Strangely Warmed
“Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’”
Isaiah 6:6-8
Today, March 3, is the day set aside in our church calendar to honor and celebrate the lives of John and Charles Wesley. The Wesley brothers were born into a large family in England—John in 1703 and Charles in 1707. Their father was a minister in the Church of England and after being educated at Oxford, they both followed in his footsteps, being ordained in the Church of England. Even before they were ordained, they had formed a club with some friends and “joined in strict adherence to the worship and discipline of the Prayer Book, and were thus given the name ‘Methodists.’”[1]
In 1735, they went to the American colonies, John as a missionary and Charles as a secretary to the Governor of Georgia, but their mission was not successful; they stayed only a short time and returned to England. They were both dispirited, but then just days apart, both had a conversion experience. Speaking of his experience, John said, “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation …”[2] They went on to lead a revival in the Church of England and then after their deaths, their followers separated from the Anglican Church to form the Methodist denomination. John was an especially gifted preacher and Charles a more gifted hymn writer. Many of his hymns are included in our Hymnal.
Some of my favorite hymns that Charles Wesley wrote are “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Love Divine All Loves Excelling,” and “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” John and Charles Wesley were devoted to the Church and spent their lives helping others hear the word of God. They also encouraged the involvement of lay leaders in preaching and teaching in the Church, wanting others to feel their hearts “strangely warmed” through experience with scripture and hymns. I invite you today to listen with your heart, to hear God calling, and when you do, answer, “Here am I; send me!”
Prayer for Today
Lord God, you inspired your servants John and Charles Wesley with burning zeal for the sanctification of souls and endowed them with eloquence in speech and song: Kindle such fervor in your Church, we entreat you, that those whose faith has cooled may be warmed, and those who have not known Christ may turn to him and be saved; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.[3]
[1] Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018, Episcopal Church 2019, p.122.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid, p.123.
