The Wesleyan Way

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive (Joel 2:12-13 CEB) Today is a new beginning. A new season. And anytime we step into something new, we can feel vulnerable. We know our own brokenness. This is a season where we journey through the wilderness of our hearts and souls to the heart of God. This is a time that calls for us to walk carefully and to think deeply. And if we are to make progress on our pilgrim's path, then we must be willing to lay bare all that is hidden, buried, or repressed inside of ourselves. This path is uncomfortable. But if we want to move closer to God, then it is a path we must take. Lent doesn't make sense. It's counter-intuitive. We begin with death and move towards life. Today, many Christians will go to chu...

In the winter months of 27-28 AD, John the Baptist came out of the Judean wilderness. Crowds gathered to the desert lands where the river flowed into the Dead Sea. This was a movement like no one had ever seen before. At a ford of the Jordan, John cried, "Repent for the kingdom of God is near!" When he ended each sermon, he would walk to the river's edge and stand in the shallow water. Hundreds came forward to be baptized. John would place a strong hand on everyone who came forward, then the people would humble themselves and bow their knees in the muddy river until they could hear the rush of water in their ears. Toward the end of that winter, as the crowd began to thin, Jesus came, almost unnoticed, and was baptized. One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and ...

Epiphany is when we remember the magi's visit to see baby Jesus. Epiphany means "manifestation." This day is a celebration--not because of the gifts given to baby Jesus--but because of what God has done through Jesus. Through Jesus, the divine glory has been made manifest. Through Jesus, God's glory has been made known to all. What this really means is that now the world finally gets to see what God is truly like. In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where  is the child who has been born king of the Jews?" . . . they set out; and there ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. (Matthew 2:1-2a, 9) If you're an artistic type who's interested in Christian art, light is the traditional symbol for Epiphany. . . . the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land o...

In a few hours many of us will make a New Year's Resolution. The beginning of a new year brings a sense of hope and a feeling that this year things may improve. Some of us will resolve to improve ourselves. To eat healthier. To exercise more. Our culture tries to sell us these self-improvement strategies--to point out that we're not ideal, that we don't measure up. Think about this, on January 2nd, if you eat a piece of chocolate, you're "bad." But if you go to the gym, you're "good." Are these really moral choices? The real question is, Are we really trying to improve ourselves or are we trying to be worthy of love? Ephesians 1:4-5 proclaims, "He chose us in him before the world was made, so as to be holy and irreproachable before him in love. He foreordained us for himself, to be adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus the king." Please know that making changes to improve our health is a good thing. So loosing a few pou...

Luke 2:6-7 : While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Jesus' life began from the margin of society. There wasn't room for him at the inn. When he began his ministry, he called people from the margins. There wasn't room for him in the religious center. From the margins, Jesus fulfilled his mission. William Barclay writes, "That there was no room in the inn was symbolic of what was to happen to Jesus." In our communion ritual during Christmas we say, "As Mary and Joseph went from Galilee to Bethlehem and there found no room, so Jesus went from Galilee to Jerusalem and was despised and rejected." Do you ever feel like you are on the margins? You know, when you say you're alright but you're really not. When you try to be strong but you're falling apart on the inside. ...

The fancy name for Mary's song is the Magnificat . Why? Because that's the first word in the Latin translation. When Martin Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German, he left the Magnificat in Latin because the German princes didn't care for this image of the mighty being brought low. Historically, the Church has been uncomfortable with this song. We typically think of Mary as sweet and kind, meek and mild. But this is so much more than a simple song of praise. Stanley Jones says, "the Magnificat is the most revolutionary document in the world." Luke 1:46-48, 52: And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed. . . . He has brought the powerful down from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly." If you're well-versed in the Bible, you know Mary's song reflects Hannah song in the O...

Advent is about anticipation and expectation. During John the Baptist's time, people were anticipating the Messiah. But how would the Messiah expect them to live? This question, "How should we live?" is one John addresses. Luke 3:7-9 NIV:  John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves,'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." John calls these people a "brood of vipers." That certainly is an interesting choice of words. But what does it mean? You know vipers are snakes. You probably know vipers are poisonous. But did you know that after a viper bites something, it continues to lat...