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United Methodist

Matthew 16:13-18

Today just happens to be Heritage Sunday. And coincidentally today we are celebrating a part of Grace's Heritage. In the early days of the Methodist church in late 1700's and the early 1800's circuit riding preachers traveled around the country side. When they found a group of people they preached. If there were people there the next time they came by they formed a society. After a society grew they formed a congregation. The idea was to take the church to the people just as John Wesley had done.

In the 1980's church leaders came to the realization that we had grown away from that philosophy. There were little Methodist Church at just about every crossroads in the country but not very many where the people were, in the urban and suburban centers that had been growing. So many conferences, including our own, began consciously planting churches where the people were. Grace is an early manifestation of that movement. Northeast UMC started the year before Grace and Faith UMC in Lexington formed the year after us are other examples.

In December of 1984, coincidentally the bicentennial of the Methodist Church, a group of churches on the north side of Columbia decided to plant a new church in this growing area. The rest is history. Paul Wood was appointed and this land was purchased. And in April of 1989, 15 years ago, ground was broken for this building. Coincidentally, the ground breaking was April 2, 1989 and we made the last payment on the building on April 5th, 2004.

There was a reason for placing this church here. That ad hoc District committee had a vision. They saw the opportunity to reach out to new people. They wanted to put a church where the people were. And even before most of Harbison was here this congregation was established.

The conference had a vision for this congregation. They helped to purchase the land on which it now stands and which we are still developing. And the bishop appointed a pastor to start this ministry. They had a vision of an outpost of the Gospel. A place that could be a center of spreading scriptural holiness to a population that was rapidly growing.

The first members of this church had a vision. They dreamed of a center of worship. A place where people could learn and grow in faith. Perhaps the best indication of their vision is the name they chose for this new church: Grace. That is our heritage.

Today we celebrate a milestone in that heritage. This building was conceived of as the first in a group of buildings. This was simply phase one. Phase one was build 15 years ago. Now we celebrate the completion of that phase.

This is where grace's Heritage meets its legacy. Even as we pay off phase one we envision phase two. We are already in the process of preparing to build something new. Like those circuit riding preachers and like the ad hoc committee and like the early members of Grace, we have a vision.

We have a vision of a church that continues to take the church to the people. We see growing Sunday School classes. We envision weekday programs for seniors and scouts. We envision Bible studies and support groups and ministry work areas being able to meet at the same time without crowding each other out.

You see Grace also has a legacy. Others will come after us. Grace will continue to minister. Grace will continue to know Jesus and make him known to others. And the church that we leave behind to continue that mission will be our legacy.

Whether you talk about our heritage or our legacy, the foundation of all of this is the confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. Jesus had reached a milestone in his ministry. Jesus and the disciples had done a lot. They had healed the sick and fed the hungry masses and proclaimed the good news of the coming of God's kingdom. And Jesus was about to head toward Jerusalem to leave his final legacy for the church.

At this milestone in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" The answers ran the gambit from John the Baptist to one of the prophets of old. Then Jesus directed to question at the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter said, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God." Jesus replied, "You are Peter, a chip off the old block and on this rock I will build my church."

There is a lot of speculation as to what that rock is. But one of the more prominent interpretations is that it is Peter's confession. Jesus will build his church on the confession that he is the Christ the son of the living God. And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it!

Today the heritage of Grace meets its legacy. Our heritage is that some people led by the Holy Spirit wanted to take the church to the people. Like John Wesley and the early Methodists they wanted to spread Scriptural Holiness. Some of those people envisioned a place in northwest Columbia where people could come to know Christ and make him known to others. Today we celebrate the dedication of phase one of the building that will support that vision!

But we already have on the drawing board phase two. That will be our legacy to future generations. But even as we consider phase two we envision a phase three and four. It is my hope that some day in the future I will receive an invitation to the service burning the mortgage and dedicating this new building we are planning to build.

There was a reason why the founding members of this church retained over 8 acres of land. They envisioned an eight acre campus. I don't know how many are aware Grace owns the land all they way over to the Lutheran church. Where those woods begin is where Grace's land begins. It extends all the way back to the end of the new parking lot and there is a strip of land that extends behind the Lutheran Church and the Church of the Cross. The original master plan included a collection of five buildings of which this is but the first.

But whether we are building phase two or three or four or whatever, let us remember the foundation. This church, and the church in general, must be build on the rock of Christ. We need to remember that any phase of the church must be built on the confession that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God. That is the rock that Jesus build the church on and it is the rock upon which Grace is built.

