Friday 24 May 2024
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. (vs 4-5)
Background
I am fortunate enough to be a platelet donator. Even though I go regularly every month, I am asked several times for my date of birth. While this is normal, interestingly one of the nurses I see every time shares the same birthday, though her birthday is, as she reminds me, many years after mine! We often talk of our shared special day and seek to encourage one another.
Today Methodists and others celebrate the special day for John Wesley when he felt his “heart strangely warmed” and knew that God loved him. As this special day is remembered, it still encourages us today. It was that experience so beautifully described in his journal that changed John Wesley and challenges today.
Today’s passage from Galatians should equally encourage believers to know their place in the family of God. The use of ‘minors’ in verse 1 as heirs is an attempt to show that inheritance comes at the discretion of the parent. It comes at a specific time. For Paul it comes when God acts with the birth of Jesus (verse 4). In stressing “born of a woman”, the verse shows both divinity and humanity.
It is God who acts, and those who respond have God’s Spirit in their hearts (verse 6). I wonder if it means their hearts are, in Wesley’s words, “strangely warmed”? It is God who brings about both the inheritance and adoption which allows the believer to praise God in the most familial of ways, using the same words as Jesus does to address God the Father.
It is good to be able to use the most personal of phrases to recount Spirit-filled moments. Individuals can feel their lives changed – either dramatically in an instant – or gradually over years. Not everyone journals each day to reflect, but the knowledge of what God has done can often be seen in looking back over weeks and years.
It is important to tell of special experiences of the Holy Spirit and to be inspired by what happened just before nine o’clock on 24 May 1738 and the effect it had upon Wesley and countless others. Today is a day when each one of us who follows Jesus can tell of their own experience of the Holy Spirit.
To Ponder:
- Who will you tell today about John Wesley?
- It feels special to be welcomed into a family. How can the Church make it feel good to be welcomed into the family of God?
Prayer
We give thanks for the life, witness and work of John and Charles Wesley and the opportunities to mark the occasions of their conversions. We are grateful for the ongoing ministry of the people called Methodists. We pray for opportunities to tell the good news so that more may be welcomed as children of God. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Paul Davis
Paul served for 40 years as a Methodist minister, most recently serving as Chair of the Lancashire District. He currently sits on the board of Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes.