Today I’m going to try to keep it simple and focus on a single aspect of Wesley’s sermon. In section eight it says, “Now let each of us lay his hand upon his heart and say, “Lord is it I?” This made me freak out! I wanted to scream and cry at the same moment.
As I was reading Wesley’s sermon I felt like he was talking to American Christians today. He talked about luxury, sloth, materialism, and injustice. Does it sound familiar? Americans live extremely comfortably. We have so many conveniences that give us so much time...but yet somehow we don’t have time. We have become so comfortable. Even though Wesley was addressing the people of England, I believe he could have said the same things to American Christians today.
In section nine it says, “Renounce every way of acting, however gainful, which is contrary either to justice or mercy.” I look at this verse and I think, “Where is the Church?” Are we doing enough? Are we living and being the people we say we are? Now if anything is convicting, that definitely is. The excerpt from his sermon reminds me of the Bible verse “… to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8). Have we taken a good look at ourselves? I know I get so busy I forget to look. I get caught up in my church-thing, and loose track. Am I doing justly? Do I love mercy? Or, am I acting in a way that is counter to justice or mercy? How does that reflect on my relationship with God, and my “Christian life?” A life that act justly and mercifully is going to look for ways to lift people out of hard times, and to stand up for those being treated wrong. It sounds uncomfortable doesn’t it, but what a challenge! And what a blessing when we allow God to make us uncomfortable, as we admit our mistakes and look to love like he loves us.
P. S. I commented on Kelsey Parrish's Blog
Well I think you did a remarkable job by excercising the K.I.S.S. method.And I say that by no means in a distasteful way, because I believe this sermon by Wesley was meant to be simple. He is urging his listeners to stop playing the "blame-game" and start owning up to there own sins; he suggests that we are miserable not because of other peoples' sins, but because of our own.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Anna! I agree... great blog!
ReplyDeleteI definitely felt the same way when I read the part where Wesley said "Lord is it I?" and i definitely agree with how this sermon could be applied to us as americans today. In our society, the idea that we have everything figured out already as americans permeates our thinking as a whole. We live our lives in absolute luxury compared with most of the world and as a result we have become far too comfortable for our own good. More often than not we allow ourselves to become complacent, fooled into a false sense of accomplishment and spiritual well being simply because life is going well. When this happens is when we stop challenging ourselves to grow and ask ourselves the very question Wesley proposes here. "Lord is it I?"
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