John Wesley writing letters at his bedroom window
(New Room, Bristol)
Much of Wesleyan theology revolves around the centrality of love, not as an ephemeral emotion but as the crowning disposition of a Christian's heart. Possessing the inward qualities of love, meekness, and gentleness are essential for holiness and for what John Wesley calls "real Christianity." Without these, new birth/regeneration cannot exist, no matter how right one's belief. What Gregory Clapper calls "orthokardia" -- the right disposition of the heart -- is of the utmost importance.
As a spiritual friend and adviser, in a letter to Ann Bolton (March 28, 1785), with whom he frequently corresponded, Wesley cautions her to find a balance between seeing the hand of God in every circumstance of her life and wrongly assuming that everything is connected and therefore is the will of God. He urges her to see every difficulty as something God can use to her good, aiding her to partake in the very holiness of God. He then frankly admits that he also sometimes jumps to conclusions about whether or not something is God's will, encouraging her with the words of St. Paul that God's grace is sufficient for her and assuring her that no matter what, "His banner over you is love."
I have often found an aptness both in myself and others to connect events that have no real relation to each other. So one says, 'I am as sure this is the will of God as that I am justified.' Another says, 'God as surely spake this to my heart as ever He spoke to me at all.' This is an exceedingly dangerous way of thinking or speaking. We know not what it may lead us to. It may sap the very foundation of our religion. It may insensibly draw us into Deism or Atheism. My dear Nancy, my sister, my friend, beware of this! The grace of God is sufficient for you! And, whatever clouds may interpose between, His banner over you is love. Look to yourself that you lose not the things that you have gained, but that you may receive a full reward.
I grew up Southern Baptist, and one of the choruses we sang in youth choir was "His Banner Over Me is Love." I must have sung that hundreds of times without realizing that the reference was from Song of Solomon 2:4 where the bride expresses her longing for her bridegroom's presence and exults in their mutual love. Wesley was a far more astute Biblical scholar than I will ever be, so he surely knew the overtones invoked by using that particular phrase, thereby making a strong statement about the depth of love that God has for us, even when the "clouds interpose" and pain or sorrow or weariness threaten to hide that comforting truth from us.
As we approach Advent and Christmas, a time touted as the most wonderful of the year, it is important to note that it isn't necessarily a time of joy for many people. Think of the refugees and asylum seekers; think of the survivors of hurricanes and wildfires; think of the lonely and broken and the sick and imprisoned. Think of those whose family ties are strained to the point of breaking and of those whose loved ones are far away or already dead. Think of those who aren't quite sure of God's love because of the way they have been treated by other people.
Maybe the most important gift you give this year is the reminder that God's banner over them is love and that in Christ there is grace sufficient to meet every need and circumstance. How might you express the joy and hope of the coming of Christ in the midst of the rush and bustle of shopping, parties, and sentimental music to someone who desperately needs a word of love? Will you take time to let the Spirit lead you to move beyond a surface celebration to a deeper sharing of God's love and into a fuller sense of holiness of heart and life? Let this Advent be a time of blessing and grace in which we are so filled with God's love that our hearts overflow with love for our sisters and brothers and back to the One who is its Source!
The grace of God is sufficient for you! And, whatever clouds may interpose between, His banner over you is love.
No comments:
Post a Comment