by Joel V Webb | Mar 26, 2025 | Uncategorized
Integrating the 2019 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) with the Free Methodist Way offers a unique opportunity to blend the rich liturgical traditions of Anglicanism with the dynamic, mission-focused ethos of the Free Methodist Church. This integration can enhance spiritual formation, deepen worship experiences, and strengthen the church’s mission. I am going to use this same opening paragraph in this series of articles on the BCP and the Free Methodist Way. I will then end the series with my comprehensive case for those of us in the FMC to embrace that liturgical tradition and practice of the BCP in any number of ways as the foundation for our desire to see a Spirit fuelled movement.
The first aspect of the Free Methodist Way (FMW) is that of Life Giving Holiness. The short definition from fmcusa.org is, “GOD’S CALL TO HOLINESS was never meant to be a burden, but a gift that liberates us for life that is truly life by delivering us from the destructive power of sin.”
The FMW’s emphasis on Life-Giving Holiness aligns well with the BCP’s focus on spiritual discipline and formation. The BCP’s daily offices, such as Morning and Evening Prayer, provide a structured rhythm of prayer that can help Free Methodists cultivate a life of holiness. These offices include readings from Scripture, prayers of confession, and intercessions, all of which can deepen one’s relationship with God and foster a holy life.
In our culture we often hear the word holy, and automatically revert to thinking about rules, legalism, and towing the party line. But that is sadly an often-too accepted, myopic and perverted definition of holiness. At its simplest, to be holy means to be set apart or distinct. And that by definition is who God is. There is no one like Him, not even close. By any definition or classification it is impossible to be like God because He is perfectly unique. He transcends all boundaries that we could conceive.
God’s holiness is also unique and powerful. Just like anything that gets close to the sun is burned away, anything that is not like God would be destroyed. Not by some malevolence or desire for violence, but simply because it cannot withstand the power of his unique differentness. (This definition, while simple, gets the general just). And yet, God desires relationship, for His creation to be formed into a reflection of His character, so that we can have a deep intimate relationship with Him. And ultimately, this formation into His likeness is what it means to be truly human. As image bearers of God’s image, means that if we truly want to “be ourselves”, as is the mantra of this current age; then we in fact do it by looking like our creator.
It is ultimately out of the relationship that God desires holiness. Not just as a list of rules that we follow or we go to hell. But instead as the loving and caring instruction of the one who knows us best, and that to do anything other than that actually brings harm to ourselves and those around us.
This is the call of the Christian life. Living lives of repentance that transform us into His image. As Methodist’s we believe in entire sanctification. A teaching that simply means, through the work of the Holy Spirit, our affections can be fully aligned with God’s love and will. It does not mean we can’t sin, or won’t mess up. But what it does mean is that we become to the greatest extent possible in this life like Christ.
This call to holiness is not a curmudgeonly focus on the rules for the sake of it. But a call to an active life-giving relationship with our creator who desires us to live in the full potential of our humanity as we are transformed to be like Christ.
Now, here is where the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) fits into this. Public and regular confession is a regular part of the services and prayers contained in the BCP. In the modern evangelical imagination, we only think of confession when we have actively done something wrong or we think, “that’s something Catholics do!” In reality, the act of worship in corporate confession has been a part of the Protestant experience since the reformation, and sadly has been largely lost.
Something happens when we regularly confess our faults, foibles and ultimately our sin. It allows us to be humble, and circumspect in our lives. Remembering our need for God’s grace and forgiveness. This, in turn, if a part of a living relationship with Christ can be a major catalyst for the development of life giving holiness. We are reminded of His perfection and how it works our in our hearts.
From the Renewed Eucharist Liturgy in the 2019 BCP:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,have mercy on us and forgive us;that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,to the glory of your Name. Amen.
This solemn prayer of acknowledging our sin is then followed by:
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We are not just left in our sin, but we are reminded of the forgiveness that we have in Christ! That is the power of regularly acknowledging our sin. Not dwelling and sitting in them, but understanding that we are in constant need and reminder of His saving and transforming work in our lives.
So for Life-giving Holiness, the BCP provides to us the tools, disciple and foundation for allowing the sanctifying work of Christ to not just take root, but thrive in our lives. I hope you will join me as we continue to look at the BCP and the Free Methodist Way, and how they can work together to ignite the Holy Spirit in us for the work He has for us!
by Joel V Webb | Mar 21, 2025 | Uncategorized
Writing this article as an introduction on this day is providential I would say. In the Anglican tradition the saint that is honored today is Thomas Cranmer, as March 21st 1556 is the day he was martyred by the Catholic Queen Mary.
So what is the Book of Common Prayer, and why am I talking about it? In the previous article I wrote I spoke of the importance that the BCP played in the life and ministry of John Wesley. I would argue that without it, John would not have been the same man. Not that God wouldn’t have done amazing things through him, but it would have looked vastly different than the John we got in history.
So what is the book that formed John so much, and still forms the cornerstone of Anglican worship to this day? Rather than rehash the telling of the BCP, here is a section from Anglican Compass on the BCP.
“Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556) was the primary person responsible for the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and its revision in 1552. However, since these first Prayer Books, subsequent editions have been produced and revised by the leadership of the Church of England and Anglican Churches worldwide.
The first Prayer Book was published in 1549. It was revised in 1552, 1559, 1604, and 1662. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is still the official Prayer Book in the Church of England, and it has served as the model for subsequent BCPs throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion.” (https://anglicancompass.com/the-book-of-common-prayer-bcp-a-rookie-anglican-guide/)
“Cranmer’s greatest achievement came in 1549 when he helped organize the Book of Common Prayer. Crammer and a committee of twelve of “the most learned and discreet bishops, and other learned men” compiled the prayer book from various sources, including ancient prayers of the early church, Catholic and Orthodox liturgies, and private devotions of the Middle Ages. They translated many of these sources into the English language. In June 1553, Edward VI agreed to Cranmer’s “42 Articles.” These became the backbone of the “39 Articles” that were introduced in Elizabeth’s reign in 1563.” (https://anglicancompass.com/common-prayer-the-origin-story/)
Please do take the time to read more into the history and development of the BCP. The primary element that I want to focus on concerning the purpose of its development was for the common involvement of the people in worship. Up to that point, generally in Western Europe, the Mass was always conducted in Latin, meaning that for every regular Joe and Sally, they could not understand what was going on at all. That, combined with the clergy being the only ones to partake of communion, so there was a lot to be desired as the reformation took hold in England.
In fact, with the development of the BCP, it became the second largest influence on the English language, seconded only by the Bible!. It was this book that formed worship services. Morning & evening prayer, baptisms & confirmations, weddings & funerals, communion, ordination, and every other service and rite the church performed could be found in one single volume, accessible to the common masses!This now meant that during a worship service the entire congregation would join in worship together. This is really where we see the power of the meaning of liturgy, “the work of the people” take effect. Now everyone could be formed by the words they worshiped with, every sentence under their breath benign saturated with God’s Word.
*As as side note, I recommend you check out the site The Scriptural BCP (https://www.scripturalbcp.com/). Every single line of the 1662 BCP has been annotated with Scriptural references, demonstrating the basis it has in God’s Word. So when you use the BCP, you are not just “saying the words of men”, you are actively worshiping with and being formed by God’s Word.
I hope that has given you a basic introduction to the concept of the BCP, it’s history, and its purpose. As I begin to delve into the specifics of how the BCP can align with Free Methodist methodology and theology, my hope is that we find the benefits of using the BCP to bring spirit-aliveness to our movement, just as it did for John Wesley.
by Joel V Webb | Mar 20, 2025 | Uncategorized
John Wesley is seen as the grandfather, or great-grandfather of much of the evangelical, and charismatic movements. And right so! During the Great Awakening in England, and the advent of the Methodist movement, Wesley was the spearhead, along with his brother Charles, George Whitfield, and others in seeing salvation and holiness come to the lives of many thousands. Many are familiar with his Aldersgate experience where his heart was strangely warmed. Somewhat less well known, but likely even more important was Wesley’s experience at Fetter Lane.
