More about John Wesley's understanding of salvation in the pastor's own words:
Pastor's Message - July 21, 2010

Continuing the Question of Salvation According to John Wesley (in Amelia's words)

Justification or Pardon

We are not justified by works, according to Wesley. We are justified by faith. Faith is the experience and conviction of God's love for us and the trust and belief in this love. Justification occurs when we have faith that God redeems us (that is ME) through Christ. Works are only indirectly related to justification but they do not save us. The moment we are justified begins our re-birth. This is the gate-way to Sanctification. To be born again is a requirement for salvation.
Repentance is different for justification and later for our sanctification. In justification we repent of our sinfulness, guilt, evil and fear of God's judgment. In sanctification we repent of the sins of our heart and lack of love.

Sanctification and Assurance

Sanctification is where God acts in us through the Holy Spirit. It is more of a journey than a destination. It is not a static state because we can both grow to entire sanctification as well as fall from sanctification. Sanctification is not always instantaneous. It can happen in concurrence with our justification. We are sanctified by our faith rather than our works. If one is sanctified, works of mercy and piety cannot but help blossom out of our inward feelings of love. The direct witness that God loves us as we are is called assurance, which occurs when we are both justified and sanctified. This assurance is not just a feeling of peace, love and joy nor is it just something with our own conscience, which is an indirect witness. Assurance is also not reassurance which is the feeling of being okay the way we are. Real assurance comes from the Spirit and carries us through even the darkest times.

Going on to Perfection

We don't end with our sanctification but go on to perfection. Perfection is perfect love and can be called Christian Perfection. According to Wesley, it is love which fills our entire being, effects our inward and outward parts and maintains strict discipline, the love of God and the love of neighbor. It is not a state as it can grow and mature further. Our personal salvation is part of the salvation of all of creation, also called the new creation.

Hopefully, we can all understand a bit more about what John Wesley thought about our salvation.

See you in church!

Amelia

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Pastor's Message - July 14, 2010

The Way of Salvation

Why is salvation needed in the first place?

Prior to the Fall, Wesley believed that human beings were mature persons who participated in the life of God (the Latin word for this is imago) and reflected God's image (also known in Latin as similtudo) in both body and soul. Humans had moral, spiritual and political images of God. The Fall caused death and corruption; the similtudo was severed while the imago remained. In other words, after the Fall humans were still participating in the life of God but no longer reflected the image of God. Humans were then spiritually dead. This death and corruption were handed down biologically from parents to children. Sin for Wesley was the ruin of God's image or similtudo in our lives through which our relationship to the rest of creation is incomplete.

Wesley understood redemption to be the restoration of the similtudo and the awakening of the imago in us as well as the restoration of right relationships. This redemption comes through salvation. For Wesley, the first stage of our salvation was through Prevenient Grace. Prevenient Grace is what God does for us through the death of Jesus the Christ. Prevenient Grace takes place at our birth and removes the guilt of original sin.

What do we do with Baptism?

Baptism for Wesley is the initiatory sacrament (first holy act in the Church) that signifies God's covenantal relationship with us. This can be done by sprinkling, dipping or pouring in the name of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Baptism signifies that we are heirs of God's kingdom, members of the Body of Christ and have entered a covenantal relationship with God, even as infants. Baptism for Wesley could be for infants or adults, although he stressed the baptism of infants. When we are baptized, we begin our first regeneration. Regeneration is the beginning of the restoration of the image of God in us. Humans could go on to perfection from here as the image of God is partially restored. However, as humans after the Fall we are still under sin and succumb to it so that a second regeneration is needed.

Next week we will look at the second regeneration, also known as Justification.

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Pastor's Message - July 7, 2010

Our confirmation class is beginning to study John Wesley this coming Sunday. While revisiting my notes from my really good Wesley class in Seminary, I came across my final exam (got an A) and thought I would share this with all of you in the next few weeks. In addition, all of you are invited to join the confirmands during Sunday School this Sunday, July 11th, as Jane and Charlie Cobb literally walk us through Wesley's home in England!

