Holy Conferencing on Twitter

This afternoon, I ignited a twitter firestorm which evolved into a sort of Holy Conference in which I think John Wesley himself would be proud of if he were present. It started with a tweet about the Communion Chalice which was broken at General Conference 2004 in Pittsburgh.

@nate_nims Amen. My heart just breaks when incidents like Pittsburgh happen. Where is Jesus when you are breaking a chalice on protest?
— Shawn Foles (@sfoles) April 25, 2012

This led to a 15-20 minute discussion in which folks very appropriately and respectfully submitted how they felt it was not inappropriate. After having the discussion, I don't feel any differently about the action itself. I still think it's reprehensible, but I am better able to understand the motivations of someone who would do such a thing. I don't agree with it, but at least see why they would feel led to do such a thing.The discussion about this action led to discussions about the nature of communion itself and why the church does it. I found myself being first drawn back to the Bible. The point was discussed that the church made it a sacrament which I oppose on the grounds of 3 of the Gospels as well as Paul's letter to the Corinthians. After the Bible I found myself coming back to the beautiful words of John Wesley

it would be useful carefully to read over those passages in the Gospel, and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 11], which speak of the institution of it. Hence we learn that the design of this sacrament is, the continual remembrance of the death of Christ, by eating bread and drinking wine, which are the outward signs of the inward grace, the body and blood of Christ. It is highly expedient for those who purpose to receive this, whenever their time will permit, to prepare themselves for this solemn ordinance by self-examination and prayer.

I say that not to say that I was right, but that this conversation forced me to dig into my Bible and to dig into the words of John Wesley who Methodist claim a heritage with. I was feeling the Spirit move amongst us. Despite our differences, I think all involved came away with a further appreciation for all sides of the issues. I wish such a level of Holy Conferencing occurred on a daily basis at General Conference.At the end of our discussion the gentlemen still disagreed with me and I with them, but that's part of Holy Conferencing. You don't have to come in with the attitude you have to fix each other. You come in open to ideas and willing to listen to someones views without thinking about how you can convince them you are right and they are wrong. We have lost that ability. The UMC I love seems a lot more like Congress where one side has to win and one side has to loose rather than moving as close as we can to the middle ground and getting to a point where we say "this is as middle as I think we are going to get. I respect your opinion but disagree, blessings to you".  Back to the earlier story. The chalice sat broken all weekend. Eventually it was mended and placed back together on the table. Dare I say it served just as powerful a message as the message of communion itself. It says that we are all in need of forgiveness. We all occasionally act drastically when we are passionate about something without thinking how it will affect others. It says we are all broken.

Photo by Mike Dubose from UMNS

God is not a board game

 "Sometimes we're pushing on the door we want God to open, while his sign says 'Pull'" Martha Bolton

I thrive on organized chaos. To see my room, you would say "he's not very organized", but the truth is I know where every little thing is within my room. I thrive on plans. I've always been told live each day like it's your last, so I try to get as much into one day as I can. This is why I struggle so much with the plan God has for me and my future. These struggles for me often lead to what I call little quarter life crises of faith. Now that's not saying I question my faith, but I simply realize that I'm stepping out on faith and letting God guide me. This scares me to death. Ideally in my world I need a road map. I mean it sounds really dramatic, but I want and crave life's version of a board game. I want God to tell me "You've accepted that I have set you aside to serve my people, now go here". When it comes to faith and going where God wants me to go I'd even settle for my organized chaos. I don't need to see the plans for me, but I need to know what and where they are. What i've come to accept in my life is that by living is this life of Christian faith, I must accept that neither the board game or organized chaos are promised. I'm not comfortable with it, but I'm growing to understand that it's essential part of truly stepping out on faith and trusting that God is in control. It seems like the last bastion of myself that I'm holding on to. It's me saying I'll follow you but only if you show me where to go and only if I agree to go that way. In the course of any kind of Christian community you'll probably more than once be asked in a group if anyone has a favorite verse and what it is. I've heard Jeremiah 29:11 more times than I can count.I often have to remind myself that while the Lord promises to prosper, it's not without bumps and turns along the way. I have resorted to simply looking for God and praying for that peace and understanding which only God can produce. This is not something that is easy. I hate relinquishing control especially without some sibilance of what the future holds, but I'm slowly learning I must let go of this control and be unafraid to step into the unknown in order to grow into the man God wishes for me to be.

Have I done all I can?

This is the great question for me. I'm well secure in my salvation and feel that blessed assurance of my soul, so my question then becomes when the time comes that God calls me home will I have done all I can for the kingdom of Heaven? I often read the story of John Wesley's death with great affection. Not because Wesley died, but because as Wesley laid in bed dying, he still fought the fight for God's Kingdom and God's people. As one of (and some say his final) acts before death, John Wesley wrote this to Willam Wilberforce:

Dear Sir:

Unless the divine power has raised you up to be as “Athanasius against the world,” I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy, which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God in the power of His might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.

Reading this morning a tract wrote by a poor African, I was particularly struck by the circumstance, that a man who has black skin, being wronged or outraged by a white man, can have no redress; it being a LAW in our Colonies that the OATH of a black man against a white goes for nothing. What villainy is this!

That He who has guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in this and all things is the prayer of, dear sir,

Your affectionate servant,

John Wesley

William Wilberforce was a member of the British Parliament actively engaged in the quest to end slavery within the British Empire. This letter to him written by Wesley was written only 6 days before Wesley himself died. Wesley a long time Abolitionist wrote his final letter in an attempt to encourage someone he viewed as working for the betterment of God's kingdom. I find it so mesmerizing because I can only pray that God develops such willpower in me. There are times that I could choose to encourage or uplift someone but I rather just sit aside and relax. I pray that God develops my heart so that when I'm breathing my last breath, I can pass on words of encouragement to those still fighting the good fight for God's Kingdom here as I head towards that house not made with human hands.