Friday, April 20, 2018

"A Different Kind of Repentance" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Friday, 20 April 2018

"A Different Kind of Repentance" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Friday, 20 April 2018
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2018
A Word from John Wesley

I say, repentance rightly understood; for this must not be confounded with the former repentance. The repentance consequent upon justification is widely different from that which is antecedent to it. This implies no guilt, no sense of condemnation, no consciousness of the wrath of God. It does not suppose any doubt of the favour of God, or any “fear that hath torment.” It is properly a conviction, wrought by the Holy Ghost, of the sin which still remains in our heart; of the phronema sarkos, the carnal mind, which “does still remain,” (as our Church speaks,) “even in them that are regenerate;” although it does no longer reign; it has not now dominion over them. It is a conviction of our proneness to evil, of an heart bent to backsliding, of the still continuing tendency of the flesh to lust against the spirit. (John Wesley, Sermon 43: “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” § III.6)
A Hymn from Charles Wesley

1. Who can now presume to fear?
Who despair his Lord to see?
Show thyself alive to me?
2. Yes, my God, I dare not doubt,
Thou shalt all my sins remove;
Thou hast cast a legion out,
Thou wilt perfect me in Love.
3. Surely thou hast called me now!
Now I hear the voice divine,
At thy wounded feet I bow,
Wounded for whose sins but mine!
4. I have nailed him to the tree,
I have sent him to the grave:
But the Lord is risen for me,
Hold of him by faith I have.
5. Hear, ye brethren of the Lord,
(Such he you vouchsafes to call)
O believe the Gospel-Word,
Christ hath died, and rose for all:
6. Turn ye from your sins to God,
Haste to Galilee, and see
Him, who bought thee with his blood,
Him, who rose to live in thee.
(Hymns for our Lord’s Resurrection-1746, #3:4, 5 & 7.
Questions for Reflection:

  1. In John Wesley’s sermon above, he speaks of two kinds of repentance. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
  2. What is the meaning of Charles Wesley’s hymn for us today?
  3. Charles Wesley believed that we can turn from our sins to God…and he can live in us! Do you agree? Is this your experience?
Prayer*
Holy and righteous God, you raised Christ from the dead and glorified him at your right hand. Let the words of Scripture fulfilled in Jesus your Son, burn within our hearts and open our minds to recognize him in the breaking of bread. Amen.

*The Wesley excerpts are from A Disciple’s Journal—2018: A Guide for Daily Prayer, Bible Reading, and Discipleship, by Steven W. Manskar. Copyright © 2018 Discipleship Resources, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The prayer is reprinted with permission from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, copyright © 2002, Consultation on Common Texts.
Copyright © 2018 The Upper Room, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
***

No comments:

Post a Comment