John 21:1-19

It was not long after the resurrection. Jesus' disciples were sitting around probably still in a daze from Easter Sunday and the appearances in the upper room. And Peter, the leader of the gang, up and said, "I'm going fishing." Now don't think that Peter was lazy. He had been a fisherman before he took up discipling. He was going back to work. Returning to the business of daily living. There were mouths to feed and backs to clothe, no use just sitting around.

But fishing just wasn't the same as it was before Jesus. With every cast Jesus' words "I will make you fish for people" kept coming back to him. He probably remembered the day he met Jesus. After a long day's night of fishing and catching nothing Jesus told him to cast his net again. When he did, he caught the catch of his life. In that moment of grace Peter saw God revealed in Jesus and was convicted of his sin.

In the present he was once again having one of those nights. They had worked all-night and caught no fish. And just about daybreak there was someone on the shore. "Boys, ya ain't caught nothin' have ya?" "No, what's it to ya?" "Throw your nets of the other side of the boat." For a moment Peter thought he had heard that voice and those words before, but he threw the net.

In a moment the nets were filled with fish; more than they could empty into the boat. Peter knew that voice! It was Jesus! He rushed to the shore and when he got there Jesus had prepared a breakfast for them. A good Jewish breakfast: locks and bagels. Well, roasted fish and bread.

As they were eating together Jesus said to Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me." Almost without a thought Peter said, "You know I do." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." Then Jesus asked again, "Simon son of John, do you love me." This time there was a pain in Peter's heart. He remembered that awful night when he denied that he even knew Jesus. But Peter said, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Tend my sheep." A third time Jesus asked, "Simon son of John, do you love me." This time the pain was almost unbearable. On the verge of tears Peter said, "Lord you know everything. You know that I love you." Again Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

But he said more. He said, "You used to choose the direction that you would go, but now it will be chosen for you." Then Jesus said, "Follow me." And in that moment all the guilt and regret, all the pain and the hurt that Jesus had brought to the surface with his questions just fell away. And this time Peter knew he could follow Jesus to the cross.

Today is Heritage Sunday. It is a day when we remember the past and how God has been at work though our forebearers to bring us to where we are now. As Christians, Peter is an important part of our heritage. He was the chief apostle whom God used to lead the early church through its earliest days. But, as this story demonstrated, Peter was just a man in need of the forgiving grace of God. A forgiveness that he experienced through Christ.

As members of that particular branch of the Christian family called Methodist we have other moving stories in our heritage. I know you have all heard of John & Charles Wesley. John and Charles Wesley were sons of an Anglican priest in the early 1700's in England.

While preparing to serve as priests themselves they became very involved in the never ending pursuit of holy living. They would rise early in the morning, 4:00, to study the Bible and pray. They would fast regularly and pray every hour on the hour and keep prayer diaries. They fed the hungry and counseled condemned prisoners. This was the period when the term "Methodist" was first coined. It was a term of derision used by their enemies. It was meant to make fun of their methodical approach to Bible study and the Christian life.

As part of his religious fervor to live a holy life John Wesley went to Georgia as a missionary to the Native Americans. On the boat ride over the ship was caught in a storm. It just so happened that a group of Moravians was on the boat as well and they were singing hymns in the midst of the storm. Their peace and tranquillity in the face of possible death amazed John Wesley. With all his prayer, Bible study, and good deeds he was terrified. These Moravians had a faith that intrigued Wesley.

Georgia was a disaster for John Wesley. He didn't lead any Native Americans to Christ; in fact he barely had a chance to minister to them. John left the New World just one step ahead of the law. On his way back he was once again in the company of Moriavians. In one of his discussions with them one asked him, "Do you know that Christ died for you." John said, "I know that he died for the sins of the world." The Moravian said, "But do you know that he died for you."

Upon returning to England John Wesley began worshipping with the Moravians. On May 24th, 1738 while in a meeting something happened to John. John wrote, "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." In a moment of Jesus' amazing grace, all the doubt and regret of the past fell away. No longer did John have to work so hard to make himself holy and earn God's love. In a moment he knew that Jesus had died for him and that freed him. It freed him to continue to minister to the poor and needy; to continue to study the Bible and pray, but out of the joy of his salvation not an attempt to save himself.

In both these stories Jesus encounters a Christian leader and in a moment of grace gives them the forgiveness and the faith they need to serve God. And in both these stories boats play a prominent role. That is especially significant in the Peter story. In the Bible a boat, especially one with disciples in it, is a symbol of the church. As the church we are adrift in times between Jesus' first coming and the shore of his second coming. And as in both Peter's and Wesley's case, Jesus encounters his children while they are adrift.