According to John Wesley, What is Salvation?
Salvation according to Wesley is God's actions in our lives that restore God's image in us. Salvation is not something that happens to us after death, according to Wesley. Salvation happens in this life because God has promised it to us through scripture, what God has promised God does, God is able to do it now and God does restore us to God's image at this very moment. The only thing absolutely needed of us is faith in God's gift of grace and love. The salvation that Wesley understands is also salvation or restoration of the whole of creation. Salvation is therefore not just personal, according to Wesley.... God is not bent on destruction of God's creation but the transformation of all creation so that all of creation mirrors God's image. Salvation is therefore communal and involves all of creation.

Questions? Comments? Would love to hear from you at: pastor@faithumc.net

Amelia

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Pastor's Message - June 30, 2010

Have you ever read a best selling book and came away somehow changed after you finished it? Have you ever read something by a secular author that resonated with your own life of faith? Has a book ever made you want to share and discuss it with your pastor or Sunday school class?

Many times those books we consider to be non-religious can have some really powerful insights and messages for our journey as Christians. However, we often are not sure what to do with these gleanings. Do we keep this to ourselves? Would others think we were crazy to receive a spiritual boost from a book other than the Bible?

As Christians, we are called to see all of the world, including everything we read, in the light of Christ. Often this means we can begin to understand the spiritual pulse of the rest of the world and grow in our own faith at the same time. However, we might have to get a new pair of lenses to see in a faithful way as we read!

I have been attempting to do this with my latest blog, Faith In Books at www.faithinbooks.blogspot.com.

I read a book, whether fiction or nonfiction, and, as I read, I put on my own faith lenses. After reading the book, I think about what the book either says about my own personal faith, what Christian questions the book seems to raise or what helpful issues have been highlighted for me as a Christian. I think in seminary they tried to get me to do this. My professors called it "thinking theologically" which I resisted because I did not have a firm grasp on what they were talking about. However, I have learned since seminary that many faith issues that I struggle with are also being written about in many secular books. Not all of them have been helpful for me personally, but I have learned to read with a faithful eye. Although not everything I read is going to appeal to everyone, I have tried to put my thoughts into words along with a brief summary and review in my blog.

What are you reading this summer? I invite you to put on your faith lenses as you read, prayerfully considering what God may be saying to you through this media. You may be surprised at the growth you will experience by doing so!


Happy Reading!

Amelia

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Pastor's Message - June 23, 2010

One of my good friends, Nancy Johnson, is a pastor in the North Georgia Annual Conference. We actually met through a networking agency of women in the Southeast and we have since continued our friendship.

I have been one of Nancy's prayer partners for the past two years as she has begun a new congregation just north of Atlanta. I have been both excited for and proud of her — it really is unusual for any Conference to allow a woman pastor to begin a new church! She has initiated some remarkable ministries and has worked really hard to get this congregation going. However, just this past month, she had a crisis with one of her staff members and this has really torn the struggling church apart. Nancy is pretty sure this spells the end of her congregation — although we have sent out prayer requests for a
miracle (you know that God can do what we cannot even hope or imagine!). Her biggest sadness is over how malicious people are being.

How can a Christian be so hateful to others in the same community of followers?

Loving others, part of our own mission statement here at Faith UMC, is probably the hardest part of being a church. Just looking at the behavior of the disciples arguing about who is the greatest gives us a clue how hard all this loving others can be. Loving God and Sharing God's Love seem to come more naturally and consistently to us. But loving those people who worship and work with you at church — that is another animal altogether. We come to see the weaknesses in each other and it is easy to lash out where we know it hurts the most. It is also harder to love someone when you see them doing things you don't
personally find to be Christian. We also have not been taught how to guide one another in a supportive and loving way. We would rather be either confrontative or passive aggressive in our interactions in order to make things turn out the way we think they should.

But God wants us to be here in a community of faith. God wants us to worship and work side-by-side. God calls us to learn how to love each other because only our love for one another can be easily seen by God's guests. And our love for each other will strengthen our love for God and our neighbors. Let us cast aside maliciousness, envy, slander and hypocrisy and love one another just as we are right now.

