A Historical Movement
Part 2 of 3: Devotion series exploring the theme of the 2024 Virginia Annual Conference.
Series Note:
This year’s theme for the Virginia Annual Conference, the yearly gathering of United Methodists across Virginia, is an interesting one, and one I would like to reflect on in a devotional manner. The theme is A Conference in Three Movements.
Bishop Sue defines these three movements saying:
The theological movement from prevenient grace to sanctification. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in the human heart.
The historical movement of Methodism captured in our past, lived in our present, and pointed toward our future. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in the church.
The missional movement from gathered spaces into all the world. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in community.
To learn more about this year’s conference gathering, click here.
A Historical Movement
Is the church perfect?
No…by no means
Has the church ever been perfect?
Also no.
However, I feel that many of us look at aspects of our past and think that it would be nice to return to what things looked like “back then.” We yearn for the old day, when things felt straight forward and in some ways comfortable.
We are a part of a historical movement, recognizing the movement of the Spirit throughout history, but we neglect to consider that this “historical movement” also incorporates our present and future as well.
As the Body of Christ gathered in what we have come to call church, we live and exist in this interesting narrative cycle. At all times in our existence as the church, we are living by what I often think of as the three “L”s:
Learning from the Past
Living in the Present
Looking toward the Future
These L’s are ideas to live by, that we don’t get stuck in the cycle of sameness and complacency of where we have been. We are constantly in relationship and conversation with God, about how we are moving forrward to embody the grace and peace of God in our daily lives as the Body of Christ.
In his introducitory prayer and blessing to the people of Philippi, Paul writes,
“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:3-6 NRSV)
There is a message of hope and promise existent in the chapters adn verses of Paul’s letter to the Phillipians. Paul seems to be writing this letter from prison and wants to encourage this body to keep up the hope, to live according to God’s calling, and never forget the work they are called to do. There is a present, past, and future present, as Paul prays a blessing for the work that this church will participate in.
The fear is that by forgeting any one aspect of this nature of church; learning, living, and looking, we will miss the movement of the Spirit. We will miss what God is doing right in our midst, and neglect to see the joy and spirit in that work.
When we only exist in the past we seemingly think that the Spirit has stopped working at some point in our history. When only exist in the present, we may lose sight of how the spirit is moving us forward. When we only exist in the future, we can feel hopeless if the Spirit will ever truly work in our lives.
How are we balancing in each of these different places?
Do we rely to much on one or another?
Have we forgotten where we have come from or neglected to reflect on where we are going?
Are we truly open to how the Spirit is working in the newness of God’s grace each and every day?