All Saints Day
On the evening of May 24, 1738,
John Wesley was attending a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London when
his life was transformed. As he was listening to someone read Martin Luther’s
preface to the book of Roman, Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed. Dr.
Timothy Tennent once shared his experience when he visited London to see Aldersgate.
He reverently made his way to the street and, guided by a Methodist tourist
map, walked carefully to the very place where Wesley was converted. Then, he
was shocked when he found out that the historical marker was located on the
concrete edge of multilevel parking garage. The worship place where Wesley’s
life was transformed had long disappeared. There wasn’t even a gift shop where
he could buy trinkets to commemorate his visit. Dr. Tennent said that he had
expected an incredible location to mark this pivotal moment in Christian
history. Instead, he found a mundane parking garage.[1]
In a similar way, we often search for God’s signs and presence in a spectacular way. But we typically fail to realize that God’s most remarkable signs and works often unfold in ordinary and mundane everyday life. On this special Sunday we commemorate all saints in church history. When we hear the word “saints,” we often think about spiritual giants, such as St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, etc. But when we really think about those who have helped form and shape our faith today, they would be our grandparents, our fathers, our mothers, our pastors, our Sunday school teachers. It is their kindness, their patience, their generosity, their forgiveness, their real-life example, their presence, that has been shaping our everyday spirituality up to this day. Let us remember each of them on this day and be thankful.
Micah
For today’s service I chose Micah
6, because this passage teaches about who are true saints in the eyes of God. It teaches about what God is really
looking for in us. The Prophet Micah’s time was the golden age of the religion.
It was never more of temple worship, but
never less of God worship. It was
never more of lip service, never less
of heart service. It was never more
of churchgoers, never less of true saints.
So the Prophet Micah by the Holy
Spirit says to the hypocritical Israelites, “Would God be impressed with your
worship service? Would he be moved by your giving?” Then he continues, “No, O
people, the Lord has told you what is good, and what does the Lord require of
you but to do justice, and to love kindness (mercy), and to walk humbly with
your God?” (v. 8) Eugene Peterson translates this verse in his Message Bible this way:
But he [God] has already made it
plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It's
quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and
loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously-- take God seriously.
According to today’s passage, true saints are those who say “Amen” to God, not merely in ritual, but in everyday life. True saints are those who humbly walk with God every day, every moment.
John Wesley
John Wesley developed the idea of
this everyday spirituality, Micah 6:8. He divided it into two groups: works of piety (“walking humbly with
God”) and works of mercy (“doing
justice and loving mercy”).
First, works of piety. Wesley’s purpose of life was to walk daily with God, especially through prayer. He spent two hours daily in prayer. He began at four in the morning. One who knew him well wrote this way: “He thought prayer to be more his business than anything else, and I have seen him come out of his closet with a serenity of face next to shining.” Prayer gave Wesley power and made his labors lasting and fruitful. But as for Wesley, prayer was not a means to an end. Prayer, walking with God, was the end he was after.
Second, works of mercy. Wesley believed our love for God must be expressed in the form of good works for others. He believed that Christians are called to rise, not the standard of living, but the standard of giving. Wesley determined to maintain his standard of living at the same level and give away everything above that threshold. At first, he earned 30 pounds. With living expenses at 28 pounds, he gave away two pounds. When his earnings increased to 60 pounds, he gave away 32. As they increased to 120 pounds, he continued to live on 28 and give away 92 pounds. He continued this practice his entire life. Even when his income reached 1400 pounds, he lived on 30 pounds and gave the rest away. For Wesley, that was what it means to do justice and love mercy in everyday life. I am not saying we should forgo our emergency savings or our retirement savings. But the principle is timeless. As God’s stewards, we are still called to consider ways to maintain our standard of living in order to increase our standard of giving.
My Grandfather
Surely, John Wesley is a shining
example who did justice, loved mercy, and walked humbly with God. He was a true
saint according to Micah 6:8 definition. How about from the people around us who
have Micah 6:8 spirituality? For me personally, my grandfather is the first
person that comes to my mind. He was the one who had “earthy” spirituality. He
was a good pastor, good preacher. When I listened to his sermons on Sundays, I
felt my heart warmed. But what I was impressed most was his life between Sundays. He always started his day with early
morning prayer, walking humbly with God. And throughout the day he visited the
sick, helped the poor, taught the Bible to many. When he went to the market, he
didn’t bargain to cut the cost, caring for sellers. He always saved some
emergency food for the poor. When the poor asked for help, he never sent them
away empty handed. He was prepared. When my grandmother got sick with heart
disease and Parkinson’s disease, he became her full-time caregiver for 15 years
until she passed away. From him, I’ve learned that being a good husband and
good dad is more important than being a good pastor. From him, I’ve learned
that Christian discipleship is character formation, not biblical information.
From him, I’ve learned what it means to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly
with God.
There was a tiny British Methodist
church facing a looming challenge. They had dwindled over the years until there
were just eight people—and that was on the Sundays when everyone could attend.
They had done all they knew to do to “reach out to young people” and grow the
church, but to no avail. A time finally came when the matriarch and pillar of
the church reached an age and moved into a nursing home in town. The
congregation was heartbroken that their beloved friend and mentor would no
longer be able to worship with them. The church prayed, listened, asked the
question to themselves, “How can we as a church practice God’s love in this
situation?” Then, they decided to move their worship every fourth Sunday to the
nursing home, so they could worship with their friend and also with residents.
The first Sunday in the nursing home, 70 people participated in the worship
service; the second Sunday almost double that number participated. Then, the
church decided to meet more regularly at the nursing home, finding growth
through reaching out to the aging.[2]
So before we leave this room today, I want to encourage us to ask the same question to ourselves: “How can we practice God’s love in our context?” “What does it look like practicing Micah 6:8 – doing justice, loving mercy, walking humbly with God – personally and as faith community?” Perhaps each of us would have our own different answers, but I believe John Wesley’s motto can remain as our timeless principle:
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
May God’s Holy Spirit sustain us, empower us, and fill our hearts with Christ’s love to do all the good until our last breath. Amen.
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