In those moments of grace when God encounters us in the boat, we are healed and given the faith to make it through the trials ahead. As a result the storm in stilled and we can continue to pray and study in peace. As a result we are given the faith to take up a cross and follow where Jesus leads us.

We are in a boat. It is the IHS Grace. It set sail in 1985 for the shores of eternity. And many sailors for Christ have fished from its decks. And the storms of the years have tossed it about.

We as a church can learn much from these two boat stories. For one, we can learn that in the midst of life's trials Jesus is there to help us. As Peter and the other disciples were trying to learn what it means to keep living, Jesus was there to help them. To give them direction: "Throw your nets on the right side." Fed them when they were hungry. To offer forgiveness: "Peter do you love me," to give them a mission: "Feed by Sheep." When John and Charles Wesley were struggling to know what it means to be God's holy people, Jesus was there. When John was scared for his life, Jesus was there in the praise of the Moriavians. When he had failed in Georgia, God was there in the counsel of Christian friends. When he had failed to make himself holy with all his wonderful works of piety and charity, Jesus was there to offering him a warmed heart as a gift.

In the midst of our trials Jesus is with Grace UMC. As we struggle as a congregation to live out the Gospel, God is with us. As we yearn to reach out to the community, Jesus is here to give guidance. As we try to be faithful to our calling to bear one another's burdens, Jesus is there to give aid. As we try to maintain Christian education as a priority in a society that doesn't give time to read the Bible much less study it, Jesus is here to give perseverance. As we try to reach the unchurched and unsaved in our community with the hope and love that God wants to give them, Jesus is here to offer grace. As we face the failures and sins of our past both individual and as a congregation Jesus is here to offer grace. God is with us because we are in a boat that is registered under the flag of Jesus Christ.

We are in a boat that is tossed about by the waves of evil. We are trying to navigate to a distant shore what we cannot yet see. And all the while we are trying to rescue others who are drowning is a sea of sin and attending to the wounds of our own. Sometimes it seems hopeless.

If there is one thing that the lessons of the past should teach us, it is that we are not alone. The Church including this church does not survive because of our strength. It has survived because of the one who strengthens us. "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world"(I John 4:4). We are in the boat, and the "we" includes Jesus.

Romans 2:29

Paul wrote to the Romans, "real circumcision is of the heart." In Judaism circumcision is the sign of the special relationship that Jews as God's people have with God It is the symbol of their Jewishness. Way back in Genesis, God decided to take Abraham and Sarah and make them into a holy nation. Their descendants would be set apart from the other peoples of the world as the chosen people. They were chosen to be a living example of God's righteousness for the people's to see and learn from.

The mark of this special place in God's plan was circumcision. It was an outward reminder of the spiritual role they were to play in history. When a Jew was stripped of all the robs and gowns of position and power; when a Jew stands naked before the Lord, or anyone else, circumcision showed that they were essentially God's chosen people.

But Paul, a life long Jew, points out that circumcision means nothing if a person does not keep the law. It's like a sign on an empty warehouse that says, "Corn." There may have been corn in there at one time, but it is empty now. The sign is useless for anything but deceiving hungry people. In the same way what good is circumcision if the one circumcised does not live out the covenant? What kind of example of righteousness is a circumcised thief, or adulterer, or murderer. Paul says circumcision is good, but only if it is a sign of an inward spiritual condition, the condition of the heart.

If circumcision was the sign of a Jew, then holiness, or holy living, is the sign of a Christian. We are celebrating today as Heritage Sunday. It is a day to celebrate those things that are unique about Methodism; to remember the way God had blessed the people called Methodists with certain gifts.

But what are the unique gifts of Methodists? There is an old joke that says that a polling firm questioned Methodists to find out what they believe and concluded that Methodists don't believe anything. The point isn't that Methodists are without beliefs. The point is that we are such a diverse church that we are hard pressed to find anything distinctive that we can all agree on. John Wesley said, "If your heart is like mine take my hand." That means if you believe in Jesus then lets work together. Let's not let our theological differences get in the way of fellowshipping, worshipping, and servings side by side. This is the reason Methodists cooperate with other churches so well and welcome other denominations to our communion table. It is also one of the reasons that you can walk into almost any Methodist church and find people with different interpretations of Scripture and applications of God's word worshipping and studying side by side.

