A Vision of Holiness

John Wesley taught that there were four primary resources available to the community of faith as they sought to help one another grow in loving God, loving neighbors, and loving one another as Christ loves us: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. These four resources have become known as “Wesley’s Quadrilateral.” Wesley believed these four resources guide the church as it seeks to faithfully live out its mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ who seek to grow in holiness of heart and life.

Unfortunately, the church (at least, “The United Methodist Church”) is not doing a very good job of making disciples or of leading people to seek to grow in holiness of heart and life. Year after year we receive reports of declining numbers in membership, attendance, and giving. There is increasing evidence within the church of accommodation to the values of the culture. The impact and influence of the church is relegated to the margins of society. How has this happened?

I believe it is because we are misusing our resources.

Scripture is the primary source for Christian theology. It is where God reveals himself to the world. It is the foundation for understanding and interpreting Christian faith and life. It is meant to be read, studied, and interpreted as a whole as we seek to know more about God’s mystery, presence, and power. For many, scripture has become a collection of texts they rely on to support their particular agenda.

Tradition has come to mean “what we are comfortable doing.” In some churches if they do anything the same way twice, you’ll hear, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” For Wesley, tradition was the record of the faithfulness of the people of God across the centuries. He valued those practices that had sustained God’s people from generation to generation.

God gives us the freedom to question, think, and teach in order to watch over one another in love. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Today reason has been reduced to whatever makes sense to me.

For Wesley experience meant a personal encounter with the divine presence and power. Today many point to what works as proof of its value and efficacy.

 Fifteen hundred years ago, a young Benedict wanted to know how best to live for God within a hostile environment. He emerged from his retreat convinced that the spiritual life is countercultural, counterintuitive, and counterproductive.  I pray that God may focus our vision so that we may find the power and wisdom in the resources we have to live such lives.

Which Way

One of the more significant insights from Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, comes in a conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat:

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where –" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"– so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

The situation seems rather humorous at first; but when you stop to consider how many people are facing a quandary quite similar to the one Alice is confronting, you realize these circumstances are disturbing—if not tragic. There is no telling how many people, who claim to be looking for direction in their life, have never stopped to consider the destination they want to reach. They have never sorted through the many competing desires that pass through their life to identify the few longings that are most important to them. They have never settled the matter of which values are worth standing for. They have never connected to a cause that claimed their full allegiance. They are merely headed “somewhere.”

In his book, The Principle of the Path, Andy Stanley writes, “The direction you are currently traveling—relationally, financially, spiritually, and the list goes on and on—will determine where you end up in each of those respective arenas.”

The question remains: “Where [do] you want to get to?” If you want to move toward a destination where you can experience deep and satisfying relationships, where you can express your gifts and talents in ways that enrich the lives of others, and where you can begin to sense the delight of God; I invite you to focus on the longings and yearnings of your heart and mind. Ask God to help you identify those passions which lead to life and joy and peace. And then it will be much clearer “which way [you] ought to go from here.”

Building Relationships

Ask anyone who has ever run a business, and they will tell you taking care of your customer is one of the most important factors in achieving success. There are a lot of people who will give you at least one chance to impress them; but even if you have a superior product, supported by excellent service, offered at a competitive price, if you don’t let people know you appreciate them, you may not get a second chance to make a sale. And you certainly won’t get their vote in any “Best of” competition.

Successful businesses—whether they are retail, service, or manufacturing—whether they are brick-and-mortar or on-line—invest time and money in developing good relationships with their customers; because they know that it is an investment that pays great dividends. In fact, a whole category of software has been created to help companies manage their interactions with current and future customers. CRM (customer relationship management) software helps companies organize information about their customers so they can provide more appropriate support, offer more targeted special sales, and even suggest future purchases. They do it all because they know it is essential to their bottom line. It is the key to their existence.

I have to admit that I find it rather ironic (but mainly sad) that companies that are in business to sell widgets, maintain machines, or serve sandwiches value relationships more than some people who say they believe that everyone is created in the image of God. More than people who affirm the call to “love one another.” More than people who claim God has transformed them into a community that represents Christ to the world.

Still the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ give me confidence that God’s Spirit can empower those who trust in God to form, repair, redeem, and sustain relationships with others that are deeply satisfying. Relationships that exceed all our expectations. Relationships that give life. Relationships that communicate God’s great good news to all the world.