"To the Joy of Future Generations"

I just spent a little over a week in London, mostly enjoying Methodist things rather than seeing the sights or doing the usual touristy things.  I went through the Museum of Methodism several times, visited John Wesley's house twice, worshiped at Wesley's Chapel five times (even helped serve communion in the Foundery Chapel), managed to find Charles Wesley's grave, and peered at Susanna's grave from afar.  And of course, I sat at John Wesley's graveside and pondered all sorts of things.

One afternoon, as I sat there basking in the sun and soaking up Wesley vibes, I read the epitaph carved into the side of the monument.  Composed by Adam Clarke, a giant in early Methodism, it waxes poetic about the impact John Wesley had on the Church and on the world.  At the bottom, it reads as you see in the picture. It describes him as a great light that arose to "revive, enforce, and defend the pure apostolical doctrines and practices of the primitive Church" and goes on to say that he lived to see "provision made by the singular grace of God for their continuance and establishment, to the joy of future generations."

That line "to the joy of future generations" resonated with me as I sat there and considered the strange and mysterious acts of God.  I meditated on the chain of events and the lives that have touched mine as part of a journey that led me to sit in that spot where I would reflect upon the life and ministry of John Wesley, who even in death continues to point towards Christ rather than towards himself.

Mr. Wesley clearly expected the Methodist movement to carry on after his death and made certain arrangements for that well before he died, but there is no way he could have envisioned the vast reach of his revival and the impact it continues to have on the lives of millions of people who are Christ-followers in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition.  The rich diversity of ways that the joy of future generations is expressed would have astounded him!  During the 9 days of my London visit, I met children of Methodism from all across the globe, speaking many different languages, praising God in a variety of ways, and it was a rich and invigorating experience.  The Ghanaian Fellowship Choir led worship with praise that employed not just their voices but their whole bodies.  Without understanding a word they sang, I was nevertheless caught up in their joy in the Spirit.

After the service, it was a privilege to tour the Chapel and Wesley's House with a young man from South Korea and a family from Pakistan and see that we were all experiencing our time there in similar ways.  At one point, when our guide  (originally from Fiji) was talking about Wesley's opposition to slavery and his determination to press on despite opposition and threats, one of the members of the Pakistani family very quietly said, "Praise Jesus."  He then asked the guide to take a picture of our whole group as we stood in the shadow of the pulpit.  I wanted to give him my email address so he could send me a copy, but they left before I had the chance.  It truly was just a tiny foretaste of the life to come when we are all gathered together in Christ!

Mr. Wesley would have likely also been surprised at the existence of a female United Methodist elder from North Carolina, let alone the craziness of her coming all the way to the UK to seek a place of service within British Methodism.  Be that as it may, he certainly laid the ground work back in the day when women like Sarah Mallet, Mary Bosanquet, Sarah Crosby, and Sarah Ryan boldly stood to proclaim the gospel in front of crowds and congregations of both men and women.  And now that my interviewing process has been successfully completed, I await further word in the coming months about my future place of service as the stationing committee prayerfully discerns the needs of the churches and the gifts I bring.  May it be as God wills, and may we all, clergy and laity alike, be a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led part of the continuation of the Methodist revival, for the joy of those future generations who will follow us.