Watching . . . for signs of church stress

Some thoughts on one of Wesley's Prudential Means of Grace in relation to his notes on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 and doctrinal sermon #49.

Stir up the χάρισμα

Wesley's homilectical references to 2 Timothy 1:6 are consistent in every sermon but one.  His NT translation "stirring up the gift of God"  is close to the Greek "ἀναζωπυρεῖν τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ" (literally "to kindle the charisma of God") and Sermons 19, 23, 35, 42, 46, 48, 66, and 72 all make reference to stirring up the gift of God by practicing spiritual disciplines. 

Either the gift will be fanned into flame by daily spiritual exercises, or the gift will be dampened if the means of grace are neglected.  There is no middle ground in Wesley's doctrine.  The flame grows brighter or the flame becomes dimmer; it can not hold a steady state.

Sermon 85, "On working out our own salvation," repeats this warning with one notable difference.  In paragraph III.6, Wesley gave this advice, "Stir up the spark of grace which is now in you, and he will give you more grace."

This switch from Gift to Grace puzzled me.  I usually associate charisma with the list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12.  Wesley's argument in Sermon 85 expands that definition to include grace itself as a gift of the Spirit.  This gift is in us, it requires constant stirring, and we can receive more of it.

What means do you use to stir up the spark of grace while you wait to receive more of this gift from God? 

Wesleyan Stages of Grace

 I've created a chart and written descriptions to represent each stage in the Wesleyan Developmental Model of Salvation.  The headings refer to the actions of grace, and the lists contain the characteristics that are typical of those at each stage of grace.  Do the descriptions cover the basics of each category?  Have I overlooked a major characteristic?

Palm-Passion Sunday

Lent 2012 was a build up to Passion Sunday.  I selected Gospel Lessons for each Sunday during Lent that followed a chronological order leading to the Cross.

Feb. 5      Mission of the 70--  Luke 10: 1-20

Feb 12     Cleansing of the Temple-- Matthew 21: 12-17

Feb 19     Anointing at Bethany-- Matthew 26: 6-13

Feb 26     Footwashing-- John 13: 1-17

March 4   Garden of Gethsemane-- Mark 14: 32-42

March 11  Arrest-- Mark 14: 43-50

March 18  Before the Council-- Mark 14: 53-65

March 25  Before Pilate-- Mark 15: 1-20

On April 1, we observed both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday.  The service opened with the children waving palm branches.  The sermon was interspersed between the New Testament readings and focused on the Cross.  The sermon was influenced by Wesley's Notes for 1 Corinthians 1: 17-2:8.  Below is the order of worship and the text of the sermon.