From the Pastor - October 2017

Dear Friends in Christ,

Grace is one of the most important words in our vocabulary of Christian belief.  It is both the love and power of God.  In his sermon “Free Grace,” John Wesley said that grace is “free in all, and free for all.”¹

Some people do not consider themselves “religious.”  That may be how they see themselves.  However, it does not change how God sees them. 

As United Methodists, we affirm that God’s grace is for all people.  In other words, God loves every human person, and God’s power is working in each person’s heart.  Grace is what prompts God to bless us and forgive us and guide us toward God and what is good.

When I was looking for an image that conveys the idea of “all people,” I found one that shows a diverse group of adults.  Among them are different genders, people of various ages, heights, skin colors, and cultures.  Whether they are professing Christians or not, religious or not, God’s grace is for all the people in the picture.

Noticeably, the picture does not show children, but without a doubt, God loves children.  Jesus said, “Allow the children to come to me.  Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children.”²  God’s love for all people is the reason we baptize people of any age, including children.  It is the reason we invite all people to the Lord’s Supper.

The picture also does not show anyone who is obviously poor, disabled, gay, or transgender.  However, as a reconciling congregation, Trinity adopted the welcoming statement:

Our welcome and compassion extend to all who seek God, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, economic status, education, family structure, religious background, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.³

This welcome is not about political correctness.  It is rooted in our theology of universal grace, which is God’s love for all people.  As the United Methodist Council of Bishops affirms, the idea that grace is for all people is “essential to Wesley’s understanding of the gospel, and to the movement he inspired.  They remain a vital part of the United Methodist affirmation.”⁴

God’s grace is for all people.  Through the church, God’s grace has the power to change lives and create community.  In these days of conflict over issues like race, human sexuality, and immigration, I believe that our Wesleyan understanding of God’s grace should be the prevailing principle in how we see ourselves and others. 

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Dr. Brian C. Smith

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¹ John Wesley, Sermon 110, “Free Grace” (1742), § 1, in Sermons III, ed. Albert C. Outler, vol. 3 of The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986), 544.

² Matthew 19:14, CEB.

³ After two years of congregational study, discussion, and discernment, Trinity Church formally adopted this statement during a charge conference on May 1, 2016.

⁴ Committee on Faith and Order, "Wonder, Love, and Praise: Sharing a Vision of the Church," (Washington, DC: Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, 2016).