We're in week three of a twelve week study of basic doctrine at St. Andrew's. I call it “Stuff Every Christian Should Know.” Highly intellectual title, huh? Despite that, we had almost 50 people show up tonight for the supper and the study that followed (although I'm sure the tasty fried chicken may have been the bigger attraction)!
Nevertheless, somewhere in the middle of our time together tonight, I pointed out that perhaps of all the things we Methodists emphasize, perhaps the greatest of these is love. Which is to say that we Wesleyan types are more apt to focus on God's love than any other aspect of God's nature or attributes or purposes toward us. As I said those words, I suddenly remembered once hearing a song called "The Wesley Brothers" whose chorus emphasizes this point: John would preach and Charles would sing, it was a most unusual thing; how the Wesley Brothers preached the love of God.
Written by the late Doris Akers, the talented African-American composer who gave us “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”, the song is ironically one that I doubt many Methodists--especially United Methodists--have ever heard. And yet in three short minutes, it helps us see that while learning basic doctrine is critically important for every Christian, we Methodists would do well to recover one of the great doctrinal emphases of our founders: the love of God.
2 comments:
Thank you for this post. I remember hearing this song on the radio as a child, and I think of it every time I see or hear reference to the Wesley brothers. I'm now a committed Catholic, and I still greatly appreciate the hymns of Charles Wesley. I also have a lot of respect for Thomas Oden.
That song can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Morvoko9ak&feature=youtu.be
Post a Comment