28/05/2026
Dear Friends
I’m back from synod! Please see the attached synod strategic direction report.
Thoughts before Sunday…
Wesley refused to allow any part of worldly living to be left untouched by God’s grace – it was always to touch worldly living to make it godly or holy living. In God’s grace touching economics, society was to become holy by living according to “God’s economy”. The church was always to be the agent or vehicle or conduit of imparting God’s grace into society.
For Wesley, one’s only response to a Gracious God is to live a life of holiness; the consecration of oneself to God and people in love; a striving for the fruits of holy living to be manifest in this world. Such living is never private since God’s redeeming action stops at nothing short of the whole cosmos. For this reason, Wesley is well known for his statement that there is no religion but social religion. The church then by necessity must be drawn into relationship alongside all of humanity. The church needs to find its place alongside all humanity as God’s creatures and children and there live a holy life – a life centred on God. Transformed living results in transformed societies. Wesley was once questioned on the value of offering indiscriminate help to the poor. He responded “Whether it is good or not, if we did not do it we should surely go to hell” (Works 1: 546). Thus, in Wesley’s mind, the church can only campaign for and show a radical solidarity with the poor, the oppressed and the excluded, for it is in response to the poor, the destitute, the humiliated and violated that human justice will be judged. Jesus reveals that God hears and heeds the cry of the violated and humiliated, the cry of the poor and the marginalized. Grace is experienced only as we experience God’s acceptance of the other who calls into question every separated definition of ourselves. Holy living will never be separate from the vulnerable other; God is present in the world amongst the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned.
In ministering amongst the poor, Wesley was simply being rigorous in proclaiming and forming a community of the biblical revelation of the being of God; simply applying the only true way of moulding, building or establishing the church. He illustrates a life transformed by Jesus that begins a Jesus transformed society.
Jesus transformed the lives of the first disciples. It was the beginning of a transformed Roman Empire. Wesley was transformed by Christ and transformed the society of England. Many others illustrate this truth. You and I too are to be transformed by Christ to transform our society.
More about this on Sunday in our second last reflection on transformed living. Hope to see you there!
Shalom
Gavin
