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Explore the “Means of Grace” through Lenten sermonsPretty soon I will be burning last year’s palm branches to make this year’s ashes for Ash Wednesday. Lent begins with the solemn reminder that “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And then comes a season of penitence, introspection, and preparation for the greatest Christian celebration of all, Easter.
What we said about ourselves was that we are good at doing things in the world, pretty well organized as a congregation, and have good worship and music, but we are weak on “spiritual issues.” We are not clear on what “spirituality” means. Well, John Wesley was very clear, so that will be the inspiration for my series. What are the means of grace? Wesley felt that there are certain traditional “practices” which open us up to understanding God’s intentions for us. While any experience or circumstance can be an opportunity for revelation, there are some disciplines to which faithful people have attested over the years. Prayer, for instance, is one of the means. How do we pray? What are the different forms of prayer? How can prayer be a genuine expression of our faith rather than some formula that feels not quite right? Attending worship as an avenue for discovering faith, not just as a demonstration of being a good member of the church . . . that is another means. What happens in worship and why is it the way it is? And then, there is what John Wesley called “constant Communion.” He did not mean that we spend all of our time in church bowing before the altar of God, but we should know that the sacrament is traditionally called “the Eucharist,” which means “thanksgiving.” Communion is a ritual by which we express our gratitude to God before all else, it is an act of praise (“doxology”). Reading the Bible and knowing how to read the text . . . that is a key discipline. It is not good enough just to read verses randomly and out of context. We need to know what we are reading, what the author intended, how scholars have interpreted it over the centuries, and what we should make of it now. Sometimes God can speak a “new word” through the old words. Wesley commended fasting as a means of grace, though not everyone can do that for health reasons. But he was concerned by excesses of all sorts, not just in eating but also in spending, wasting time, and frivolity. I suspect that he was not much fun to be around, but there is a reason that the document by which the United Methodist Church organizes itself is called The Book of Discipline. The sixth means of grace is what he termed “Christian conferencing,” that is, people getting together to talk about their faith. This is not simple chatting with one another, but deep sharing of significant things that matter to us. This is one part of our experience at the Temple that members said they most yearned to have expanded. Peace,
Lenten study guide to deepen understanding of discipleship
Watson clarifies the structure of accountability that is present within the Wesleyan approach to Christian life. This Lenten season you will be transformed by taking the time to set aside an hour on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:30 a.m., or on Saturdays from 9-10 a.m. for another opportunity for study. When you study in a small group, you are able to share how Scripture shapes your life and brings your spirituality into the daily flow of being a Christian. We always bring questions with us – about the Scripture text itself, how your life is challenged, and how your life is affirmed and expressed in spiritual renewal. Feel free to join an existing Sunday school class, or form one in James Parlor, Pierce Hall, Room 2, or visit the Saturday morning class. If you are attending on Saturday morning, please contact Rev. Cheryl Magrini (Cheryl@chicagotemple.org) to inform her. The Saturday group starts right at 9 a.m.
Q&A: Understanding the significance of Ash WednesdayBy Stephanie Vazquez What is Ash Wednesday? It is a day of repentance and to remind us of ultimate mortality. Palm branches from last year’s Palm Sunday worship service are burned and the sign of the cross is placed on the forehead using the ashes. Ash Wednesday is often associated with the Roman Catholic Church. However, more Protestant churches are participating in the ritual of imposing ashes. According to the United Methodist Church’s Web site: This is in keeping with a growing recognition that people have multiple ways of learning and praying. Worship that is oriented to the intellect or to the emotions, both interior, leaves out those who engage in prayer through vision, smell, touch, movement, etc. We are increasingly aware that people are formed in faith when practices become embedded in memory, nerves, muscles and bone through sensory engagement. United Methodists have had resources for worship that include the imposition of ashes since 1979 when Ashes to Fire was published as Supplemental Worship Resource 8. This practice became part of our official worship resources in 1992 when General Conference adopted The United Methodist Book of Worship (UMBOW). Why ashes? In Jewish and Christian history, ashes are a sign of mortality and repentance; mortality, because when we die, our bodies will decompose and we become dust, and repentance because people in biblical times put on ashes and sackcloth as signs of their contrition. |
During the Sundays of Lent, I will be preaching a sermon series. Usually, I stick close to the lectionary readings assigned for the Sundays, most often focusing on the gospel. But as a result of our conversations last year in small groups and open meetings as part of our Natural Church Development self-assessment, I will preach on each one of what John Wesley called “the means of grace.” 
Taking time for studying and reading of the Bible is one of the “means of grace” described by John Wesley as a spiritual discipline for the purpose of following God and bringing one closer to God’s call to service. A Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley’s General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living, by Kevin M. Watson, is a practical guide to renewal of maintaining a sense of balance within the Christian faith. 