In Christ, Amelia

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Pastor's Message - June 16, 2010

My husband and I recently watched a movie called "Up In the Air," starring George Clooney. Now, this is not a family film and I am not sure I would really recommend it to anyone. However, it really got me to thinking about relationships.

One part of the plot is that the character played by Clooney goes around the country giving motivational speeches. These are entitled "What's In Your Backpack?" What the Clooney character ends up doing is convincing others to get rid of everything in their lives - including their relationships with other people. This includes spouses, siblings, and friends. And the main character himself is one of the most lonely people even though he is constantly surrounded by others and is frequently called by name due to his frequent flyer status.

Although I was quite angry that the movie didn't actually show that he had really changed by the closing credits, it did make me think about how I treat others in my own relationships. How close do I really allow others to get to me? How much of an effort am I willing to give to friendships? How much work will I put toward my relationships with others?

Now, I am a follower of Christ Jesus who gave his whole life to relationships - not just on the cross but in the year or three before his death. Christ was all about relationships: healing, forgiving, encouraging, leading, loving, and teaching. He surrounded himself with people with whom he built a relationship and he also challenged those around him to be in a special relationship with one another. Can I do any less?

Part of our mission statement at Faith UMC is to love others. Well, you can't love others without being in relationship with one another. Only seeing others on Sundays from 10:30-11:30 does not count! You have to spend some time during the week contacting one another, going to visit those who are shut-ins, checking on folks you haven't seen in awhile and generally spending some time on your relationships. This is what we are about as the family of Faith.

Will you join me as we work on our relationships together?

Amelia

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Pastor's Message - June 9, 2010

I don't like to ask for help. Some of you have already realized this!

I claim this as a big weakness of mine. The really sad thing is I can see this same trait developing in my eight-year-old!

Two weeks ago, I had to get some major help. I was traveling to Boston with my family and we were leaving out of the Atlanta airport. I had sprained my ankle just a couple of days before, and I was moving very slowly and trying to keep off of it as much as possible.

How should we negotiate the Atlanta airport?

My husband insisted that we ask the airline for a wheelchair. So, that is what we did.

I hated it. HATED IT.

Even though we went through security extremely quickly, I still didn't like it. I am happy that I didn't have to stand in that long line or navigate from the main terminal to terminal C. However, being helpless and having to rely on others to get me to the gate and go get something for me to eat was not a great experience for me.

The best thing I can say for it (besides getting through security) was that I did get to observe other people. I wasn't having to watch where I was going as the airline employee was taking care of that. So, I could really look and see what other people were doing and how they were acting. That part was fun.

I have been reading through the Psalms recently and it strikes me how many times the psalmist ask for God's help. The understanding is that we humans are really helpless without God. We need God. We need to ask God for help. Because when we don't, we find ourselves in huge trouble.

Do you mind asking for help? All of us need to remember that we need God's help, regardless of how independent we are or like to think of ourselves.

God, help me. Forgive me when I don't ask for the help I need. Help me to accept your gracious assistance in all areas of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Pastor's Message - May 26, 2010

On my daily walks through a near-by neighborhood, I have watched several homes being put up for sale. Some have sold rather quickly and others have been on the market for months. I often speculate what it would take for those not selling to be more attractive, at least on the surface.

There has been one such house that has often caught my eye and I have been tempted to do my own "home improvement" every time I see it! You see, this cute home has had a big flaw that really takes away from what I can see is a selling point: The three dead ferns on the front porch. Those of you who have ever tried to sell a home know that realtors often advise placing a flowering plant on your front porch or stoop in order to make your home seem more attractive to buyers. So, why were those three ferns left on the porch for months? Even if the owners had taken the effort to just remove those awful brown stems, the empty pots would have been so much more attractive. This was what I was tempted to do each time I saw them! All it would have taken was ten minutes and a small trowel. Such a small effort for a major improvement.

Then, just two weeks ago, the owners removed those three pots, brown stems and all.

And would you believe it, that house had a sold sign on it within a week!

It is the little things that make a big difference.

This is also true at our church, whether you are speaking of our physical building or us as the Body of Christ. It is the little things — positive or negative — that make a difference. A smile, a kind word, a swept sidewalk, a flower in the restroom — little things can make a big impression. Likewise, inattention to details — after all, we are probably not going to notice them - can be big turn-offs for God's guests.

