May 18th this year marks Aldersgate Sunday, the nearest Sunday to May 24th known as Wesley Day, when on that day in 1738, the founder of the Methodist Church felt his heart strangely warmed while listening to a reading of the preface to Romans by Martin Luther at a church in Aldersgate, East London.
May 18th also marks two years to the day since I was accredited as a Local Preacher in the Methodist Connexion along with two friends from my circuit, Sharon and Liz. Who would have thought going back to my time as an undergraduate at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, that a placement at Aldridge Methodist Church would not only spark an interest in Methodism and lead me to membership in May 2018, but then a conversation with the new Superintendent Minister the following year, would lead me to a Local Preacher’s course which was heavily disrupted by Covid.
One of the things which attracted me to Methodism was its history of radicalism, not only in terms of spreading a non-intellectual Gospel to the working classes, but its tradition of having local leaders, both male and female, to ensure the spiritual welfare of their new followers. In that way Methodism mirrored the development of the early church including at times, risking confrontation with the established civil and religious authorities of the period.
Methodism was also at the forefront of those movements which were founded to tackle the scourge of social injustice particularly among the poor, as well as provide a voice for the exploited and abused. Organisations such as the Trade Union movement, the Co-Operative Movement, the Labour Party and the Salvation Army all had their roots in Methodism.
Ephesians 6:10-20 is a text which I have preached on several times before, but given the upheavals of the world we live in thought it might be a good time to revisit and reflect on how Methodism might return to its radical edge.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians deals with the themes of unity among Jews and Gentiles who have become followers of Christ. It was a text frequently used by John and Charles Wesley in their preaching and emphasizes that unity and harmony in Christ is not just confined to “Church” settings, but in every setting where Christ’s followers find themselves.
This is the essential truth of our Gospel, Jesus commanded us to love one another, to serve one another and to be faithful to our Father, however hard the road ahead.
Ironically, Ephesians is one of the six out of the thirteen epistles bearing Paul’s name which many scholars believe was not actually written by him, but by some of his followers a century or so after his death. Whatever the truth about authorship, Ephesians 6:10-20 adopts a militaristic tone calling for Christians to face down those who would oppose them.
Vv 11-17 are rich in military metaphors, to be battle ready, to wear the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, wearing of shoes to proclaim the gospel, the shield of faith to quench the arrows of evil and to carry the sword of the spirit – the word of God. It is unfortunate in a way that Paul uses such military metaphors, but living as Godly people in an ungodly world poses a whole host of problems, and like a soldier going into battle needs to be prepared for any and all eventualities.
Today the challenge is just as important, but our weapons are not swords or shields but the language of love and understanding, even to those who profess hatred for what we stand for, by leading by example, by reaching out across the various communities spreading a message of loving service to all.
When Paul talks about God’s armour he is talking about truth, righteousness, faith, and the word of God. These are the qualities which as Christians we should be exemplifying within our own communities despite the prevailing culture. Nowhere does it say that doing the Lord’s work is an easy gig. Quite the opposite in fact, but do it we must.
We cannot ever hope to save everyone: but if we can reach out and make a difference to at least one person’s life on a regular basis, we would have fulfilled what Jesus commanded us to do, to love our neighbour as ourselves.
What Paul warned the Ephesians about then still holds true today. The violence and ruthlessness and greed that dominate so many lives, the self-destructive behaviours common among so many people, our obsession with the cult of celebrity and the great divide that separates the very rich from the very poor.
Challenging those in authority both the political and in some cases the church, to do more to protect and defend the true gospel, one which is relevant and rooted in our local communities, is the duty of all people who profess a Christian faith.
As someone who is involved with a lot of inter-faith engagement, some of my non-Christian friends are surprised at how we sometimes allow ourselves to simply acquiesce to the increasing secularism common across society today. Why are you not taking a greater lead they say?
“Defend your religion and its place at the centre of public life they demand!!”. “Be more forceful.” “More unites us than divides us” And yet those in authority seem to draw back out of some sort of misplaced fear that by doing so, they may cause unnecessary harm to community relations and diversity.
I also recall a story I heard when I was studying at the Queen’s Foundation. An Anglican ordinand was addressing a meeting at a local mosque and told the elders gathered there that once ordained he wanted to become a missionary overseas. Their one and only question was to ask, “Why go overseas, isn’t there enough work for you to do here?”
For many people perception is reality, rightly or wrongly. If we allow other people to hold these perceptions about our faith and our approach to how we conduct ourselves both privately and in the public arena, we are not only letting down previous generations of Methodists – and Christians generally – but we also let down the generations to come and we will continue to struggle while those churches which are thriving; the black-led churches, the Pentecostal churches and the other community churches will continue to grow.
Why? Because they are not afraid to stay true to the Gospel message. They are involved in local community outreach projects alongside the established presence of other groups including the Salvation Army. Above all, they understand and practice the need for regular daily prayer to our great God, confirming our dependence on him for all he has given and continues to give. God’s greatness is manifested in everything they do and say.
We are also the generation following in the footsteps of John Wesley and his followers as he blazed a trail often in the face of great opposition, to create the faith we call Methodism. Today certainly here in UK, our opposition is less of a physical threat, more of a cultural and psychological one, but no less dangerous for all that.
The Methodist church once had a radical edge.
Isn’t it time it had one again?