What many don’t know is that following his experience at Aldersgate, John was still depressed. While he certainly felt assurance and peace of his salvation in Christ, something wasn’t right still. This is where at Fetter Lane that John, Charles and about sixty others experienced a powerful move of the Holy Spirit, and it was just a short time after this experience that Wesley’s preaching really kicked off. It was once Wesley experienced a powerful move of the Holy Spirit that everything clicked into place for him. Not too dissimilar to the Apostle’s following the ascension of Christ. Once the Holy Spirit fell on Pentecost, everything made sense, and the move of God was empowered to go out into the world and change lives.
I also want to take note of something peculiar to us that happened at Fetter Lane. Not only did Wesley and those gathered experience what we can only describe as a charismatic experience, but following that experience Weslry writes,
“As soon as we recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of his majesty, we broke out with one voice, “We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.””
What is this prayer that was uttered by all? It’s called the Te Deum Laudamus, a prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer.
For those who don’t know, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the primary book of worship for the Anglican Church. The first authorized and published version was in 1662, and I would say is likely one of the biggest influences on Christian worship that came out of the reformation. The primary author was Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and leader of the Church of England as it came out of the Roman Catholic Church. Cranmer;s focus and goal was to bring the worship services of the Church to the people in their common language so they could actively particiapte.
It is this book that formed and shaped the spirituality and Christian walk of John Wesley, and any Anglican Christian. In fact, in most of John’s sermons, when he is quoting the book of Psalms, he doesn’t directly quote the King James Bible, but utilizes the translation of the psalter found in the BCP.
So what does the BCP have to do with Fetter Lane, John Wesley, or spirit-aliveness in general?
While it is very easy to focus on the fruit and the excitement of the Methodist revival, and the obvious move of the Holy Spirit through Wesley, we more often than not overlook the foundation that built the spiritual disciplines and language of Wesley’s faith in Christ. Every singe part of John’s Christian practice was built around two documents. The Bible, and the Book of Common Prayer. For prayer times, worship services, baptisms, Communion, weddings, funerals, ordinations, prayers, everything else under the sun you could think of that goes on in our lives has something for it in the BCP. And for John he would have utilized the BCP for it all. Other than the Bible, the BCP was the most formational book that John would have used.But sadly, it is so easy for us to miss it because it is outside of our sght or experience.
My argument and proposal is that if we are wishing to see and experience the same levels of spirit-aliveness in our day and age, it will not simply come from looking at just the fruit of the Methodist movement. We must look to the roots. And aside from God’s Word, the other inescapable part of that foundation is the BCP.
So what should we do with this?
The reality is that for most, it doesn’t make sense to fully implement something like the BCP in our worship contexts. But what we should be looking at is how do we develop regular spiritual disciplines that are formed around the common worship of the Christian faith since the earliest days of the Church.
What we often see is that anything that seems lile liturgy, or formulated worship is quickly labelled as “dead religion”, and not something that the Holy Spirit can work through. My challenge to those reading this is to, rather than seeing liturgy as a straight jacket, see it as a foundation for the Holy Spirit to work through.
Let’s be honest, extemperanous prayer can sometimes be a mess. Or, we don’t always know what to pray, or don’t feel like praying. What liturgy, and other forms of similar worship/prayers (as found in the BCP) provide us the tools for faithful worship at all times. Just because it is written down, doesn’t means it’s “any less effective”.
The automatic and unison response at Fetter Lane to the move of the Holy Spirit was to pray something directly from the BCP, something that was foundational and formational in the spiritual lives of those present.
In an age where the most popular worship song changes every other week, and the next spiritual fad is coming and going, what many of us need in the Church is the beauty and stability that comes from the classic worship of the Church.
For those of us in the Free Methodist Church. We are seeking for spirit-aliveness to grow in our personal lives and congregations. Let’s take page 1 out of Wesley’s play book, and see how the methodical and beautiful spiritual formation that coes from the BCP can actively transform and change what we see as decline into healthy growth.
This article is an introduction of a series that I am going to be doing specifically on the Book of Common Prayer, and it’s relation to Free Methodism. I’ll be doing a deeper dive intro into the BCP, and then also have a series of articles relating how the BCP can be a transformational part of each element of the Free Methodist Way.
by Joel V Webb | Jan 23, 2025 | Uncategorized
In recent days (as there has been since 2015). there has been a lot of back and forth between Christians on either side of the immigration debate. Those who I believe are true brothers & sisters in Christ hold to positions that in American politics can be found on either the right or the left, and in that I do not questions their desire to reflect Christ in the midst of a divisive issue during divided times.
