Sermon Series: “Wesleyan Rooted”
#1: “Grow Deeply”
Exodus 33:7-9,11; 34:1-2,29 and Ephesians 3:16-19 (NRSV)
John Gill1 (based on a Sermon by Rev. Kim DuBreuil) ~ September 29, 2024
(Note: Sermons #2-5 will be preached by each of the other TUMC pastors)

This morning, we are beginning a new sermon series called “Wesleyan Rooted.” Our Bishop, Tom Berlin, has asked every church in the Florida Conference to preach this series of sermons this fall, in order to remind all of us what it means to be a United Methodist Christian. This morning, I will be preaching on the theme for week #1 – As United Methodists, we “grow deeply.” Then over the four Sundays of October, each of the other pastors associated with our congregation will preach a sermon on one of the other Wesleyan themes: Read Faithfully; Love Actively; Embrace Widely; and Serve Impactfully. I hope you will make it a point to be in worship throughout our series, as we strive to become more and more “Wesleyan Rooted!”

By the way, that is why we gave you that card with the cross attached as you came in this morning. The cross is no ordinary cross – it is made of paper that is infused with wild flower seeds. We hope that you will go home, plant the cross in a flower pot, water it, and watch it take root and grow throughout our sermon series on the importance of being Wesleyan Rooted. Hopefully, eventually your plants, like your life, will bear beautiful flowers.

As I said, this morning, I am leading off our series with John Wesley’s call to “Grow Deeply.” In trying to decide the approach to take on this theme, at first I intended to focus on all the beautiful images Jesus used in his parables about how the seed of faith is planted, grows, and bears fruit. And of course, that is the image our sermons series title alludes to when it calls us to be deeply rooted as Wesleyan Christians. But I’ve used that metaphor in previous sermons you have heard. This time, I wanted to go a different direction. But what direction?

Then I heard a sermon on Facebook preached by another clergy friend of mine, on the “Growing Deeply” theme. As I said, this series is being preached in every congregation this fall, and some congregations have already begun this series and are ahead of us in the process. My friend, Rev. Kim DuBreuil, preached on this theme three weeks ago, and I liked her approach and the way she shared. So, I asked her if I could share my version of her sermon with you, and she happily agreed! So, if you like the message, thank Pastor Kim. If you don’t like it, blame me! So here we go:

Our series is called “Wesleyan Rooted.” As you probably know, the term “Wesleyan” comes from the last name of two British Anglican priests, the brothers John and Charles Wesley - but more on them later.

Over the next four weeks, as United Methodists, we will be exploring our “method” of living out our faith, because that is key to understanding what really defines us as Wesleyans. In fact, as members of the United Methodist Church – with “Methodist” as our middle name – we had better know why we are called that. Well - you could sum it all up with the saying: “There is a method to our madness!”

Yes, this “methodical” term, as you may know, was originally an insult that was hurled at Charles Wesley and all of his friends back in 1729 when he was a student of religion at Oxford University. (By the way, Charles, the older of the Wesley brothers, was the first to go off to seminary.) Charles and his friends had formed a religious club on campus, called “The Holy Club.” Other students made fun of these strictly religious young men who were “methodical” in their approach to living out their faith – They ridiculed them as being “methodists.” Another mocking term that the club was given was “Bible Moths” - you know, like those little bugs that fly around on our porches and hit the lights. Just think - we could have been called “United Moth-odists!” That derisive name didn’t stick, but the term “Methodists” seemed to actually be descriptive – and so, eventually, the movement used that nickname, and claimed it as their own.

But, back to their original name, “The Holy Club.” They called themselves that, because they were striving to become “holy people” – people set apart to serve God first and foremost. So, I suppose we could have become “The Holy Club Church!”

Can you imagine being a part of “a holy club?” Are you part of a holy club? I don't know. Let’s find out. What do you do every day between the hours of 6:00 and 9:00 p.m.? Think about that. Terri and I eat dinner, and then we watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune – and maybe a show we DVRed. We often have a light snack, and then it’s off to bed.

Well, these guys from 6:00 to 9:00 every evening would come together at the Lord’s Table and they would have communion. Then, they would fan out across the town of Oxford and spread their love to people in need, such as the poor, those who were sick, or the inmates in the prisons. When they came back together, they would sit down and translate the New Testament from its original Greek. Doesn't that sound like fun? Yeah? I didn’t even do that in seminary!

