All praise to our redeeming Lord!

I think that other Methodist local preachers will know what I mean when I say that the most difficult church to preach in on any circuit is your own.

This morning I was planned to preach at City Road Methodist Church, of which I am a member, Society Steward, Church Council Secretary and Acting Treasurer (you get the drift).

Basically, there ain't much you can get away with.

The lectionary readings were fairly upfront about the problems of opposition to the gospel: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 and Mark 9:38-50.

Now on some occasions such readings would be a gift. An opportunity to knock those forces that seek to undermine the gospel. Yesterday I even prepared a sermon along those lines followed by challenging hymns such as "Who is on the Lord's side?

Overnight I realised that our own congregation have moved on. Yes, in the recent past we have had our difficulties but now was the time to start being positive about how we could build up our fellowship. For this reason I concentrated on the two references in the readings to the work of the Holy Spirit and how He can transform people and communities.

So I rewrote the sermon at 7.30am and included more gentle hymns such as Here is Love and Be still for the presense of the Lord.

Our church has not always been an easy church. Some people come to church because they love God, others because they love God's people, sometimes I think we meet together because we love an argument. Spiritual graveyards have few arguments.

For this reason one of our favourite hymns has been All praise to our redeeming Lord. I read somewhere that this was no ordinary hymn. Those coming into early Methodism were not ready made church people. They didn't understand the niceties of polite conversation and found it difficult to work together. Some early Methodist meetings ended in disputes and even violence!

Charles Wesley specifically wrote this hymn as one that Methodist societies could sing to one another. Unusually it is not directed as praise to God, but as an affirmation to one another.

A fellow Methodist blogger was at the service today and was interested in the story. It made me realise that perhaps it is not widely known.

Please read the words and understand that for any church going through a difficult time of internal disputes this is a wonderful celebration of the Body of Christ:

All praise to our redeeming Lord,
Who joins us by His grace;
And bids us, each to each restored,
Together seek His face.

He bids us build each other up;
And, gathered into one,
To our high calling’s glorious hope,
We hand in hand go on.

The gift which He on one bestows,
We all delight to prove;
The grace through every vessel flows,
In purest streams of love.

E’en now we think and speak the same,
And cordially agree;
Concentered all, through Jesus’ Name,
In perfect harmony.

We all partake the joy of one;
The common peace we feel;
A peace to sensual minds unknown,
A joy unspeakable.

And if our fellowship below
In Jesus be so sweet,
What height of rapture shall we know
When round His throne we meet!

So next time you have an unholy row at your church, stand together, look at one another and sing these words.