Despite this diversity there are some distinctive emphases in our theology. And one of the most important of these is our emphasis on Scriptural holiness. Wesley preached and we believed that God not only calls us to salvation, but also to be God's holy people. Now please understand. Wesley believed and I preach that salvation is a pure gift of God' grace. All we need to do is accept Jesus to be saved from sin and death. We can't make ourselves holy to be saved. That is impossible! But once we are saved by Jesus, God calls us to live holy lives with his help. We can't do it alone, only God's spirit can enable us to live holy lives.

Throughout the history of the people called Methodists this holiness has been lived out in many ways. John and Charles Wesley lived it out by preaching in the streets and fields where the lost people were. They proclaimed the Word to coal miners during shift changes. They established dispensaries for the poor. They built preaching houses and invented the Sunday School. They preached against drinking, gambling, Sabbath breaking, slavery, and just about every other kind of evil. In America Methodists established societies and churches, sometimes they were just a clearing in the woods. Methodists fought against slavery and were heavily involved in the underground railroad. Methodists fought for the vote for women, child labor laws, and prohibition of alcohol. And today we continue to fight against legalized gambling and state lotteries. It is the desire to be the God's holy people that is behind our attempts to break down barriers of racial hatred and to reach the unchurched.

It is no accident that when John Wesley preached on holiness he used this passage from Romans, that "real circumcision is of the heart."(Romans 2:29) Like Paul the Apostle, Wesley wanted to make it clear that Christianity was more than the mere outward trappings of religion. Wesley lived in a day when everyone assumed that they were Christian from birth. Yet evil of every kind was on the rise. Sound familiar? In England in the 18th century practically everyone was baptized and confirmed and on the rolls of a church. Yet Christianity made little difference in people's lives.

So Wesley and his lay preachers proclaimed Scriptural holiness. They preached that God calls people to give their lives to Jesus. It was fine to be baptized and on the roles of a church but that meant nothing if they had not given their lives to Christ. What kind of example of righteousness is a Christian who steals or has illicit sex or oppresses their neighbor. No Good!

Once when Wesley was preaching he characterized the attitude of his day by saying, "Say not then in your heart, I was once baptized; therefore I am now a child of God." Then Wesley tells them to look at the sins in their lives. And he concludes by quoting John(8:44), "Ye are of your father the devil, and the works of your father ye do."(from "The Marks of the New Birth") The point is that the outward trappings of Christianity are not what is important.

What is important is that we have repented of our sins and given our lives to Christ. Having your name on a church roll will not get you to heaven. Being born again by the blood of Jesus Christ is the only thing that will save you. Holiness is not a ritual or a dress code. Holiness is a way of life that is modeled on the life of Jesus our example and redeemer.

"Real circumcision is of the heart." Today we have recreated the outward trappings of our Methodist heritage. I have dressed like a 19th century circuit riding preacher. Our order and style of worship is like the early Methodists. But all this is meaningless if is doesn't signify something in our hearts.

What good is a Methodist that is not seeking to live a holy life? About as good as Jew who breaks the law, or a Christian of does not seek to live like Jesus. The term "Methodist" means nothing if we are not a people who are trying to be God's holy people.

Don't just say you are a Methodist, be a Methodist. Be a Christian who has given their life to Christ. Be a Christian who lives, with God's help, a holy life. Study your Bible. Pray Daily. Go to Sunday School because we all need to study God's Word and have the support of other Christians. Be a Christian who fights injustice and spreads Scriptural holiness. Be the holy people that God has called you to be so that people can look at Methodists and see and example of God's mercy of God's love, of God's righteousness. Then they too can be inspired to give their lives to Christ in devotion and service.

"Real circumcision is of the heart."

Real Christianity is of the heart.

Real Methodism is of the heart.

Today is heritage Sunday. Some people ask, "Why have a heritage Sunday?" Why remember the past? It's common for people to think that Heritage and tradition are just things that tie us down. For them heritage is a rope which binds us to the past. So they seek to be freed from that rope and they discard their heritage. Or maybe just neglect it.

But our heritage is not a rope that enslaves us. It is a rope that anchors us and moors us so that the waves of change don't throw us about. A heritage, our heritage gives us a position and a direction. It tells us who we are: we are Christians! Christ and his disciples are our fore mothers and fathers. We are a people with a history of living out and spreading the Good news of Jesus Christ. And we are a people dedicated to doing that same thing they did. We are also Methodists. Our forbearers include John, Charles and Suzanne Wesley, Frances Asbury and others. The early Methodists were dedicated to spreading Scriptural holiness. Today Methodists are dedicated to that same task.