Charles was convinced that this methodical approach to faith was the best way to be “Christian,” and he told his younger brother – “Hey listen John, I think that this method-thing that we've got going on is a good thing. You know, after all - we're coming to church; we share communion; we fellowship together with our friends, and we serve our community. And of course, we look at scripture - we read it, and we study it. We really soak it all in. And then, we invite others to come and be a part of it.” It was their “method.” And it worked for them.

And of course, central to it all was being prayerful every day. They believed that prayer was an essential part of their life. It was something that Jesus, in his own words, told them to do; and Jesus tells us to do. If we want to “grow deeply” in the love of God and neighbor, we must be people of prayer.

When John followed his brother to Oxford, he joined the Holy Club – and being naturally gifted in organization, quickly became its leader. When John and Charles later launched the Methodist revival, John added to the “method” of the Holy Club the conviction that, in order to be able to sustain such a disciplined faith, we must tend to certain spiritual practices. He added even more method to the method!

What are these practices that make up the Methodist “Method?” Our denominational website records John Wesley’s list of spiritual practices that are essential to the holy life: First are Works of Piety. These are divided into Individual Practices and Communal Practices: The Individual Works of Piety include – reading, meditating on and studying the scriptures, prayer, fasting, regularly attending worship, healthy living, and sharing our faith with others. Communal Works of Piety include – regularly sharing in the sacraments, Christian conferencing (small accountability groups), and Bible study.

In addition to the Works of Piety, Wesley also identified Works of Mercy , again, both individual and communal: The Individual Works of Mercy include the command that we - do good works, visit the sick, visit those in prison, feed the hungry, and give generously to the needs of others. The Communal Works of Mercy include – seeking justice, ending oppression and discrimination of all kinds, and advocating for the needs of the poor.

This is the “Method” John and Charles Wesley articulated that will help us “grow deeply” and live the “holy” life.

But the Wesleys didn’t just make up this approach. They found these practices in the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul is giving this same appeal to “Grow deeply” in our scripture this morning from Ephesians. Let me read from verse 17; he writes: “I pray that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”

So, “growing deeply” is more than just about prayer. It's more than simply putting a check on your “to do” list – “Ok, I’ve done that one, so I just check it off. I prayed this morning. OK, check it off. I went to church, check – that’s

done.” You see, it's much more than that! It’s putting down deep spiritual roots so that “Christ may dwell in your heart.”

For the Wesley brothers, faith was more than pious acts. It was about “being rooted and grounded” in the soil of God’s grace. That is the major distinguishing feature of being a Methodist. It is the conviction that - our lives, our “outward invisible signs” of faith that the world sees - actually reflect what's going on inwardly in our hearts. It's all about being more and more attentive to our need to nurture our “love of God” AND our “love of others.”

So, these “outward practices” actually become the seeds that sprout, putting down deep spiritual roots, that help us grow and bear the fruit of an “inward wholeness” – what John Wesley referred to as “Sanctifying Grace,” “Entire Sanctification, or “Going on to Perfection;” (not a perfection that implies we never sin, but a perfection of completeness in Christ. It is about being made whole through the grace of God – becoming more and more perfect in love – to love just as Christ is love. This transformation is a work of God’s grace in our lives, freely given, and freely received! It is the Amazing Grace of God that makes us whole. And when God has completed his work in our hearts, others can see Christ living in us.

Now, when it comes to spiritual growth (or any growth, for that matter), it doesn't just happen. We have to be intentional about it. John Wesley gave all his followers three “General Rules” (you might recall that I preached on them back in January of this year): To be a Methodist Christian, we are to: 1. Do no harm. 2. Do good. 3. Stay in love with God, (or in the actual phrase Wesley used – we must “Attend to the ordinances of God.” (In other words, be intentional Christians – keeping our relationship with God fresh and constant using the means of Grace that God provides to us.)

To quote John Maxwell, “You must know yourself to grow yourself.” And, in order to grow yourself spiritually, you've got to know God. So, it’s all about becoming intentional about what you do to nurture your relationship with God, and how you spend your time doing it. And to do it well, it also depends on who you do it with. It’s much easier to remain intentional about growing deeply if you surround yourself with others who are also on the spiritual journey. These guys, Charles and John, created their “Holy Club” (at least in part) to help them stay on that journey. To become a member of their Club meant that you would spend hours together with these like-minded people, so that you could develop your spiritual practices, and “Grow Deeply.” That’s why there are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. It’s why worship and involvement in a local congregation is so vital. We need to be among others also on the spiritual journey. We need to be held accountable. We need to be deliberate about our faith.

