Hyde Park United Methodist

It goes without saying, but the first step in hearing God’s voice is having the desire to hear God’s voice. That should go without saying, but there is good news in that reminder. Just like Thomas Merton’s classic prayer says, the desire to please God does itself please God, even amid times of bewilderment. Hearing God’s voice is rooted in prayer, balanced among three dimensions, which can be remembered through the acronym S.O.S.

We are hungry for a sense of purpose, direction, and calling in our lives.  That’s as basic an ingredient to the human experience as they come.  We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves.  We want to participate in something that has eternal merit and lasting impact.  We do not want to live a shallow, hollow existence.  We yearn for deeper meaning, for deeper purpose within our lives.  We want to be more than we are.

We conclude our worship series “The Meaning of Methodist” this Sunday with one of the chief hallmarks of Methodism. John Wesley observed the concept of the “via media” in developing his practical theology. He would often take the best of two ideological opposites to form a “way in the middle,” a vital third way that enabled people to hold the center together. We’ll explore why that is such a timely and necessary position today and discover how to apply that in our lives.

Rev. Dr. Gary Mason of Rethinking Conflict in Belfast, Northern Ireland will be our guest preacher for the day. He can speak to the global nature of the church and the impact that the United Methodist can make in the work of peace with justice and the alleviation of suffering. Together, we live out the vision of John Wesley to make a difference in the physical, social, and systemic brokenness of the world. For in his words, “There is no holiness apart from social holiness.” 

In the Exodus reading, Moses discovered that the task of leading the people and advancing the mission of God among the Israelites was too great for one person to handle. That’s why he created a connectional system of governance, administration, and support. Likewise, the idea of connectionalism is at the heart of being United Methodist. Each congregation is part of an interconnected whole of people and congregations around the world, joined by districts, conferences, jurisdictions, and central/regional conferences. We are ultimately connected by a General Conference. Likewise, no one person in the local church has all the power. We have staff and lay people serving on various committees that each share a vital part of leading the whole of the church. We all play a part in making ministry happen and advancing the mission of God.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that works of devotion, service, and love are necessary. Not to earn our salvation, but to mature our salvation.  And just like a tree that does not bear fruit, or a bird that has no song, or a star that produces no light, salvation without works is pointless. Even though we don’t earn our salvation by our works, we can’t use our salvation without works.  The phrase that Wesley coined here is that we must “work out our salvation.” We need to prove it, express it, and exercise it with our deeds. And this lies at the heart of what it means to be called “Methodist.”

One of the hallmarks of United Methodism is the nuanced way that John Wesley both embraced human free will and God's grace. Both God's power and human will are necessary for salvation. Yes, we get to choose. But only because God's power makes our choice possible. Before we even knew there was a choice to make, eve as soon as we were born, God was hard at work drawing, luring us, convincing us to choose faith in Jesus. 

In Top Gun: Maverick, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell confronts his regrets about his past and the consequences of his action and inaction. It's not unlike the disciple Peter confronting his denial and betrayal of Jesus.

In Paul’s classic metaphor of the church as the body of Christ, he reminds believers that each of them are responsible to one another for building each other up. When one suffers, all suffer with them. When one rejoices, all rejoice with them. Often, our society encourages us to think of ourselves individually, with our own uniqueness and special qualities that distinguish us from one another. But even in Paul’s description of spiritual gifts, he reminds us that those gifts are useful only in the context of community, when each person does their part. Encanto is a film about a family who, on the surface, seems remarkable because of the enchanting qualities of each of its members. But deep down, we discover that they are as dysfunctional as the rest of our families are, with their own secrets and skeletons. In the end, they discover that mutual love for each other, not outwardly remarkable abilities, is what makes them special.

The book of Ephesians is Paul’s clearest and greatest appeal to unity in Christ, despite all the forces that would otherwise tear us apart. Ever since the Tower of Babel, human beings have been proliferating in their diversity, and gathering in camps and tribes that often become at odds with each other. The Christians of Ephesus were tempted to allow their differences with one another compromise their unity and their common witness to the world. The prevalent use of the word “one” in this scripture passage underscores Paul’s call for Christians to be one together.