"Everywhere I am in Thy Presence"

Today marks the 350th anniversary of the birth of one of Christian history's most interesting women, Susanna Annesley Wesley.  The 25th and last child of noted Non-Conformist pastor the Rev. Samuel Annesley and wife Mary, she was reared in a Puritan household where learning and piety went hand-in-hand.  Her father let her have the run of his considerable theological library, and when she decided at around age 13 to abandon her parents' religious tradition in favor of the Church of England, he supported her freedom of conscience enough to stand by her decision, despite any inner dismay he may have felt.  Upon his death, he even made her the executor of that same theological library, a gesture of trust, indeed!

Though she is often lauded as the Mother of Methodism, people are not always aware of the depth of theological and devotional influence she had on her two Methodist sons, John and Charles.  Susanna was their first teacher, home-schooling her sons and daughters in a structured (dare we say "Methodical") manner, ensuring that her daughters no less than her sons were taught to read and write and study scripture for themselves, spending an hour a week with each child alone to discuss any concerns or problems she or he might be facing.  John's time with her was on Thursday evening, and even as a young student at Oxford, he somewhat wistfully wished it were possible for him to have the luxury of that hour with her again on a regular basis.  

She read widely, thought deeply, meditated and prayed faithfully, journaled daily, and wrote a detailed explication of the Apostles' Creed, and she exercised her faith as educator, mother, wife, worship leader (in her husband's absence), and as spiritual director, even to her Oxford-educated clergy sons and others through her letters.  Here is an excerpt from a letter she wrote in 1734 to an unknown young clergyman, freely offering him her thoughts in a forthright yet humble way:

I should not take up on me to advise those that are wiser than myself, nor to teach where I ought to learn, but I think I may without offense to any say that the clergy would do well to consider with what temper and sincerity of mind they reply when they are questioned before they enter into the sacred priesthood, whether they think they are moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon themselves that holy order. Though it is permitted to those who serve the altar to be partakers with the altar, yet that does by no means justify the entering upon the ministry only for interest without principally regarding the glory of God and the salvation of the souls committed to their cure.

Never anticipating that her words would be read by others, let alone preserved and published as a means of encouragement and challenge to generations of Christians, she left behind not only many letters and her thoughts on the Creed but also numerous prayers, some of which have been adapted and used in Methodist worship services and in private devotions for years.

May you find encouragement in her words as you seek to live into your own Christian calling, whatever your vocation may be, letting her reminder that we are constantly in God's gracious presence be a source of strength and hope in the midst of your struggles against sin and despair.

You, O Lord, have called us to watch and pray.
     Therefore, whatever may be the sin against which we pray, 
     make us careful to watch against it,
      and so have reason to expect that our prayers will be answered.
In order to perform this duty aright,
   grant us grace to preserve a sober, equal temper,
   and sincerity to pray for your assistance. Amen.

Help me, Lord, to remember 
     that religion is not to be confined to the church, or closet, 
     nor exercised only in prayer, 
     but that everywhere I am in thy presence.  
So may my every word and action have a moral content.  
     May all things instruct me and afford me an opportunity 
      of exercising some virtue and daily learning 
     and growing toward thy likeness. Amen.

Being Freed from All Maladies

We celebrated a service of death and resurrection at church today.  In other words, we had a funeral.  That is hardly earthshaking news, but what made this one different was that it was for a co-worker.  Our Publications Secretary, Jim Blaine, died unexpectedly a week ago, and this morning, we gathered as friends, family, and colleagues to witness to the Christian faith, to celebrate Jim's life, and to mourn his death but not, to paraphrase the Apostle Paul, as those who have no hope.

Among the scriptures read or alluded to today were Paul's words to the church of Corinth where he most clearly spells out the "sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ" --

Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory."

     "Where, O death, is your victory? 

     "Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15: 51-55)

Paul wisely resorts to the language of mystery to talk about what happens to the Christian believer after physical death has occurred, rooting his understanding of our resurrection in the example of Christ's resurrection, and he speaks of us a very real resurrection of our earthly bodies in which we receive spiritual bodies that are no longer subject to decay or illness or death.  This lies at the very cornerstone of Christianity, appearing in the last articles of both the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, and in it is our joy, our hope, and our comfort in the face of our enemy, death.

