Grow Deeply - A Deeper Dive
Part 1 of Wesleyan Rooted
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19
Message summary
This week, we begin the five-part sermon series Wesleyan Rooted. The series starts with a message about the importance of being deeply rooted in God's love and sharing that love with others. Our Methodist traditions and practices, such as Holy Communion and Baptism, exemplify the theology of being grounded in love. As a church community, we are a family connected by God’s love, where we share grace freely and without an agenda.
Throughout this series, we’ll have opportunities to reflect on why we are Methodists. For many of us, our connection has its roots in relationships we’ve developed and nurtured. Perhaps it was a pastor, Sunday school teacher, or some other mentor who helped us first learn about God’s enduring love. Maybe the theology or John Wesley’s approach to faith drew us to embrace Methodism. No matter how we got here, we are connected as a family with God at the center because of God's unfailing love in our lives.
You can find a link to the full video of this week’s message below. Here are some of the key points:
Rooted and grounded in love - Ephesians is a book about unity. It's about the church and God's love. This week’s scripture comes from the middle of the book, and the key verse is verse 17, which describes Christians as being rooted and grounded in love. We do this in the Methodist church so well. Being rooted and grounded in love shows up in the way we do baptism, the way we do confirmation, the way we do Communion and the way we think about leadership. Being grounded and rooted in that love shows up in all we do.
Connected by God’s love - Paul writes in this week’s passage about the significance of love shared among the Christian family. Love, especially shown between fellow Christians, is meant to be the hallmark of our faith. Paul uses the Greek word “patria” for family, describing how a family is united in God’s love, not just blood relations.
Sharing grace - As Christians, we are called to share God’s grace with others. And we are to do so by simply loving and accepting all as God does, without an agenda. When we celebrate Holy Communion, we practice the act of sharing grace. When we are passed the bread and cup, God’s grace is shared with us.
Going forward - Within the church, we must continue to foster a sense of family and community united by God’s love. As we go into the world, we must seek to understand and embody God’s love in relationships and interactions with others. Our mission is to share God’s grace with others without an agenda, simply loving and accepting them as God does.
Sharing More than Bread and Juice
Communion is a core component of celebrating our faith and a central element of our weekly worship. Occasionally, we need a reminder that this sacred practice profoundly embodies the grace of God. This week’s message used Communion to illustrate how we are being trained to share God’s grace with others.
When we participate in Holy Communion, we believe we are receiving God's grace in a tangible way. This sacrament connects the faithful with the redemptive power of Jesus' sacrifice and is a spiritual act that draws us closer to Christ and the community of believers. As we partake in this holy meal, we are invited to share in God’s grace that strengthens us for daily life, forgives our sins, and unites us with other members of the body of Christ.