John Wesley, when denied a pulpit
by the Anglican Church of England, was asked by a colleague, "But where will
your parish be?" Wesley showed himself unconcerned and stated, "The world is my
parish." His response has been the Methodist mission challenge down through the
centuries. We've not always lived up to it well, but nevertheless it is who we
are. Wesleyan Methodists agree with John Wesley that the world is our parish.
Our sending companion is the Lord Jesus Christ who unquestionably was
mission-minded.
In our Book of Discipline of the
UMC, paragraph 120, we read "The mission of the Church is to make disciples of
Jesus Christ. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which
disciple-making occurs." Paragraph 121 goes on to say that "...we accomplish the
making of Christian disciples by proclaiming the good news of God's grace and
by exemplifying Jesus' command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking the
fulfillment of God's reign and realm in the world."
As Wesleyan Methodists we desire
to communicate the Gospel in ways that enable all races and cultures to respond
to God's offer. And while "...the United
Methodist Church
affirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and Lord
of all, as we make disciples we respect persons of all religious faiths and we
defend religious freedom for all persons." [BOD paragraph 121]
By following the Great Commission
of Matthew 28:19-20 and the Two Great Commandments of Matthew 22:37-39, we
offer Christ in evangelism which results in new birth and in nurturing which
results in transformed living. Methodists engage in mission that recognizes the
need to minister to the bodies, souls and spirits of those to whom we are sent
by God's Spirit. As Methodists we refer to this as "practical divinity." In
this way we blend evangelism and mission into a lifestyle that brings God's
presence into the world in a way that honors the ministry and Spirit of Jesus.
John Wesley, Philip Otterbein and
our other spiritual forebears understood this mission in this way: Whenever
Methodism had a clear sense of mission, God has used our church to save
persons, heal relationships, transform social structures, and spread scriptural
holiness, thereby changing the world. In order to be truly alive, we embrace
Jesus' mandate to love God, love our neighbor, and make disciples of all
peoples.
God evangelized the world by
communicating His love for us through the person and ministry of Jesus. The
message of God's hope to the world is forever wrapped up in the swaddling
clothes of the manger. If we, as Methodists, really believe that God was doing
this most amazing thing through the gift of Jesus, then we should actively be
sharing that awesome news with the world.
I pray that we can all share work of this ministry of love
and reconciliation in a way that respects
the diverse array of people whom we meet in the world, but also recognizes that
Jesus Christ is God's best response to the separation from God and other people
that many people experience. With John Wesley let us say, "The world is my
parish!"Pastor Neil
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