Invitation to All.
based on Isaiah 55:1-13
by Rev. Randy Quinn
Two weeks
ago I talked about how I became a United Methodist. It began with my mother's
family -- and an ultimatum from my father. Some might say it was simply fate
that made me a United Methodist today. Others might argue that God was at work
behind the scenes, pre-ordaining my place within this church in the following
ways:
1.
I was raised by my mother, who was raised in the Evangelical Church (that
later became part of the Evangelical United Brethren Church).
2.
I was given my first Bible by a Methodist Church in 1964 because there
was no EUB Church in Willingboro, New Jersey.
3.
And I was confirmed at a former EUB Church in Torrance, California in
1970, just two years after the merger of the EUB and Methodist Churches.
God may have been preparing me to be ordained as a Deacon
in 1985 and an Elder in 1990 by placing me within my family of origin. You can
even argue that God was preparing me to serve this particular congregation from
the time of my birth.
I believe that John Wesley, the
founder of the Methodist movement, would argue instead that it was a gift of
grace. It was not fate, nor was it coincidence, nor was it a matter of my
personal achievement. It was God's grace at work.
Now, you can say that I'm just
talking about semantics if you want; but I've come to understand -- with Wesley
-- that the difference is more than mere words. Grace may be the catchword for the
most essential of all United Methodist beliefs, but grace is more than a word;
it is a concept. We use the word to describe our understanding of the way God
works in our world and in our midst. It is an understanding that emphasizes
God's open invitation to become heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is also an
understanding that places an emphasis on our role in choosing to respond to that
grace -- leaving open the possibility that we might not choose to accept the gift
that has been given to us.
Grace was at work in my life, not
fate. God's grace, not coincidence, was working behind the scenes to make me
the person that God had in mind. But I could have chosen to deny that grace
along the way -- and in a few particular instances, I know I did. I didn't
always accept the grace God offered.
It is God's grace that calls us.
It's also grace that allows us to respond.
Much like Isaiah is suggesting in
our text for today, God calls to any and to all who will respond: "Everyone who
thirsts, come to the water!" (Is. 55:1). You see, the metaphorical gift of food
and drink is not just for those who had been "chosen" -- as the people of Israel
had come to think of themselves. It is an invitation extended to anyone who is
thirsty, anyone who is hungry, anyone who is lonely, anyone who is afraid; it is
for anyone, including rich and poor, young and old, saint and sinner alike.
Some of the people Isaiah was
addressing would refuse the free gift. Some were convinced that they had earned
their right to sit at the table and looked with disdain on those who hadn't
lived up to their standards. Some of the people Isaiah was addressing would
scoff at the idea of the open invitation because they were convinced God had
reserved a seat for those who were among the chosen people.
But Isaiah is pretty clear. This
is an open invitation. Open to any and to all who would come and receive a gift
of grace. Isaiah says God's hospitality knows no bounds.
When Jesus came, he lived his life
as a model of that kind of open hospitality. He showed us what it meant to
fulfill these prophetic words of Isaiah in the way he offered food and drink to
any and to all who would come and receive it. In fact, he rather pointedly told
the parable of the banquet to which the invited guests were too busy to respond
-- so others were gathered in to fill the seats at the table (Lk. 14:12-24).
It is from that perspective, the
perspective of an open invitation to all that John Wesley began exploring the
many and numerous ways in which God's grace has been at work among us.
I think I've referred to the
native Alaskan Inuit people before. They have several different words for snow
-- because snow is such an important part of their lives. The Amazon Tapajós, on
the other hand, have no words for snow -- only a word that refers to water in a
frozen state. Snow is not as important to them.
In much the same way, John Wesley
gave those of us who call ourselves Methodist several different words for
grace. It was and is too important of a concept in our faith to limit it to one
word. He saw grace in at least three significant forms, although at least one
author I came across recently has suggested there are actually four different
forms of grace that Wesley speaks about.
The three commonly accepted forms
are what Wesley called Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying
Grace. On the one hand, there are times when it sounds like there is a sequence
to these forms of grace, but I think Wesley saw all three at work all the time.
