Wesley Day

When [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16-21

Living in London, at a different end of the Reformation from Rome, offers a different set of possibilities and options for a seminarian. One of these was Wesley Day, a day of celebration for the conversion of John Wesley. They do indeed use the word "conversion" in this strongly Anglican city, although Wesley always held that his beliefs were within the bounds of Anglican faith. Held by Wesley’s Chapel & Leysian Mission in John Wesley's chapel, the event was to celebrate the life and faith of an influential man and his family. The event was well-attended by representatives of many denominations across London, and all seemed to be

We began with a service of Eucharist at Wesley’s Chapel, which was wonderful in its own right. Especially delightful was the impromptu hymn-singing during distribution, where the organist simply picked up when the congregation started. The service was followed immediately by a procession to Susanna Wesley’s Grave in Bunhill Fields Cemetery for a wreath-laying. The cemetery is just across the street from the chapel and made a fitting tribute to a wonderful woman whose husband and sons played a very influential role in the development of the protestant belief system, not just in England but in the United States as well. I was honored to be a part of the ceremony.

However, seeing as I'm on a preaching fellowship, I was most particularly interested in hearing the sermon for this service. After all, Wesley was known for his preaching, a style and delivery that seemed to galvanize people. Part of me truly hoped that the preacher would even haul us outside Wesley-style to hear the Word in the open air. Indeed, the preacher did know quite a bit about John Wesley and his brother Charles, and spent a great deal of time outlining their lives. Unfortunately, that is the only thing he did. He took no time to bring us the Word, he simply paid tribute to an important family.

I have heard it said that you know you're headed the right direction in a sermon if Christ had to die for your words. To put it another way, when we preach, we do not deliver a eulogy. We don't talk in niceties or focus on earthly matters. We can use these things, but they are means to an end. When we preach, we preach Christ and him crucified. It may be a whole lot easier to talk about smart people or academic concepts, but these great things do not a sermon make. Wesley would likely be very frustrated if a service in his honor focused on him and not the Word of God.

In a way, Christ's sermon in Luke seems to defeat this logic. After all, he's just talking about himself - something novice preachers are warned to stay away from. However, this is the Son of God we're talking about. He is trying to reveal God's own presence and promise to those around him. No matter how revolutionary this message is, it is essential to the life of those listening. In these days, when Christ is no longer physically here to teach us directly, it is left to the preachers to bring the Word of God to worship. Even in an individual's daily life, we are called not just to be good people and to say nice things, but to actively proclaim Christ in our lives.

Our Gracious God, we are weak. Your Word is so great that sometimes we are unsure how to proclaim it. Forgive us for taking the easy way, for beating around the bush, for considering ourselves unworthy of Your Son's gift. Send your Holy Spirit to inspire us, so that our words might be your Words. Bless especially those who preach, that they might continue to have the courage to speak the truth in love. In Christ's name, Amen.