What effort can you make to cover a small detail? It will make a BIG difference!

In Christ, Amelia

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Pastor's Message - May 19, 2010

Dear Friends in Christ;

I was going to write about our upcoming day of fasting and prayer, but decided to simply include what the Acts 29 prayer group has compiled. I hope you will give some serious consideration to joining us this Sunday. Prayerfully, Amelia

There by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions….So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8: 21,23

"Faced with a significant problem, Ezra called for a fast. Notice that the problem was more than a personal matter. It involved all of God's people who were traveling across the wilderness, plus all of the thousands remaining in Babylon who had given gold & other treasure to him. The fast that Ezra called for was not an attempt to escape problems but to enlist the Holy Spirit's aid in tackling them." Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough Elmer Towns
The Faith Fast

We, the Acts 29 Prayer Force team, are asking God's church at Faith to join us in fasting and prayer from sunrise to sunset on Pentecost Sunday, May 23rd to enlist the Holy Spirit's aid in solving our financial situation at Faith. Here are the facts as outlined in God's message to us:
* Pray for the Finances at Faith UMC, particularly that God will provide for 100% apportionments and outstanding debts.
* PEM debt (4,627.46)-Ask God to encourage those that have pledged to remain faithful to those pledges and to provide the $972.00 that has not been pledged.
* Required District Apportionments not paid in 2008 & 2009- $20,780.00 ($9,506 for 2009 & $11,274 for 2008 )
* $1500.00 for Continuing Education
In ancient Jewish tradition, fasting had two primary purposes:
1. To express personal or national repentance for sin; fasting was a form of humble supplication before God in the face of destruction or calamity.
2. To prepare oneself inwardly for receiving the necessary strength and grace to complete a mission of faithful service in God's name.

We believe that as we fast and pray as God's church, He will enable us to see the problem through His eyes and provide a new vision of what He can do. As you fast and pray during the day, evaluate each of the facts as written. Every time a solution comes to mind, write it down. These solutions will be offered to God in a Prayer Service on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. when we come together at the end of the day.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles….Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Remember: The purpose fasting and praying on Pentecost, May 23rd is to enlist the Holy Spirit's aid in the financial situation at God's church at Faith. By fasting and praying, we are making ourselves available for God's direction and clarity in this situation.

Whether God is leading you to fast from food, other alternatives or to pray, please join together on Sunday evening, May 23rd at 7 p.m. as we offer this day back to Him and celebrate all He is doing at his church at Faith.

1. Do not fast from food if you have a medical condition that might worsen without food, sick, traveling or under unusual stress.
2. Because fasting from food depletes your normal energy reserves, it is important to reduce your normal activity while fasting (i.e. exercise or any kind of physical labor).
3. It is a common mistake to try to "tank up" on extra calories before fasting, an equally common error to eat a big meal after one. A fast should be broken gently with a light, non-fatty meal, generally of fruits and vegetables.
4. In the week prior to fasting, eat more fruits and vegetables. Try to decrease your intake of caffeine and sugary drinks.
5. Alternatives to fasting from food during the day could include abstinence from any type of media stimulation such as TV, Internet or Phone.
6. If you aren't accustomed to fasting, water with some fresh squeezed lemon is good to sip throughout the day. Refrain from adding sugar.
7. If you regularly drink caffeine first thing in the AM, it is best to have some caffeine (but without milk or sugar or sugar substitute) at that time. One cup of hot tea or black coffee is recommended. This will avoid the headache that sometimes accompanies lack of caffeine.
8. If you have a food fast, please don't be ashamed if you cannot "make it" until the evening. Watch out for feeling weak AND for snapping at people (your family makes a good target. Better to do some fasting than to force your fasting and then be forced to go to the hospital or a divorce attorney.

Early morning: Fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed and diluted in 50% distilled water if the fruit is acid. Orange, apple, pear, grapefruit, papaya, watermelon or other fruit are good. If you are unable to prepare your juices, buy juices without sugar or additives.