Ø
Prevenient Grace is the way God goes ahead of us preparing the way
for us. It is the way God woos us into a loving relationship.
Ø
Justifying Grace is the way God forgives the sin of our past. It
is what makes it possible for us to have a meaningful relationship with God.
Ø
Sanctifying Grace is the way God works within our hearts to make
us pure. It is what makes us a holy people.
I could say more about each, and I
have on several occasions. Today, however, I want to simply remind you that
John Wesley developed this unique language to speak about grace so we could be
more specific in the ways we both see and experience what God is doing in our
midst.
But Wesley was also convinced that
the church is always bigger than the congregation. He knew that grace was at
work in places where we could not see it. For that reason, he was absolutely
convinced that there was a need for other churches, other denominations, other
bands of Christians. His sermon on the "Catholic Spirit," was a reminder that
we do not hold the corner on the market of God's grace any more than the people
of Israel did in Isaiah's time.
In college, I remember having an
on-going conversation with a classmate who happened to be Mormon. He was
convinced that Joseph Smith had received a special revelation from God, a
revelation that could include me as well as him. I was just as convinced that
the Bible offered me enough information to know I was saved without a "latter
day" revelation. For the better part of a year, we had a back and forth
discussion that included numerous rounds of quoting scripture.
We eventually let the conversation
drop as we came to an impasse. We continued to honor one another's commitment
to our respective faiths, acknowledging that there may be grace available to him
through his church and to me through mine; but we could only follow the path
that we each knew to be true. I could not follow his path any more than he was
willing to follow mine.
He would probably say about me
what I say about him -- although we might use different words or give different
meanings to the same words. I believe that grace was offered to him, but he
refused it. And in what I later learned was a Wesleyan approach, I allowed that
God could still offer grace to him through his church.
(And for those who might be
concerned that I have opened the door to allow the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints -- commonly referred to as the Mormon Church -- to be a valid
Christian faith, let me remind you that the General Conference of 2000 stated
that they are not.
It is a valid religious group -- like the Jews and Muslims and Hindi -- but it is
not Christian.)
Let me read just one paragraph
from John Wesley's sermon on the Catholic Spirit:
"This also is a thing which does not
depend either on your choice or mine. We must both act as each is fully
persuaded in his own mind. Hold you fast that which you believe is most
acceptable to God, and I will do the same. I believe the Episcopal form of
church government to be scriptural and apostolical. If you think Presbyterian
or independent is better, think so still, and act accordingly. I believe
infants ought to be baptized, and that this may be done either by dipping or
sprinkling. If you are otherwise persuaded, be so still, and follow your own
persuasion. It appears to me that forms of prayer are of excellent use,
particularly in the great congregation. If you judge extemporary prayer to be
of more use, act suitably to your own judgment. My sentiment is that I ought
not to forbid water wherein persons may be baptized, and that I ought to eat
bread and drink wine as a memorial of my dying Master. However, if you are not
convinced of this, act according to the light you have. I have no desire to
dispute with you one moment upon any of the preceding heads. Let all these
smaller points stand aside. Let them never come into sight. ‘If thine heart is
as my heart', if thou lovest God and all mankind, I ask no more: ‘Give me thine
hand.'"
While Wesley obviously allowed
others to believe differently than he did, he also hoped that those with whom he
disagreed would pray for him that he might see the fullness of truth and not be
blinded by his own dogmas. AND he insisted that we pray for those who disagree
with us in the same way -- because God's grace CAN come in a variety of places
and forms. God's Spirit is a "catholic" Spirit in the sense that it is both
universal and outside our control.
That's one of the reasons I'm glad
to be a United Methodist. We do not believe this is the only place where true
faith exists. We know the church is larger than the congregation -- and God's
presence is in other places of worship. In fact, there are some people for whom
those other places are the right place to be on any given Sunday.
We choose to be here because we
believe, with John and Charles Wesley of the Methodist Church, with Jacob
Albright of the Evangelical Association, and with Philip Otterbein of the United
Brethren Church, that God meets us in this place in our form of worship and in
our method of living out our faith.
And it is God's grace that both
brings us here and nurtures our faith as we respond to that grace.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
