18th Century and 21st Century Laptops

As we all continue to adapt, pivot, change, whatever you want to call it, because of coronavirus, it's amazing how creative some people, churches, and other organizations have been in coping and carrying on.  I must confess to an unholy envy of some of the imaginative solutions some of my colleagues and friends have come up with.  I'm not nearly as good at lateral thinking or seeing things from a different angle as some people, which is frustrating, but at least we're sharing our ideas and talking about how things have worked (or not, as the case may be). 

If alive today, John Wesley would likely have been on the cutting edge of figuring out how to carry on the task of sharing the gospel with the maximum number of people safely.  After all, he was almost infamous for the ways he pushed the boundaries, bent and even broke some of the accepted rules, and boldly tried and/or adapted new methods in the 18th century evangelistic revival.  He made use of the best tech of his day in order to preach, teach, provide medical care, offer spiritual counsel, and live out his call as a minister of the gospel, calling people to experience the gift of salvation.

Wesley broadly defined salvation as far more than going to heaven or eternal happiness.  Rather, he understood it as a present blessing, insisting that the words "You are saved" could properly also be translated as "You have been saved."  He beautifully writes, "So that the salvation which is here spoken of might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul till it is consummated in glory."  

The people behind the scenes at the Museum of Methodism and John Wesley's House in London have been doing their own version of pivoting, utilizing the power of YouTube in order to share the wealth of artefacts with the wider world during this time of restriction due to the pandemic.  They recently showcased a fascinating little lantern belonging to Wesley and the lovely travel writing table pictured above, featuring all sorts of 18th century state-of-the-art compartments for his quill pen, ink, and paper.  It's made of oak but stained to look like mahogany, and it would have been a rare and possibly expensive piece even when new, which probably indicates that it was a gift from someone to Mr. Wesley.  

In many ways unlike today's laptops which have the ability to do everything except make you a cup of tea, this humble but ingenious bit of wooden technology was nevertheless a powerful tool in the hands of a committed Christian who lived his life to do the most good to the most people every day of his long and fruitful ministry. With that kind of example before me, even though I'm not the most creative person around, I hope that, with my modern laptop and along with the members of the churches in my charge, I can find some effective and innovative ways to connect people and invite them to experience the joys of salvation, reminding them that, even in the pandemic, the best of all is that God is with us.