Day 1

The True God

By the power of your grace, transform us more and more until we become beautiful reflections of your presence and likeness in all that we do and are, as we offer all that we are and have to you in the name and spirit of Christ.Amen.

Scripture

What you worship as unknown, I now proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples made with human hands. Nor is God served by human hands, as though he needed something, since he is the one who gives life, breath, and everything else. From one person God created every human nation to live on the whole earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. ... In fact, God isn't far away from any of us. In God we live, move, and exist. As some of your own poets said, "We are his offspring."

Acts 17:23b-28

First Wesley Reading

And as the true God, he is also the Supporter of all the things that he hath made. He beareth, upholdeth, sustaineth, all created things by the word of his power, by the same powerful word which brought them out of nothing. As this was absolutely necessary for the beginning of their existence, it is equally so for the continuance of it: Were his almighty influence withdrawn, they could not subsist a moment longer. Hold up a stone in the air; the moment you withdraw your hand, it naturally falls to the ground. In like manner, were he to withdraw his hand for a moment, the creation would fall into nothing.

Sermon 77, "Spiritual Worship," Works 6:426

Reflections

God is sovereign and therefore God is able to care for and provide for all of creation.

In a world of almost instant communication and graphic story-telling about the tragedy and pain of the world, it is easy to forget this ancient truth.

Once we lose the concept of God as sovereign, our prayers, our faith, and our very souls begin to shrink. To believe in a severely limited God takes the heart out of reverence and out of prayer.

Commitment to a god that is too small will stifle any hope for a transformed world and dull our efforts to bring such a world into being. We become prisoners to our own weaknesses and the evil of the world when we forget that God is sovereign and God is able. Not only our salvation, but our prayers, our hope, our trust, our work, and our very lives are at risk when we follow a god too small to meet the needs of all of creation. Wesleyan theology never suffered from this weakness.

From the very beginning Wesley was clear about the sovereignty of God. He never doubted God's ability to care for and provide for all that God had created. God was omnipotent and there could never be any threat to God's power. Wesley did not minimize human responsibility but was always clear that God was sovereign and absolutely no worthy human endeavor could occur without God's participation. If God were to withhold participation, the creation itself would collapse.

Prayers that are completely dependent upon a sovereign God will touch the most troubling parts of our lives and society as a whole. Once we begin to incorporate belief in a sovereign God into our lives, we will be unafraid to throw our energies into the struggle that seems overwhelming without God. Fear, anxiety, and hopelessness are driven from our lives, for this sovereign God loves us and is able to care for us. We can live confidently and faithfully because God is able to care for and provide for all of creation.

Second Wesley Reading

In a word, there is no point in space, whether within or without the bounds of creation, where God is not. Indeed, this subject is far too vast to be comprehended by the narrow limits of human understanding. We can only say, the great God, the eternal, the almighty Spirit, is as unbounded in his presence, as in his duration and power.

Sermon 111, "On the Omnipresence of God," Works 7:239

Time for Silent Reflection and Journaling

Blessing

The Lord will protect you on your journeys — whether going or coming — from now until forever from now.

Psalm 121:8

Day 2

God Made Known

Lover of all who are lost,
Uncertain and alone,
Confused and frightened,
Arrogant and disrespectful,
Anxious and fearful,
All who are seeking a safe and secure home,
And all who are already comfortably at home in your presence,
Come to me now and
Make yourself known to me
As I seek to quiet the noise of the world,
The anxiety of my heart and mind,
And the call of unfinished tasks
So that I may recognize and welcome your voice,
Embrace your presence,
Understand your call,
And invite you to change me more and more
Into that wonderful image you have of me
As your faithful, loving,
and obedient child.Amen.

Scripture

In the past, God spoke through the prophets to our ancestors in many times and many ways. In these final days, though, he spoke to us through a Son. God made his Son the heir of everything and created the world through him. The Son is the light of God's glory and the imprint of God's being. He maintains everything with his powerful message.

Hebrews 1:1-3a

First Wesley Reading

Holiness is another of the attributes of...