Discipling Life

On the afternoon of May 24, 1738, John Wesley attended a vespers service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. During the service, he was deeply moved by the singing of an anthem drawn from Psalm 130 — the De Profundis (Latin for “Out of the Depths”)— which opens with the cry, “Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord.” At the time, Wesley was in the midst of a profound spiritual crisis. He felt weighed down by a sense of sin and was tormented by his inability to earn salvation through his own efforts. The themes of Psalm 130 — a desperate cry from the depths of despair, followed by an assurance of God’s mercy and “plenteous redemption” — mirrored his inner struggle so closely that the anthem struck him with unusual force. Here was a Psalmist who had cried out from the same darkness Wesley felt, and who found hope not in human merit, but in the grace of God alone. That evening, Wesley attended a meeting on Aldersgate Street, where someone was reading aloud from Martin Luther’s...

Today we read how Paul says that “while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is the heart of the gospel, and it’s the heartbeat of Lent. Christ did not wait for us to be ready, perfect, or spiritually strong. He met us in our weakness and gave himself for us. That is grace—pure and undeserved. During Lent, we remember that grace again. We remember that nothing we do can add to or take away from the love God has already shown us in Christ. And we remember that this grace holds us steady when life feels uncertain. Paul gives us a clear and simple word in these verses: because of what Christ has done, we have peace with God. That peace is not something we earn; it is a gift received through faith. Verse 1 says, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justified—made right; faith—the way we receive it; peace—the new relationship that follows. Lent is a season that helps us notice what separates us from Go...

If you have been reading my posts each day this week, you have been traveling with me as we moved from the Transfiguration through Ash Wednesday to the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. In reviewing the lessons , I am struck by how our story moves from the lush abundance of a garden to the stark testing of the wilderness. The experience of Jesus in the wilderness begins the way back from the fracture that began when we first reached for what was not ours. In the Garden of Eden, God provided a paradise of abundance, setting a single boundary not as a restriction, but as a loving safeguard defining the space for trust and holy obedience. The tragedy of the Fall began when the serpent twisted this truth, casting doubt on God's character and suggesting that his boundaries were meant to keep us small. When we chose self-sovereignty over trust, our innocence was replaced by a stinging weight of shame. We have been sewing "fig leaves" of self-justification ever since, tryi...

What does Lent mean to you? Is it simply a time to make a sacrifice that provides a minor inconvenience? Give up chocolate or some other treat? For some, Lent may be a time to take back up one of those New Year’s resolutions that has already fallen by the wayside. But to be honest, I would often spend too much time thinking about what I was giving up rather than focusing on why I was giving it up. A couple of times in past years I gave up meat for Lent. Truth be told, that was more effective than giving up a treat like chocolate. Giving up meat required more of me. I did tend to be more reflective on my choice of deprivation. Now, that has been my experience. As it is often said: “Your mileage may vary.” During my Ash Wednesday sermon this week I suggested giving up certain types of behaviors. Harmful behavior. Behaviors that do not reflect the values of Christ. This week we have looked at the texts for the First Sunday of Lent: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Romans 5:12-19, a...

Today we consider the epistle lesson for this coming Sunday (Lent 1a). It is Romans 5:12-19 . Martin Luther referred to the Epistle to the Romans as the “purest gospel” and the “clearest gospel of them all” in his “ Preface to the Epistle to the Romans ” (1522). Of course, Luther is using the word gospel in the sense of the Good News and the message of salvation. Grace Greater than Our Sin Romans 5 can feel a bit heavy. Paul draws a direct line from Adam to the reality of sin and death in the world. He argues that “sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin” (v. 12). This is not meant as a history lesson; it is a diagnosis. Paul is describing the spiritual atmosphere we are born breathing. In the Wesleyan tradition, we often talk about this as “original sin.” We don’t mean that we are personally guilty of eating a piece of forbidden fruit thousands of years ago. Rather, we mean that we are born into a condition of separation and brokenness. We are born w...