In his sermon "On the Resurrection of the Dead," John Wesley seeks to make it very clear that resurrection is not the mere resuscitation of a dead body.  Following Paul's lead, he proclaims in the strongest words possible that our resurrection selves are something quite different indeed:

The body that we shall have at the resurrection shall be immortal and incorruptible: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Now, these words, immortal and incorruptible, not only signify that we shall die no more, (for in that sense the damned are immortal and incorruptible) but that we shall be perfectly free from all the bodily evils which sin brought into the world; that our bodies shall not be subject to sickness, or pain, or any other inconveniences we are daily exposed to. This the Scripture calls "the redemption of our bodies," -- the freeing them from all their maladies. Were we to receive them again, subject to all the frailties and miseries which we are forced to wrestle with, I much doubt whether a wise man, were he left to his choice, would willingly take his again; -- whether he would not choose to let his still lie rotting in the grave, rather than to be again chained to such a cumbersome clod of earth. Such a resurrection would be, as a wise Heathen calls it, "a resurrection to another sheep." It would look more like a redemption to death again, than a resurrection to life.

And so today, through tears and laughter, with hearts saddened by the loss of our friend, we celebrate that Jim is no longer subject to the chronic pulmonary and respiratory illnesses that plagued him and ultimately led to his death, and we rejoice that one day, our own pains and sorrows and weaknesses will be lifted from us, as well.  Among other things, we shall be freed from all our maladies and frailties, released into Life that is beyond our comprehension with the One who is the Author of that Life, the Pioneer and Finisher of our faith.  Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!

The Powerhouse of Methodism

This meditative little space connected to John Wesley’s bedroom in his London home has been called the “powerhouse of Methodism” because of the hours Wesley spent on his knees here before God in prayer.  He regarded prayer as one of the chief means of grace in the life of a Christian, and it was indeed the energy behind Wesley’s life and ministry and behind the Methodist revival itself.  As a child, he was instructed in the things of God by his mother Susanna and his father Samuel, and his practice of steeping each day in time set apart with God, first nurtured in the Epworth rectory, lasted his whole long life.

In 1733 while a fellow at Lincoln College, he published A Collection of Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week.  Much of the content came from an earlier manual of prayer called The True Church of England Man's Companion in the Closet; or, A Complete Manual of Private Devotion.  Compiled by the Rev. Nathaniel Spinckes, this earlier collection assigned prayers for every day of the week, morning and evening, and Wesley included prayers of his own creation, while editing and shifting material around.

Wesley believed that a regular practice of praying with words hallowed by long use in the Church would enable his students to develop their own rhythm of prayer, surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses. He also added a list of questions for self-examination somewhat similar to the “examen” of Ignatius of Loyola, but I do not know whether or not he had studied the Ignatian method or whether his inspiration came from elsewhere. That would be fascinating to discover!  At any rate, it is interesting that he omitted these questions in the 1740 printing, while restoring them in later editions, and it will come as no surprise to hear that, as new versions of the book were published, hymns reflecting Methodism’s particular theological emphases were added and other adjustments were made so it could be used more generally, particularly for family devotions.

But Wesley's understanding of prayer was broader than time spent at these specified hours, important though they were.  He was convinced of the necessity of praying as an ongoing activity, comparing it to the very breath we take, without which life itself cannot continue.  In his notes on Ephesians 6:18, Wesley speaks of inwardly praying without ceasing through the influence of the Holy Spirit, by means of public AND private prayer, mental AND vocal.  He goes on to say that

Some are careful in respect of one kind of prayer, and negligent in others. If we would have the petitions we ask, let us use all. Some there are who use only mental prayer or ejaculations, and think they are in a state of grace, and use a way of worship, far superior to any other: but such only fancy themselves to be above what is really above them; it requiring far more grace to be enabled to pour out a fervent and continued prayer, than to offer up mental aspirations. 

He also urges perseverance in prayer, comparing it to Christ's intense supplications in the Garden of Gethsemane and stresses the importance of "wrestling in fervent, continued intercession for others, especially for the faithful, that they may do all the will of God, and be steadfast to the end. Perhaps we receive few answers to prayer, because we do not intercede enough for others."

In this new year, how might you grow in your understanding and practice of prayer?  If you don't usually set time aside for study of scripture and formal prayer, perhaps now is a good time to start.  If you only use written forms of prayer and never pray in your own words, you may wish to acquaint yourself with this way of being with God. Try reading prayers aloud or speaking your thoughts aloud.  Notice the silence or the birdsong or your own breathing and let it remind you that there is nowhere we can be where God is not.  And expand your petitions and thoughts beyond your own desires so that you may entreat God on behalf of others, trusting that as you spend time simply breathing in God's presence and breathing out God's love, you are indeed praying without ceasing.  I will leave you with one final thought.  From a letter written by John Wesley to Mary Bosanquet, hear these comforting words of grace when you think you can't pray, when you don't want to pray, or you don't know how to pray --

It is certainly right to pray whether we can pray or no. God hears, even when we hardly hear ourselves. ~ John Wesley (March 26, 1770)