8 Sep 2020
Wesley was in a mist in this translation, Love divine, all loves excelling, the world then was a quiet place and I wonder what would Wesley say if he dwelled in today’s world. His theme of love, would it have lingered in the hearts of protesters, gun rights advocates or seasonal politicians who only have use for us at election time; his melody would be adrift in this age of social media where opinions are not governed by facts. Hear his outtake…
Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down,
Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.
The visit that Wesley gives to us is to find the common ground of love, but today where there is distrust running around and this generation really not knowing what’s happening as they cling to 140-characters of a tweet. Gun rights advocates now use the constitution for their own hypocrisy or political cause to walk around with submachine guns to kill people. Somewhere in this legal mist love is lost and people are dying. 7-young men are entering prison daily with life sentences; they become a 15-minute news story never to be heard from again. But 200 years later Wesley words still holds “Pray, and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love".
Covid-19 has kept us from the doors of worship where fellowship is lost; spending time in prayer has subsided. Over 1 million lives lost to the corona virus but none seems to care, we are extremely busy doing nothing.
No one yet knows what the new-normal will bring, but in Wesley words we find hope, hear him, one last time…
Finish then thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee:
Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Ever faithful,
Hartley, Presiding Bishop ACW
|
