In the United Methodist Church,we practice two Christian sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, believed that there are two parts necessary in sacrament. The first is the fact that God actually offers grace and power through the sacraments and then, with an evangelical spirit, we as individuals make a decision to embrace the grace and freedom God offers in the sacraments.
The sacraments are intended to remind us that God will not desert any of us, His creation of us isn't over when we are born; it continues throughout our lives. Communion and baptism are assurances of God's desire to be in relationship with us. They are conduits through which God works to protect, heal, transform and liberate us.
The sacrament of Baptism is practiced casually in our church. Family customs my influence at what age a person is baptized. Infant baptism activates the promise of God for that child. In teenage years, we are offered instruction and the opportunity to claim our baptismal vows for ourselves and meet the requirements for church membership. Still others may have found God in adulthood and choose to be baptized.
Baptism is a bold act. We are marked with God's stamp. God says a resounding YES to us in our baptism. YES, I CLAIM YOU AS MY OWN. Whatever happens to you, I will be there with you, seeking to redeem you, holding you in my arms, rejoicing in your beauty and uniqueness.
This promise is movingly stated in the hymn, "I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry".
I was there to hear your borning cry, I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold.
I was there when you were but a child, with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wondered off to find where demons dwell.
When you heard the wonder of the word I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the Living Lord, to whom you now belong.
The covenant of baptism is a crucial channel of what we call the grace of God. Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life, according to United Methodist teaching. "By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit."
John Wesley was very emphatic about God's grace and what it means for us. As United Methodists we have been offered clear directions on how we should live our lives to obtain all the wonders of the grace God wishes for us.
Prevenient (or preparing) grace comes before any response from us. It has been there from the beginning.
Justifying (or forgiving) grace restores us and reconciles us to God.
Wesley described prevenient grace as the "porch of religion" and justifying grace as the "door of religion". The actual "house of religion" is the realm of sanctifying (or perfect) grace. This is the life of faith in which one grows. In this grace, we are sustained in life, empowered with the gifts of God, equipped as disciples, and led ever more intimately to our true home in God.
For Wesley, the Eucharist was a central experience of Christian worship. In fact, John Wesley practiced daily Holy Communion. As we partake in Holy Communion, of bread and juice, we are taking the fullness of Christ within us--his body and blood and we are empowered to be the real presence of Christ in the world.
Consider how the real world is turned upside down by the Eucharist. All are invited, and all are nourished. Division is erased. Dissension ceases. And we humble ourselves at the altar to share equally in Christ's sacrifice, love and justice.
Wesley challenges us to embrace living sacramentally, in public and personally, in equal measure. For Wesley there is no personal religion but social religion, no holiness but social holiness.
Based on the Bible, the great spiritual writers of his time, and his personal experience and observation, John Wesley identified five works of piety which he also called "windows" of grace: scripture, prayers, Christian conferencing and conversation, Holy Communion and worship and fasting. These are channels through which God places grace within our heart, and Wesley considered them indispensable for sacramental living.
Sacramental living does not stop there, but expresses itself through works of mercy. By feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, entertaining or assisting the stranger, visiting those who are sick or in prison, comforting the afflicted, instructing the ignorant, reproving the wicked, exhorting and encouraging the well-doer, we are showing mercy.
If baptism gives us our "marching orders" that send us out into the world, then Holy Communion reveals the destiny that God intends for us. Living sacramentally and walking justly isn't just about "doing good". Above all, it is the transformative act that moves us in the direction of God's promised kingdom.
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