The Wesley Brothers

We had an excellent meeting this past Sunday, building on ground we have covered about the Benedictine way of spiritual growth and then moving on about 1200 years to John and Charles Wesley and the Methodist Revival.

We started with a quote from Norvene Vest's book on the Rule of Benedict:

There is a very important connection between true listening and deep obedience; both suggest a turning in order to receive more fully that which is being given.

Turning is really what the whole Rule is about. It presumes the first turning, or conversion, of baptism; and it is then deeply interested in the second and lifelong turning, of daily conversion to Christ. The question always in Benedict's mind is the question of Christian maturity: "how can we live out our commitment to the Lord in daily life?"

I then pointed out that this question is a thread, or a stream, that runs through every century of the life of the church. Every century hungry hearts have sought to find ways to answer the question, and when they have found something that works, inevitably revival follows. At least that it was I have observed from my reading of the history of the church. And so we can jump 1200 years ahead and find John and Charles Wesley, students at Christ Church College, at Oxford University, seeking to answer the same question. Their answer was the Holy Club, gathering like minds and hearts together to seek after God and live holy lives. I shared a photo I took in Christ Church Cathedral last summer:

I came upon that tile as I wandered the glorious interior of Christ Church Cathedral. Look closely and you'll see something deep red in the upper right corner. That is the first step leading up to the pulpit; how appropriate to have this tile placed there, a reminder to all who approach to bring a word to God's people, John and Charles Wesley, both great men of the Word, John the preacher, Charles the hymn-writer.

Click here for few more shots of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, taken during my visit there in June 2007.

Well, they did not come into the fullness of their callings at Oxford nor as members of the Holy Club. They set out from there to change the world in Georgia, the American colony, and both encountered failure. Going over they had observed the calm serenity of a band of Moravian brethren in the midst of an awful storm. Some time after their return, tails between their legs as it were, they encountered Peter Bohler, a Moravian leader, and in time their 'hearts were strangely warmed' and they entered into the fullness of that life they had longed for since their days at Oxford.

From that brief overview, we moved on into the hymns of Charles Wesley as an avenue to understand some of what animated these men. Our sourcebook was Hymns of Eternal Truth. I read a bit from the Preface:

...these hymns give expression to the unspeakable yearnings within in a manner which beautiful poetry and utmost piety unaided cannot accomplish, for many have produced such hymns but have failed of that 'something' that so permeates the writings of the Wesleys as to place them in a class above all others.

The difference surely lies in the fact that these hymns were born in revival, and come from the Spirit of Life then breathing through the land.

From there I passed out a different hymn to each person and suggested we use lectio divina as a tool to better understand them. We spent some time alone doing that and then re-gathered to share out insights.

Some of the folks were interested in knowing what the melody settings were, so yours truly broke into song in a delight that singing these hymns always brings.

The hymns we covered were the following:

1. Come, Holy Ghost, all-quickening fire...
2. Now I have found the ground, wherein...
3. My God, I am Thine...
4. Jesu, Thy boundless love to me...
5. Spirit of Faith, come down...

I think everyone felt it was a rich time together and we will pick up from there on Sunday, August 3, at 5:00 PM in the Parish Hall. See you then.