Hymnbloging UMH#547
Tuesday, 9 March 2010 by Jacob TomawThis Sunday we sang a hymn that struck me. The title is “O Church of God, United”. This hymn proclaims the truth of the One Church and the One Faith. It also encourages Christians to confidently proclaim the Church, Faith, and Gospel. Unfortunately, while there is one Church, my church-body, the UMC, seems to have a strangle hold on the copyright for the lyrics, and i cannot find them online. The next time you are in a UMC I suggest you turn to #547 and give it a read.
This was the Opening Hymn for worship that lead to a Sermon titled “A Family of Acceptance” on the topic of Holy Conferencing. Holy Conferencing is the principle that lead Wesley to create groupings of Christians below the gathering together for word and sacrament. He created class meeting and band meetings. The purpose of these groups were to help shore up the foundation of Christians to help prevent them from backsliding. This was not more law or special revelation, but it is the pragmatic experience of Wesley on how to bring those given the Faith into the Church United and not have them lost on their own.
Since learning about this concept several years ago, I have thought it was essential to the whole Wesleyan Method that Methodism is supposed to be. However when Bishops Coke and Asbury landed in Baltimore, they seem to have forgotten this part of the system, and I have never been in a UMC church that practices this in any way, discounting Sunday School. The Chicago Temple is trying to find ways of bringing this back. The Tomaws hope to be involved in this, and I hope this will lead to more blogging on the topic.
This all being said, I think it was a fine sermon. I am still trying to figure out what a sermon is supposed to be. The Methodist gathered at the Temple on Sunday learned more about Methodism, the liturgy was read, and the Lord’s Supper was served. Outside of Absolution, I am not sure any non-believers heard about the freely given forgiveness of sins. This is what my intuition tells me a sermon should be.
Posted in religion
Taged with Hymns, sermons
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