Today we Celebrate our heritage. Not so that we can live in the past. But so that we can gain wisdom and direction for the future.

But the skeptics still ask, "How can retelling stories of the past set us free, the traditions of the past only tie us down." Our heritage sets us free because it made us who we are and it reminds us of that identity. A people without roots are lost. They don't know where they have been and they don't know where they are going. With no connection to the past a people are lost in time. And they will be tossed about by every change that comes along.

God know this and has given us a rich heritage. It all began when the children of Israel were about to enter the Promised land. God told them: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children," Later in the chapter the people of Israel were told that when their children ask what these laws mean they were to tell the story of how God brought them out of slavery in Egypt. God knew that if the Israelites went into the promised land without a heritage to pass on to their children they would be lost. They would not know who they were. So God told them, "You are my people, the people of God, who worship the one true Lord, the ones I brought out of Egypt."

Knowing our heritage helps us know ourselves. We can learn a lot about why we do what we do by that heritage. After all it was the people who wrote that heritage who taught us. And their lessons still effect who we are. This is the process of remembering and passing on our heritage that God started with the children of Israel. This process of remembering was also reinforced by the Epistle to the Hebrews. In chapter 11, which I read a moment ago, the writer tells Christians of Hebrew decent to have faith. But the writer does this by lifting up great people from their heritage who lived by faith.

So who are we Methodists?

Our heritage as Methodists is rich and it show that Methodists are a people who primarily love God. First of all consider our name: We are Methodists. The label "Methodists" began as a term of derision. People called the followers of John and Charles Wesley "Methodists" as a way of making fun of them. You see the Wesleys and their followers were very methodical about their study of the Bible and their Prayer lives. John got up at 4 A.M. to study the Bible. And he would stop on the hour of every hour to say a short prayer. This devotion to scripture can be seen in the fact that the preachers were instructed to read two whole chapters from the Bible on Sundays.

Our love of God can be seen in the way that we worship. Did you know that Methodists used to worship three times every Sunday. They worshipped in the morning, afternoon and evening. Throughout our history we have worshipped in different ways. The early frontier Methodists used to hoop and holler when they worshipped. Later in the early 1800 they became more solemn, but the order of worship was still simple. In the late 1800 they started adding responsive readings and the creeds. But throughout all these changes one thing remained constant. The most important part of worship was not the way that people worshipped, but that their hearts were right with God. What mattered was that the people worshipping loved God.

Their love of God can be seen in the way that they prayed. At one time we Methodists were famous for kneeling when we prayed. It was their way of showing reverence to God. What better way to pray, they thought, then to humbly kneel. That is one of the reasons that humbly kneeling at the altar is still an important part of our worship.

Our rich heritage of hymns is another example of our love of God. The early Methodists had no choirs because they wanted the entire congregation to sing the hymns. John and Charles Wesley wrote their hymns to praise God and to teach the people. They were more than pretty songs. They were a means of education. That is why the early Methodists would read one of they hymns aloud. That way people could hear the words and think about what they were saying.

A rich heritage like the Christian Heritage and the Methodist Heritage are valuable. The unfortunate thing is that they are too often lost. People make the mistake of disregarding the past. Some throw it away. Others simply forget it.

This is what happened to the children of Israel. When they got to the promised land many of them forgot who they were and who had brought them there. It may not have taken long. They said to themselves, "That God was the god of the desert and of nomadic people. We are farmers and craftsmen now. We need to follow other Gods." And many forgot their ancestors, like Abraham, and the stories of Moses and they began to follow Canaanite gods. They lost their heritage and were tossed about by every wind of religion that came their way.

The people of Israel disregarded their heritage and they almost perished because of it.

We Methodists are in danger of doing the same thing. We don't kneel any more. The early Methodist were sometimes ridiculed for kneeling. It was an undignified posture. Some thought it looked too much like what the Catholics did. So, because people did not want to humble themselves before God, and because they were prejudice against Roman Catholics, they made fun of the Methodists. And as time went on that practice died out because of pressure from society.

We don't sing and study our hymns as in the past. I believe in the use of choirs. But too often we use choirs to substitute for congregational singing. And most of the time we don't pay close attention to the message that our hymns are proclaiming.

