’s promises to us. That night at the Aldersgate Moravian meeting Wesley heard again the promises that God has communicated to us through the incredible words of Paul writing to the Romans. We have all sinned. As Luther suggested if you doubt it then pinch yourself and see whether or not you discover flesh! If you do, then you are a sinner. But that’s only the beginning, because you see through Christ God has erased our sins – yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s – so that we might enter into God’s presence as newly re-created creatures living in God’s kingdom. Will we sin again? Absolutely. Are those sins forgiven? Absolutely! How? Through faith – trust – in the promises and sacrifices made by God for our sakes.
That’s a lot to take in. That trust in God doesn’t allow us to fall into some kind of passive mode in which we say: “We’re saved so nothing else matters!” That trust in God puts us into one half of a contract – a new covenant – with God, and that covenant inspires us to live our lives for Christ and for one another, always to the glory of God.
In the end, it is subjective because no one can really place themselves into your heart and know your relationship with the Lord. But you can. And that’s where what Wesley described as a heart “strangely warmed”comes in. If your trust is authentically in the Lord, then you will feel that warming; you will know that glowing lamplight that Christ describes. It’s important that we examine our hearts – daily – searching for the Lord’s presence in our lives and affirming to the Lord that we want more of that presence. We want to feel that warmth, and we want the world to see the light of our lamp. We want to bring the light of Christ’s presence where there is only darkness.
Let us pray: Lord God, we give You thanks. There is little else that we can say. We give You thanks for the gift of life, given to us through Your grace despite our unworthiness. Gratefully we accept the new creation into which You have accepted us. Grant that I may always feel the warmth of Your presence in my heart; that I may always feel the warmth that comes from accepting Your love; that I may greedily pursue Your presence with all my life. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Ecclesiasticus 24:1-12; Revelation 11:14-19; Luke 11:27-36; Psalm 45, 47 & 48.
Blessings.
Pastor Jim
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