Now, where do you suppose the Wesley brothers came up with this idea of” intentional Christianity?”

Let me take you back in time 300 years – the 1700s (1720 - somewhere around there). You are walking through this quaint little village and you're peering into the window of this particular home. [ Now I'm not condoning that you look in people's windows - just go with me on the story ].

The quaint little village is Epworth, England, and inside, when you peek through the window, you see a woman sitting in a chair with her kitchen apron up over her head. Then you notice that there are 10 children running around the house – yes, I said 10 children - running around the house! - and they're playing and they're reading and they're studying. This is the House of Susanna Wesley and her husband, Samuel (who was also an Anglican priest). Every day, Susanna would assume this posture - for two hours. I think if I had 10 kids, I would be under an apron for two hours, too! We don't know why she did it - or do we? Well, I'm going to share that with you in a minute.

Susanna had little formal education. But she grew up in an academic household. Her father, who was also a minister, was from London. They were highly educated. So, Susanna was very well-read and well-rounded. And she taught her children to be the same. She home-schooled them, spending time every day with each child, and gave them a good biblical and classical foundation of education. It’s notable that she gave her girls the very same curriculum as the boys, which was unheard of in that time-period. They would study from 9:00 in the morning till

noon, take a 2 hour break for lunch, and then study again from 2:00 until 5:00 -six days a week - 6 [for all you kids out there who think 5 is a lot.] They would do their chores in the morning before they studied, and more chores in the evening. These kids never stopped. Are you beginning to see the makings of a “meticulous method” here in this household?

Susanna actually gave birth to 19 children - nine died in infancy. So, one might assume - yes, she was taking a nap under that apron! But, not so. Susanna took her relationship with God seriously. She was very intentional! She knew that she needed that time with God if her faith would grow deep. And I love her creativity - I love the fact that she was so innovative that she could come up with her own unique spiritual discipline: “I'm going to hide underneath an apron for two hours!” And when she did, she would spend that time with God in prayer and contemplation.

She sought out that holy place under the apron because she had studied the scriptures that call us into an intimate relationship with God. She remembered the story of Moses with God’s People in the wilderness of Sinai, a portion of which was our first lesson this morning. Moses was instructed by God to set up a Tent of Meeting - a tent on which a pillar of cloud would descend, and Moses and God could spend time together. God instructed that Moses should ascend Mt. Sinai a second time. As you may recall, after returning from the mountain the first time, and seeing people worshiping a golden calf, Moses had smashed the first tablets the Ten Commandments – now he would have to go back up the mountain for a second set – and while there, God revealed his Glory to Moses. And when Moses returned after his encounter with God, scripture says that Moses’s face glowed, so that the people recognized that he had been in the presence of God.

So, Susanna’s apron became her divine “Tent of Meeting” where she could daily commune with God. From the youngest Wesley child to the oldest – and even the nosey neighbor peeking in the window - they all knew: “Do not disturb Susanna Wesley when she's under her apron!” That was her place of refuge. That was her holy place. And, when she would come out from under her apron, like Moses, she was aglow with the Divine Presence.

As you can imagine - that image of their saintly mother, which they witnessed every day, left a strong impression on Susanna’s children – particularly on two of them, Charles and John, who would grow up and change Christian history. You and I are here because of them. We are here because they had learned this spiritual “method” at their mother’s knee - a method of building intimacy with God that they used to change the world.

So what about you and me? Are we true “Methodists?” – Are we intentional about our faith? Do we have an “apron” – a “Tent of Meeting” where we can nurture our relationship with the Divine Presence? And, when we leave our “holy place,” do people see the light of God shining on our faces?

If so, - that’s amazing and wonderful! If not, why not come each Sunday for a refresher course in why we are United Methodists so that you can affirm for yourself Paul’s words: “I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, [the Father] may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

May it be so for you and me. Amen.

Footnote: This sermon extensively borrows, with permission, from: Rev. Kim DuBreuil, “Grow Deeply” (preached 9/8/24 First UMC Lakeland FL). I claim no ownership of any of this sermon’s content.