We have also forgotten our unity in Christ. In the earliest days of Methodism in America, black and white Methodists worshipped together. They did this because the Gospel said that in Christ there is no slave or free, we are all one and we are all saved and washed by the same blood. But the world said that blacks and whites can't worship together, at least not on the same level. As a result structures were built to separate God's people. Physical structures like balconies. And political structures like new denominations.

Sometimes I wonder if we should even be called Methodists anymore. It seems the word "Methodist" refers more to our method of governing the church than to our prayer and devotional life. We are no longer famous for being methodical in our study of the Bible. Many of us don't even read the Bible on a regular basis. And how many of us have a method or routine for our prayer lives.

Our heritage as Methodist Christians teaches us who we are. And that is important. We are a people who praise God. We are a people who believe that changed hearts are what is important. We are a people of faith. I have only touched the surface of our rich heritage.

We can never go back to the past and we shouldn't try to, but we mustn't let that heritage die. It can nourish us. God can use it to teach us. If we allow ourselves to forget who we are, we will end up doing whatever the world tells us to do. Like the Children of Israel, we need to remind ourselves who we are and whose we are.

Hear, O Methodists; the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you might. And tell your children: We are a people of God. We are ones that God freed from slavery to sin and death. Pass it on from generation to generation so that all may know.

John 21:15-19

"Dearly beloved, for as much as all have sinned as fallen short of the Glory of God..." For most of the two hundred plus years of the Methodist Church in North America these or similar words began the ritual of Baptism for Adults. They expressed the basis upon which people come to Christ. We all come as those who have sinned and fallen short of the Glory God intends for us. There was a brief period in the 1930's when human sinfulness was not emphasized as much. At that time people were beginning to believe that we humans were basically good people.

Then World War II came. The supposedly civilized nations of the world began attacking and killing one another. But then there was the holocaust. Germany, the Fatherland of Martin Luther, Bach, and Albert Schwietzer, had tried to commit genocide. The country that many thought was the most civilized, had perpetrated the most barbaric act in history.

Of course we Christians don't need the holocaust to convince us that all have sinned and fallen short at sometime. We have Saints to show us that. That's right, I said "saints." People like St. Paul and St. Peter. Strangely enough our examples of good people are also examples of human sinfulness. St. Paul, who was called Saul, had perpetrated acts of aggression against the early Christian Church. The Bible tells us that he set out on a mission to eradicated the early Church. And St. Peter broke his oath to stay with Christ and denied him, not just once, but three times. If the people we call Saints have sinned and fallen short, how much more true must that be of the rest of the world.

I could spend all of my time this morning arguing that all have fallen short of the Glory of God. But that is not the point of what God is telling us in our Bible readings this morning. Yes, Peter had fallen short, way short, of God's glory. Like most of us he confessed Christ among friends, but in the midst of enemies, Peter denied him. Three times Peter said, "I don't know him." Jesus could have abandoned Peter just as Peter had abandoned him. Jesus could have denied Peter a place in his kingdom, just as Peter had denied him as his Lord. But if you remember that is not what happened.

Jesus appeared to the disciples a third time. The disciples had worked all night and caught nothing, so Jesus helped them fill their nets. Then Jesus prepared a meal for these tired and hungry fishermen. As they were sitting on the beach eating breakfast Jesus spoke to Peter. "Peter, do you love me more than these?" Peter responded, "Yes, Lord." Then Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." This happened three times

Peter had denied Christ three times, so Christ gave him three opportunities to affirm him. Now Jesus had already forgiven Peter for his sins. Jesus' death on the cross had already paid the price of Peter's sin. But Peter needed to accept that forgiveness, so Jesus lovingly gave him that opportunity. Then Jesus lovingly gave Peter the task of caring for the church.

We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God just as Peter did. That is not at argument today. God's message for us today is that through Christ we are forgiven. Peter denied Christ three times and Christ gave him a chance to take all three of those back. For each time we have denied Christ, he lovingly gives us a chance to affirm him. Christ has already purchased our forgiveness with his blood, that is not at question.

How many times in a person's life; how many times in our lives have we said things that we wish we could take back. We have all fallen short of the glory God created us for. We have all said things, unloving things mean things, to our loved ones. And each time we commit and act of malice and hatred we boldly proclaim, "I don't know this Jesus." Just like St. Peter we deny Jesus. But for each time our actions has said, "I do not know him," Christ gives us an opportunity to respond, "Lord I love you." To each of us Jesus says, "Do you love me" and when we respond "Yes, Lord you know I do" he says, "Feed my sheep." And if we really mean it we serve God in our lives.

