May 24, 1738, Paragraph 14:
“In the evening I went very
unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate-Street, where one was reading Luther’s
preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was
describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I
felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for
salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins,
even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” – John Wesley’s
Journal Entry, Wednesday, May 24th, 1738.
As I write this, today is May 24th, “Aldersgate
Day,” an unofficial holiday in United Methodist circles that commemorates John
Wesley’s transformative moment in which he felt his “heart strangely warmed.” Each
time I read this passage on this date every year, I am struck by a different
word from Wesley. I have found comfort in his emphases on “my,” “mine,” and
“me” in his realization of his own salvation. That somehow, he understood
clearly that Christ’s death had eternal consequences for him, some 1700 years
later.
I have found interesting that the passage being read was not
even from the Epistle to the Romans, but was actually the editorial preface for
the Commentary on Romans written by Martin Luther. That, even outside of Scripture,
one can find the stirrings of the Holy Spirit.
This time around, another word jumped off the page to me: “unwillingly.”
When one usually thinks of John Wesley, “unwilling” is usually NOT a word that would
be used to describe him. Authors and scholars have long viewed Wesley as a go-getter
or spirit-driven man, having ridden on horseback over 4,000 miles every year
for 50 years. “Unwilling” seems an out-of-place descriptor for such a dedicated
servant of God.
However, one needs to know that he was not always so
gung-ho. Wesley suffered from a huge sense of defeat in his efforts to bring
Christianity to the Georgia colony just a few years prior. He struggled with his
faith, his purpose, even his calling as a result. Still, he would find
encouragement from his brother Charles, and a Moravian pastor, Peter Bรถhler,
that he met on the voyage back to England, to keep searching, preaching, and
praying. At Charles’ invitation, John went “unwillingly” to a bible study in a
house church on Aldersgate Street in London on that evening. And there, he
would experience something more than just an intellectual exercise in theological
bible study. For John Wesley, his faith jumped to life through the power of the
Holy Spirit. And truth be told, the world hasn’t been the same since!
The question today is, what are we missing when we are reluctant
– even ‘unwilling’ – to heed the invitation of the Holy Spirit’s promptings? And
what difference might it make for our family, our church, our neighborhoods, or
the world if we would just heed the call of the Spirit? It only takes a little
effort to step out in faith…
See you in Church!