Mid-morning: Vegetable or fruit juice, diluted in water.
Mid-afternoon: Herb tea, with a drop of honey if you like. Make sure that it is not black tea or tea with a stimulant. Also avoid other caffeine beverages such as coffee or cola.

Early evening: Broth made from boiling potatoes, celery, and carrots with no salt. After boiling about half an hour, pour the water into a container and drink it.

Do not chew anything such as gum while fasting. The digestive process starts with chewing - enzymes are secreted into the gastrointestinal tract. With no food in the stomach for these enzymes to digest, trouble can occur.

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Pastor's Message - May 12, 2010

Love God

"...But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled
with compassion...." Luke 15:20 NRSV

I am reminded of the story of the Prodigal every morning. This is
because I can see part of my neighbor's front lawn and driveway as I am spending time with God in my devotionals. Every morning, about seven, a white car pulls up into their driveway. It is their daughter
with her children. The amazing thing is this: the grandfather always comes out to meet them. However, the daughter does not arrive at the same time every day. This means that the grandfather is watching for their arrival and he never misses coming out, even before their car is completely stopped. He gets the older child and carries him into the house (only stopping for the paper). The mother carries the younger child into the house before leaving, presumably for work.

The grandfather is always watching, just as the Prodigal's father was watching for his younger son's return.

And God is always watching for us. Whether we have strayed from God's side, or done something to damage our relationship, God is always more than ready to come out to welcome us. In fact, God is watching for our arrival. God doesn't wait until we knock or ring the bell. God wants to greet us with joy right there in the driveway.

If we say that we love God and our neighbor as ourselves, perhaps we too need to be on the lookout for the stranger, the former member or the guest pulling into the parking lot. We don't need to wait until they come into the church, we need to be on the lookout so that we can go out and greet them.

Waiting, watching, greeting with love: it doesn't take much to express how much God loves us.

In God's Love, Amelia

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Pastor's Message - May 5, 2010

Love Others

What is more important: being right or having a relationship? Would you rather prove someone wrong or create some healing in a broken friendship?

In John 21:15-17, Jesus tries to get Peter to say that he loves Jesus. But Peter keeps saying he likes (or is very fond of) Jesus. We miss this because English only has one word for love. In the original Greek, Jesus is using the word agape while Peter keeps saying phila. Agape is a self-less, God-like love while phila is brotherly love. Jesus could have forced Peter to see that the type of love really makes a difference. Jesus was right and we know that as well. Jesus was the resurrected son of God! He was all-powerful and all-knowing. He had defeated the ultimate enemies of sin and death. He could have pushed Peter to seeing how right Jesus was in using the word for self-less love.

But Jesus chooses to honor his relationship with Peter. His relationship with Peter was more important that establishing who was right. So, in the final question, Jesus uses the word phila. Jesus was not about arguing or being in the right. Jesus was loving Peter with true agape and saw that the need was greater to agree than to be right.

What relationship or relationships have you had that have fallen apart because you were right? You knew you were right. They were wrong. You were not about to let go of being on the moral high ground.

What would it take to heal that broken relationship?

Would you have to eat "crow?" Say you were sorry? Pick up the phone? Be friends on facebook? Go and have coffee with your former friend?

Or maybe you would have to pray to God, asking that God take away your insistence on being right. Instead, ask God to heal the most important thing: your relationship with that other person.

Take some time to day to write down whatever it is that you have been "right" about. Then throw that piece of paper in the trash - or better yet, burn it! Your relationships are more important than being right.

Let's use agape love when we say we are Loving Others!

Agape Love,

Amelia

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Pastor's Message - April 28, 2010

Here are two quotes from Fox News, dated April 13 :

The Freedom from Religion Foundation has sent a letter to Birmingham City Hall, voicing strong opinions against Christianity and against prayer at Birmingham City Hall.

"Why cant [sic] they pray before they come to the city council meetings?" [Annie Laurie] Gaylor said. "Nothing fails like prayer, the universe is full of unanswered prayer, the graveyards are full of people who died praying to live."

Well, Annie Laurie, I really don't know where to jump in here first.