How many times have we as a church sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Just consider the history of the Methodist church. Early on Methodists took a strong stance against slavery. But that stance soon weakened and by middle of the 19th century half the church whole heartedly endorsed slave owning. God did not wipe out the people called Methodists. Instead God called us back to righteousness by saying "Do you love me." And the church responded "Yes we do." Then the Methodist Church went out and fought child labor, and for women's suffrage and for civil rights.

Some feel that the Methodist Church has recently fallen short of the calling to spread Scriptural holiness. We have failed to clearly proclaim the righteousness of God for all to hear. We have failed to call people to repentance and discipleship. If that is true, Christ offers us forgiveness. Jesus says to the Methodist church today "Do you love me?" And we are called to respond, "yes we do" by serving God.

That is the heritage of the church. A 200+ year long story of our falling short and God forgiving. Our history is a constant repetition of this story of disciples gathered around a meal with Jesus, but some of the disciples are troubled because they have been unfaithful. The Good News is that Jesus who called them gives them a chance to be faithful.

In one sense that is what communion is all about. Jesus instituted communion as a way of continually saying to us, "Here is forgiveness, take and eat. Here is my love, take and drink." It is also what Christian fellowship is about. It is about us sharing that spirit of forgiveness.

As we gather for the meal after the service we can imagine the conversation on that beach so long ago. While Jesus was breaking bread with his disciples, he said, "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes lord you know I do." "Then feed my lambs." - "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes lord you know I do." "Tend my sheep." - "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes lord you know I do." "Feed my sheep." And if we listen hard when we break bread together later today, we can hear Jesus. He is calling each of us by name and saying, "Do you love me?" What is you response? Will you feed his sheep?

One minuet Thomas refused to believe the resurrection and the next he declared "My Lord and my God!" Once the disciples were scattering to the four winds to save themselves, then a month later they are sharing everything in common and openly proclaiming the Gospel. What made the difference? I think it's a matter of the heart. It was not a change merely of ideas or of practices. Their hearts were fundamentally altered.

We all know the story of Thomas in fact we call him Doubting Thomas. The other disciples had seen Jesus alive but Thomas doubted. Can you blame him? He had seen Jesus killed after he and the others had fled. He wouldn't believe the resurrection until he saw with his own eyes. Then Jesus appeared again and Thomas believed.

But there was more involved in that transition from "I doubt" to "I believe" than just a change of opinion. If it were just his opinion about whether Jesus was alive or dead than he would not have responded so emotionally to Jesus' presence. He might have said, "Good to see you Rabbi." Instead he said, "My Lord and My God." It was his heart that was changed. Thomas was changed from the inside out by witnessing the resurrection.

Most people are familiar with the story of Thomas but we are less familiar with the events recorded in our lesson from Acts. The state of affairs in the church recorded in Acts chapter 4 was probably within the first year of the church's existence. There were better than 3,000 believers because 3,000 believed on the day of Pentecost. And it says that the "whole group of those who believed were of one heart." I grew up in a church with over 2,000 people and there is no way I could say that the whole church was of one heart. Mind you that church had a lot of dedicated people and that core group worked together well, but frankly there were some of these 2,000+ who seemed to have joined the church to use the weight room.

Even the small churches I have served could not completely add up to the description of the early church here. It says that they were so much of one hearts that they forgot private ownership. I don't think that this communal property business was imposed by the Apostles. I believe it was the Holy Spirit that inspired the people to forget their ties to this world and care for one another with such depth.

This was more than some mere change of mind or attitude. The hearts of the believers were changed. It is hard to imagine more than a dozen people being of one heart with such depth. Can you imagine thousands of people truly being of one heart. In the Methodist church we try to emulate that depth of love through the way that churches share the burden of supporting missions, or the fact that we all hold church property in common, but none of it could add up to the depth of oneness of heart exhibited by the early church.

The reason I think these two examples are so important is because Methodism is all about people's hearts being changed. The story of John and Charles Wesley the founders of the Methodist movement circles around a change of heart. In their early life the Wesleys were convinced of their sinfulness and need for salvation. This was probably the product of being raised in a home where their father was a priest and their mother would have been a priest if she had been born three centuries later. In college they joined a group who called themselves the Holy Club. They woke every morning early to study the Bible and the prayed hourly and kept prayer journals. John even when to Georgia to preach to the Native Americans!