The part that I have been struggling with, as I often seem to do is walking the via media, or the middle way that John Wesley (and his Anglican heritage) was famous for.I find myself stuck between two camps warring with each other, both making excellent points, while also seriously glazing over other realities. It is in this light that I want to try and address briefly an issue I see with both sides, and hopefully present an alternative.
First to the left.
As just happened during the Inauguration Prayer Service held at the National Cathedral in D.C., a generally unobjectionable homily was presented, calling for peace and unity in our nation. And yet, at the end it was punctuated with obviously left-leaning political positions on border policy, and sexuality questions. This was then of course followed by the shield rattling from both sides, getting up in arms defending or attacking all that went on, with the expected utilization of several verses, presumably giving Christian a blanket mandate to accept a certain type of border politics, often resembling open-border policies.
“When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” – Leviticus 19:33-34
“Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah sitting on the throne of David – you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.” – Jeremiah 22:1-3
These are two of the primary examples of the verses that I have seen be apart of this discussion. The problem that I have is not with the general message that I believe all Christians should accept. There are many in need, and we should be generous, kind and loving to those as it is an opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel. Yet, it is often taken a step further to presume that the only way to interpret these verses is with a basically open-border policy. When I have seen these verses used, it is completely devoid of any actual context, or careful interpretation as to the application today as the times Scripture was given was vastly different than our own. This is not a situation where there is a one-to-one application. In an excellent article titled, The Use and Abuse of the Bible in the Immigration Debate, James Hoffmeier carefully presents three key considerations when looking at texts in the Old Testament in regards to their modern application. These questions are, “1) Was there such a thing as territorial sovereignty in the second millennium B.C. when these laws originated; 2) Within that socio-legal setting, what was a “stranger” or “sojourner;” and 3) How does one obtain this status?”
As he fleshes out these questions, it becomes clear that for Christians living in the 21st Century, there is not a blanket transfer of these verses in applying them to modern border policy. I believe that Christians who attempt to apply these texts and others in this way are sadly being either misinformed, or dishonest in not seriously considering the complexities of the application at the time of writing, and then do the same for out modern day immigration discussion.
Now to the right.
Being someone who is generally more conservative in his politics, I have been appalled the last decade at some of the discussion surrounding immigration. I have witnessed or heard language that is obviously racist or xenophobic (I don’t use those terms lightly). While diligence should be used in our immigration policy, that can also be used as a pretense to be closed off, and not open to the real dire situations of people around the world.
The mass migration of many people is in my mind one of the greatest ministry opportunities afforded to the American Church, likely since our nations founding. With people coming from many nations, even hostile to us, could be the opportunity Christ is affording for them to hear the Gospel. I remember hearing a story several years ago of someone who immigrated from the Middle East, and when they came over they brought many gifts that they could give out when they would get together with people. But some time after coming to the US, they were dejected because not one person had shown hospitality, and invited them for a meal where they would have bestowed one of their gifts.
Much of the response about immigration on the right side of the aisle is built on fear, and a holding to the idea that American is the solution, and we have to keep her alive. Don’t get me wrong, I love this nation, and I believe God has used America, and will continue to (as imperfectly as we follow). But, like St. Augustine realized with Rome, God’s purposes do not start or end with an earthly nation. Instead, all subjects of King Jesus are really foreigners in lands that are not our own.
The via media
Is there a balance that can be struck between these two seemingly impossible sides? I believe that there is. The Gospel provides answers that frankly makes both sides shiver a bit because it throws into questions motives and answers as not complete, without balance.
Being merciful and loving to those in need is not mutually exclusive to having legitimate border policy. I hear people talking on an on about how we need to accept people in to show we love them, while much of the crossing into the US is conducted by human traffickers who take advantage of those they are leading in many ways. I believe that if we truly cared for those seeking to come into this country, it would be in a way that protects them from drug-mules and human-traffickers.
