Day 1: 40-4-4 Lenten Prayer for Social Justice

DAY 1

40-4-4 Lenten Prayer for Social Justice

(40 days at 4:00 pm for 4 minutes)

John

Wesley

(1703–1791)

John Wesley was born into the devout Anglican home of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. He attended Oxford and was soon ordained as an Anglican minister. Later, as the founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley emphasized two types of holiness: personal holiness, which is growing your personal relationship with God, and social holiness, which is showing love to others through caring for the needy. We today focus on one or the other. But these two go hand in hand. We cannot grow in personal holiness without giving of ourselves to those in need and our life in Christ necessarily leads to the will to help other people. During his life and ministry, Wesley developed five kinds of programs to serve the poor: Food, clothing, and shelter for the most destitute, those unable to work; Materials and seed money to start up small businesses or to keep businesses from closing; Schools for the children of the poor; Literacy programs for adults; Free medical clinics for the poor. John Wesley himself was an ardent abolitionist and had spoken out forcibly against slavery, repeatedly referring to the slave trade as the “execrable sum of all villainies."

Today we are going to pray with Wesley's "Covenant Prayer" and reflect on his sayings.

COVENANT PRAYER

(Contemporary Version)

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,

Praised for you or criticized for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.

And now, O wonderful and holy God,

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,

you are mine, and I am yours.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it also be made in heaven. Amen.

(John Wesley)

REFLECTION on Wesley's Sayings

“Earn all you can,

Save all you can,

and Give all you can.”

“Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?

May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?

Without all doubt, we may.

Herein all the children of God may unite,

notwithstanding these smaller differences.”

“In essentials, unity;

in non-essentials, liberty;

and, in all things, charity.”

(John Wesley)

Our Mission Statement

“God calls us to be disciples of Jesus, building community through service and fellowship and sharing the love of Christ with all.”

Our Openness Statement

“The United Methodist Church of Westford is an open and welcoming community of Christian Faith. Without any exceptions, we welcome anyone who seeks to love and to serve God.”

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