They worked hard at being Christians. They prayed and studied the Bible and counseled condemned prisoners and helped the poor and sick. They knew all the correct theology and practices, but then something changed. Within a matter of a few days in May 1738 both brothers were changed. On Sunday May 21, 1738, Charles was at home praying when he felt Jesus talking to him and he said he felt "a strange palpitation of heart." Just three days later on the 24th John was at society meeting with Moravians and he said he "felt his heart strangely warmed" and he finally knew that he was forgiven!

Afterwards John and Charles continued to serve God as they had before. The difference was in their hearts. God had changed them and their motivation for serving.

The Methodist Church and Methodist Movement is based upon the change of heart not upon a change of theology or of ritual. The Methodist Church was founded not because of a difference of opinion about theology or ritual or practice but because of the condition of people's hearts. John and Charles Wesley never disagreed with the basic theology or practice of the Anglican church. In fact when John Wesley started the Methodist Church in America he took the Articles of Religion and the Anglican Prayer Book and abbreviated them and sent them to America to be the doctrinal statement and book of Worship of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He didn't try to alter the basic practice or the church or its theology. He did believe that people's hearts had to be changed and that they needed an experience of salvation.

Think about it. Luther broke away from the Roman Catholic church because of theology and practice. The Presbyterians broke away from Luther because they thought his theology and practice reforms didn't go far enough. The Baptists broke away from the Presbyterians primarily over the issue of infant baptism. But John and Charles never left the Anglican Church. They tried to change it's heart from within and unwittingly started their own church.

That is still the way it is today. The Methodist church, as opposed to other Christian Churches, is not about a particular set of theological beliefs or practices as it is about the condition of a persons heart. John Wesley is supposed to have said, "If your heart is like mine, take my hand." Meaning if you are a believer in Christ with a new heart, then let's work together. Some of John's fellow workers criticized him for staying in the Anglican church while others criticized him for preaching in the fields outside the church. In the same way today the Methodist Church tries to emphasize the change of heart by the work of God over accepting certain doctrines or practices to make us unique from other Christians.

A change of heart: that is the basis of Methodism. It's about God coming into a person's life and changing them from the inside out. It's a doubter becoming a believer. It's a group of individuals being altered by love to become the family of God. It's about good people like the Wesley brothers discovering the joy of salvation.

Are you a Methodist? No, I don't mean are you on the rolls of a Methodist Church. I don't mean do you go to a church where they sprinkle babies, have communion at the altar railing, and allow women to preach. I mean is your heart changed by the love of God? Have you been transformed from the inside out by the Holy Spirit?

You may be on the roll of a Methodist church and even be on a few Conference boards and agencies and not be a true Methodist. A true Methodist is not someone who adheres to a certain theology or a certain set of rituals. A real Methodist is someone who has been touched and changed by God. A real Methodist is someone who has given their life to Christ and accepted Jesus into their hearts.

So I ask again on this Heritage Sunday, when we recall God working through God's people called Methodists, "Are you a Methodist?" Think about it?

Research the heritage of your particular congregation and find ways to reflect it in the Heritage Sunday service.

Sing at least one of the hymns unaccompanied.

Hold the service outdoors or under a "brush arbor."

Encourage congregation to dress in the style of the 1780's or the period when your congregation was founded.

Sing the full text of "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" or "Glory to God, and Praise and Love" #58. This can be done by breaking it into three parts.

Plan a joint service with an AME, AME Zion, CME or other Wesleyan church to help heal the wounds of the past.

The first "official" liturgy of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784 was a version of the Book of Common Prayer abridged by John Wesley. Despite John Wesley's personal command to use it evidence is that Sunday worship among Methodists in America looked more like the prayer house services which Wesley had instituted as a supplement to the liturgy of the Anglican Church. These services consisted of hymns, extemporaneous prayers and extemporaneous sermons. All three of which were absent from the "Sunday Service."

Some of the other practices that appear in the Books of Disciple in the 19th century include the practice of reading one of the hymns and then singing it while sitting. The apparent idea was that they hymn was a teaching tool and not just a means of praise. Also people knelt during prayer. As this practice died away only the preacher would kneel. The use of the Lord's Prayer after the first prayer and the use of the "Apostolic Benediction" (2 Corinthians 13:13) also receive official sanction during this time. For the better part of the 19th Century it was against church rules to have instruments, choirs or to allow the women and the men to sit together. That is why many older Methodist buildings have two doors as this old picture Latimer Memorial UMC, Belton, SC below shows.

In the case of one antibellum church structure there were four doors. Two for the white men and women and two, which led directly to a balcony, for the black men and women. (Our heritage includes both positive and negative examples to learn from.)