Nothing fails like prayer. Hmmm, I would guess that most Christians would disagree with that statement. Certainly, with the answered prayers we have received just since I have been serving here, we would all disagree with that one. Perhaps Annie Laurie has prayed in the past and God's timing was not her timing or God answered in ways she didn't expect or see.

The universe is full of unanswered prayer. This is like saying God is the genie in the bottle who is supposed to grant your every wish just like you ask. Sometimes God has us to wait. Sometimes God knows what is best for us and does other things in our lives. Sometimes God is waiting for us to do something besides just pray -- this could be anything from repentance, to taking action to changing our minds. Sometimes God just wants us to be in relationship with Him, talking to him as we would a good friend.

The graveyards are full of people who died praying to live. Well, Annie Laurie, you have just missed out on the whole point of Christianity. Prayer does not grant us immortality. Prayer helps us in our relationship with God. Prayer helps us on the journey but is not meant to prolong the journey itself. We have received eternal life, not immortality. There's a difference. The graveyards are full of bodies who have received eternal life and are waiting for their bodily resurrection. Eternal life begins where we are now and continues forever more.

Annie Laurie sounds like someone who prayed for a loved one to live and that person died. She sounds like someone who is full of anger at God and who has no real concept of what it means to be Christian.

I think, Annie Laurie, that we need to put you on our prayer list. We need to pray that your heart will be softened to the message of Jesus Christ. That you will hear and believe. And that you will find yourself in a remarkable life of prayer.

I also think that there are plenty of Annie Lauries here in Clay. Let's continue to pray for them and find ways to reach out to them in order to Share God's Love.

In His Love,
Amelia

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Pastor's Message - April 21, 2010

I cannot begin to express my own feelings of being loved here at Faith UMC. Not only did all of you affirm me on the Second Sunday of Easter, you were giving me lots of love and support during the last few weeks. As your pastor, I have truly been basking in your love. Perhaps some folks would say that is a fluke or a one-time kind of crisis support. I disagree.

You have really expressed love for one another in your prayers and support for our church families in crisis, in helping one another with moves, job searches and fund raising for mission trips and in participating in small groups. You all have a remarkable gift of loving each other in these circumstances. And I know that this kind of love is from above. It isn't build on membership but on God's abiding love within this church.

But I encourage you not to keep that love to yourselves! I know many of you have invited friends and neighbors to church. Over and over again, I hear that folks want to come to church and worship with us because you share the stories of loving one another. Many people you know really want to have that kind of love in their lives. So, the best thing you can do is to tell others about this church, how we are loving one another. Pretty soon, your friends are going to want to come and experience that love for themselves!

Love in Christ,
Amelia

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Pastor's Message - April 14, 2010

Last Sunday, we all were challenged to "Stop the Drop!" That is, we were all challenged to come to church bringing our friends in order to have the Sunday after Easter as one of our higher attended Sundays. Traditionally, this Sunday is the lowest attended Sunday of the year. It is as if folks last through Lent, get to Easter, then feel as though that is all they need to give. Six weeks and it's over. Done with. Jesus rose. Wasn't that the point? Now we can just relax, work on our taxes or play golf. We did our part. Now to get back to our lives.

However, Jesus' first day of resurrection was the beginning of another forty days of preparing his followers for the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. Easter Sunday is the beginning, not the end. Easter is the doorway rather than the dwelling itself.

So, we were challenged to not only come to church but to invite others to come with us. I must say I was pleasantly surprised! We had 69 people in worship on the Sunday after Easter! Our average attendance prior to Easter Sunday was less than 65, so we really did better than average. Of course, with our huge attendance on Easter Sunday -- 154 with two worship services -- our average attendance now stands at 75. Even with the increase in average attendance, to only have six less in worship is a wonderful thing to celebrate!

In fact, we need to be celebrating! Easter Sunday is just the first day of a whole Easter season! Instead of saying "the Sunday after Easter" we really should be saying "the Second Sunday of Easter." The celebration of the risen Christ just goes on and on. Many Christians even see every Sunday as a little Easter. The power of the risen Christ does not just happen on one day of the year. It is a gift that goes on eternally. Praise God!

Happy Easter!
Amelia