Rekindle the Flame
Revival - Part 1
Sunday, April 11, 2021
Revelation 2:1-7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a
I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Revelation 2:3-5
“I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America, but I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.”John Wesley
From the Protestant Reformation to the countless battles between Catholicism, Protestantism and Puritanism, the people of John Wesley’s England had been embroiled in nearly 200 years of religious upheaval, leaving many tired and burned out on religion altogether. The enlightenment was just around the corner as people turned away from the turmoil and superstition of religion toward a more rational or intellectual approach to life.
Given the way religion, and specifically Christianity, has been so embroiled in the various cultural and political battles of our own day, it is no wonder we are seeing a similar move away from the institutional church. There are many periods in history in which we might identify our own struggles and learn from our ancestors in the faith. For this season, as the United Methodist Church faces it’s own decline and divisions, I believe we may have the most to learn from our own heritage in the Wesleyan Revival which ultimately gave birth to the people called Methodists.
Like many people today, Wesley grew up in a religiously divided home and society. His parents were Anglican and his grandparents were Puritans, but rather than choosing sides, John listened carefully and learned the value of each. He came to realize a middle way, or “via media” in which loving alike was more important than thinking alike. His life was shaped by his mother’s emphasis on caring for the souls of her children and by his father’s perseverance in the face of tremendous suffering.
As we begin this journey through the early Wesleyan revival, we begin with these three themes, the care of souls, listening to one another through our disagreements, and perseverance in the face of suffering and struggle. No matter what conflicts and resistance Wesley and his family faced, these core values kept the flame of Christ’s love alive in their hearts and their home, and shone forth as a beacon of hope to a lost and weary world.
May God rekindle in us the fire of our first love, Jesus Christ, and send us forth with humility the humility to spread that love abroad to friend and enemy alike, that God’s kingdom may be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven.
Revive us, O Lord! Revive us again!
Listen to this week’s sermon here:
For more on the Wesleyan Revival, check out Adam Hamilton’s book, “Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It”