Also yet, we in the American Church need our hearts checked. So much fear has been built up around this issue. Do we not believe that God is in control? Better yet, do we not see what is going on (whether we agree with it politically or not), as an opportunity for us to proclaim the Gospel, and love as the hands and feet of Jesus in a way that we couldn’t do before? For many of us, hopping on a plane to minister in another country isn’t feasible. Well…the nations are at our front door.
This is a challenging discussion, and these certainly are not all my thoughts on this discussion. But I wanted to present a window into a perspective that I feel is not getting to see the light of day, one that is not lop-sided to either the right or the left. An ideal that hold the difficult realities and complexities of life in tension with each other.
by Joel V Webb | Jan 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Growing up I never really knew there was such thing as the liturgical calendar. Being from a low-liturgy, low-tradition background, I could recognize different churches having colorful “flair” in their sanctuaries, but had no idea they changed, or even what they stood for. Over the last several years I have been on a journey, that has been for me full of joy and wonder at the riches of the variety of traditions that the Church offers. One of these that I have begun to look at is the church calendar.
We are all use to the normal flow of holidays. Whenever Halloween is over, the stores change over their stock in preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then after the New Year, promptly switch to Valentine’s Day. So on and so forth we see the changing signs of the seasons and upcoming holidays. In a similar, but much more profound way, the Church follows a calendar with changing colors, liturgies and practices that take the believer not just through 365 days, but has them participate in the story of the Gospel.
From Advent where we expectantly wait for the birth of Christ, to Lent where we solemnly prepare for Holy Week, and Good Friday, while also knowing the joy and victory of Easter is on the precipice.
Something that I feel much of contemporary evangelicalism is missing out on is the annual participation in the Gospel story. Being constantly reminded of Christ’s work through the story of Scripture is a powerful way that we are also reminded of the work He is doing in our lives, and thus by living as apart of that story we can be shown how to live in light of that in our secular age.
As I, and many others have said before, humans are creatures of story. You can spit off a bunch of facts that are true and correct, but if they don’t connect with someone, you might as well be talking to a brick wall. But engage someone in a story, where they become invested in what takes place, and they understand the stakes, the resolution…that can change everything. This is where the liturgical calendar can come in. More than just a thing that tells us what color decorations to hang in a sanctuary, it is participation in the story of the Gospel. As we go through the ebbs and flows of the year, every part of our being is touched. We feel the highs of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and are also brought low during Lent & Good Friday. The entirety of human emotion is encapsulated through the Gospel story, and it speaks to the truth of how God worked, and is now working.
For more in-depth information on the Liturgical Calendar, and how to use it, check out Holy Joys, and their fantastic resources.
by Joel V Webb | Aug 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
I recently saw a post from a person in the Christian camp, who is
also a pastor pointing to the reasons he will be voting for a
particular presidential candidate this November. He somewhat listed
off some of the fruit of the Spirit found in the book of Galatians,
claiming his candidate of choice represents joy, and other
attributes, while the other represented meanness and selfishness.
There are two things I want to address with this.
1. Politicians are
trying to sell to you. It doesn’t matter if it is Kamala Harris,
Donald Trump or any other politicians from the federal to the local
level, they want to get elected. To suggest that any political
candidate truly represents the fruit of the Spirit, and that is
reason enough to vote for them is frankly vapid. A politician wants
to get elected, that’s what they are out there campaigning for
votes. It doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat, your
chosen leader does not embody the fruit of the Spirit. And whether
they “bring joy” or not, I just about guarantee it is
manufactured. If you are bought in, it is from gullibility, or more
nefarious desires to convince people to vote against their conscience
because the other person is mean.
2. To become a bit
more pointed and direct. No one is able to claim they are a
politician for the joy when there is an outright unapologetic support
for no limit, on demand intentional killing of children. In this
conversation I don’t care about economic or foreign policy
discussions (as important as they may be). While one side is slowly
moving away from the strong pro-life position it has held for a long
time, the other side has no legs to stand on. How can there be joy
when any perception of that emotion is built off of the backs of
destroyed humans for the sake of personal convenience?
This election season
remain light & salty. Don’t become unnecessarily persuaded by
the arguments of either side. Loving God and loving people in truth
is primary, so go and do that.
