The Church of England has finally elected a new Archbishop of Canterbury! She is the Rt. Rev'd. Sarah Mullally.
Check out the press release from the Church of England.
Thoughts from a pastor who understands himself to be classically Wesleyan in theology and who embraces a Wesleyan/Anglican view of liturgy and the sacraments.
The Church of England has finally elected a new Archbishop of Canterbury! She is the Rt. Rev'd. Sarah Mullally.
If you are a member of the Wesleyan-Anglican Society, or if you would like to become a member, the following video contains information that you will be interested in!
Happy Aldersgate Day!
I invite you to take a look at my video for Aldersgate Day, this year, and following the video, I invite you to join me in the prayer, listed below.
The following passage is taken From the introductory comment of "17. The Marks of the New Birth" in "The Sermons of John Wesley: A Collection for the Christian Journey," edited by Kenneth J. Collins and Jason E. Vickers. In this passage, it is affirmed that Wesley clearly taught baptismal regeneration for those infants who are faithfully baptized. However, he also deals with those who have "sinned away the grace given to them in their baptism." It is the balance of a sacramental theology of baptismal regeneration and an evangelical theology of the new birth. - One does not preclude the other!
"Though Wesley clearly taught that 'our Church supposes all who are baptized in their infancy are at the same time born again ' (S, 1:281), his emphasis in this sermon is elsewhere - not on what they once were, but on what they now are. 'How many are the baptized gluttons and drunkards, the baptized liars and common swearers, the baptized railers and evil-speakers, the baptized whoremongers, thieves, extortioners!' he asked. And even more pointedly Wesley concluded: if 'there is no new birth but in baptism [then this], is to seal you all under damnation, to consign you to hell, without any help, without hope' (O, 1:429)."
Today, November 1, is All Saints' Day! Many Protestant churches transfer All Saints' Day to the following Sunday and observe All Saints' on Sunday. We will be doing that in our congregation, as well. However, I wanted to make sure that I published a post, today.
As The United Methodist Book of Worship reminds us, "All Saints (November 1 or the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead, both of the Church universal and of our local congregations. For this reason, the names of persons in the congregation who have died during the past year may be solemnly read as a Response to the Word."***This is a re-post from last year for Reformation Day.***
To answer that question, I have included the following video from Seedbed, by Dr. Larry Wood. In it, he explains the place of John Wesley in the Protestant Reformation.
***The following is a re-post for Reformation Day from 2017***
Tomorrow, the Church around the world will celebrate the culmination of the Great Fifty Days, the conclusion of the Easter season, the outpouring of the promise of the Father, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church. - John the Baptizer had declared concerning Jesus, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, NRSV). Jesus assured the disciples that it would be to their advantage that He would ascend to the Father, because, in doing so, He would send the Holy Spirit (the Advocate/Comforter/Counselor/Helper - parakletos ) to them (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit would teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus had said to them (14:26), and the Holy Spirit would "prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement (16:8).
This is the final week for the course on Worship that I am teaching for Wesley Seminary (at Indiana Wesleyan University). - There are two quotes from John Wesley that I shared with my students, this week. They are important quotes for the topic of worship. The worship of God, or course, is serious business. It cannot be done casually or according to our whims. And this is what Wesley is getting at in the following quotes.
I do not mean, "Embrace my modes of worship," or, "I will embrace yours." This also is a thing which does not depend either on your choice or mine. We must both act as each is fully persuaded in his own mind. Hold you fast that which you believe is most acceptable to God, and I will do the same. (Works Bicentennial 2:89-90)
But the man of a truly catholic spirit, having weighed all things in the balance of the sanctuary, has no doubt, no scruple at all concerning that particular mode of worship wherein he joins. He is clearly convinced that this manner of worshipping God is both scriptural and rational. He knows none in the world which is more scriptural, none which is more rational. Therefore without rambling hither and thither he cleaves close thereto, and praises God for the opportunity of so doing. (Works Bicentennial 2:93)
Of course, John Wesley was convinced that the Book of Common Prayer provided the best form of worship. In his preface to his conservative revision of the BCP for the Methodists in North America, Wesley wrote the following:
I believe there is no liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational Piety, than the Common Prayer of the Church of England.
Yesterday, for Morning Prayer, I sang the last of the hymns in Ken Bible's Wesley Hymns. The very last hymn is a short, two verse hymn that presents a prayer for the sacrament of Holy Baptism. In it, Charles Wesley presents a very different understanding of Baptism than is so often presented in modern Evangelical circles. In such circles (often times, including many within my own denomination), Baptism is seen as simply a testimony given by the one being baptized about their decision to accept Jesus. Perhaps it is also a testimony of what such faith in Jesus has previously done for them. However, Charles Wesley understands Baptism as a true sacrament. He understands it as a means of God's grace, and he makes that clear in this prayerful hymn.
As I was singing my way through "Wesley Hymns" (Lillenas Publishing), I came upon the following hymn from Charles Wesley, as well as the quote by John. They provide an important reminded that we keep our priorities in their proper order.
The 100th session of the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene recently concluded their annual meeting in Overland Park, Kansas. During the meeting the Rev'd. Dr. Fili Chambo, General Superintendent, delivered the annual report on behalf of the Board of General Superintendents. Bishop Chambo's report can be viewed, here.