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Prevenient Grace Has Become a Staple in United Methodist Theology

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Prevenient Grace Has Become a Staple in United Methodist Theology Prevenient Grace has become a staple in United Methodist theology. The “Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology” defines Prevenient Grace as a “metaphor referring to God’s reaching love.”1 Prevenient comes from the Latin word praevenire which means ‘to come before’. Therefore, in a Christian’s life, ‘the grace that comes before conversion’ is Prevenient Grace. Augustine once wrote, “Human nature by which each one of us is now born of Adam requires a physician, because it is not healthy. All the good things, which it has by its conception, life, senses, and mind, it has from God, its creator and maker.”2…“Our hearts will not find rest until they find rest in God.”3 As created beings made in the image of our Creator, our deepest longings and most essential part of us longs for a relationship with our Maker. Prevenient Grace is God’s reaching out to us in love even before we become His Children. He desires a relationship with us even more than we desire a relationship with Him. God takes the initiative to seek us out individually. He says through Prevenient Grace that we matter to Him. He loves us. He cares for us. He wants to be in a relationship with us. It is through Prevenient Grace that God tells us that He will take the initiative and seek us out even before we seek Him out. God reaches out to us with His love, even before we know Him. That element of Prevenient Grace came to life for me when I was adopting my son. My wife and I went through many hoops including background checks, fingerprinting, home studies, and more to bring our son home. It dawned on me that we were seeking Noah with our very best without any guarantee that he would love us back. That is how it is with God’s love. “John Wesley framed prevenient (or preventing) grace in reference to the Trinity, as the drawings of the Father, the enlightening of the Son, and the convictions of the Holy Spirit”4 in his sermon entitled Works. In our hymnbook, there is a section of hymns (#337-359) under the heading Prevenient Grace to help us better understand this vital aspect of God’s love to all humanity. For example, in “Where He Leads Me” (#338), the first stanza calls, “I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling, ‘Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.’” The ending stanza declaring, “He will give me grace and glory, He will give me grace and glory, He will give me grace and glory, and go with me, with me all the ___________________________________________ 1Truesdale, Al (2013). Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology, Beacon Hill Press. 2McGrath, Alister E. (1997). The Christian Theology Reader, Blackwell. 3St. Augustine of Hippo (1963). Confessions, Mentor Press. 4Truesdale, Al (2013). Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology, Beacon Hill Press. way. Where He leads me I will follow…” This section also includes the beautiful hymn, “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore” (#344). The final stanza of that hymn goes, “You, who have fished other oceans, ever longed for by souls who are waiting, my loving friend, as thus you call me. O Lord, with Your eyes You have searched me, and while smiling have spoken my name; now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me; by Your side I will seek other seas.” Each of these hymns remind us that God seeks us out. He seeks us out with His very best—Jesus—before we invite Him into our lives. He reaches out to us in love without any guarantee that we would love Him back. He does not force us to follow Him. Fortunately, it is in God’s nature to seek us out and work through Prevenient Grace to bring us into a relationship with Him. Rev. Bryan Huffman please Remember In Prayer: Out of Town Members: Faye Betz - The Gardens of Pamlico, 22 Magnolia Way, Grantsboro NC 28529 Jo Brown - Cypress Glen, 205 John Wesley Rd., Greenville NC 27858 Sarah Davis - Magnolia Cottage Care, 5643 Hwy. 70, Dover NC 28526 Dot Hardison - Crystal Bluff Rehab, Room 612, 4010 Bridges St., Morehead City NC 28557 Henrietta Proudfoot - Cypress Glen, 301 Francis Asbury Ln., Greenville NC 27858 Maxine Tyndall - Sunrise at North Hills, 615 Spring Forest Rd., #183A, Raleigh NC 27609 Bill & Janice Underseth - Snug Harbor, PO Box 150, Sea Level NC 28577 Church Family Illness/Injury: Nell Cox, Amy Dudley, Amber Fiolek, Cindy & Neal Frazier, Frances Gardner, Mary Lou Guptill, Dot Hardison, Jimmy Hicks, Roland Hill, Paul & Jane Hinckley, Ruth Long, Bob McEnaney, Wanda McLaurin, John Mosley, Beryl Nulph, Jimmy Pope, Leroy Price, Mike & Shanda Prince, Patrick Riggs, Russell & Carolyn Sutton, Laura Sutton, Phil Treadway, Maxine Tyndall, Bill & Janice Underseth, Billy Vestal, Norma & Jack Wygand Friends and Loved Ones Illness/Injury: Hallie Albertson (Dennis’ Dad), Celeste Arrington, Belaria Barrow, Frances Brown (V. Davis’ Sister), Vickie Fisher (N. Sears’ Daughter), Bill Fiske, James Frazier (C. Goes), Candace Frye (B. Mayo), Jody Furr (Wiley’s Daughter), Dennee Best Griffin (J. Wiley), Jeff Haddock (J. Cox), Freddie Hawkins, Charlotte Henninger (F. & J. Norris), Abraham Hill (M. Wetherington), Tracy Lytle (Brinsons), Paul McDonald (Heather & Wendy’s Dad), Lydia & Ron Moorse (J. Hinckley), Ruth Neary (B. Chesner), Ronald Pate (J. Barrington), Doris Reynolds (Mother of J. Reynolds & C. Croscutt), Roger & Kay Scheeler (J. Norris), Lillian Solby, Cody Thornhill, Bob Ware (Hansens), Clint White (J. Cox’ Friend), Joseph Wiley (deployed), Troy Woolard (Cleve’s Brother), Kim Young (J. Egolf’s Daughter), Mark Zang (TPE Librarian’s Husband) Emotional Support: Natural Disaster Victims, Our Nation, Our World, The Unemployed I want to thank all of you for your kindness in telling me how much you enjoyed the article in the Sun Journal, your thoughts and prayers for my daughter, Kim, and asking about her health, and for your cards and birthday wishes for my birthday. I greatly appreciate all of these acts of grace and kindness. May God richly bless all of you. Jerry Egolf Thank you to all who participated in the Ellie Stockton Circle event “Trinity Goes International”. Especially to those who were part of the entertainment! “Give Thanks in All Circumstances” Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 This month, I think it is only fitting that I give a shout out to all of the people that have given of their time and service to the various missions through which Trinity supports the community. School will be winding down by the time the June newsletter rolls around so that makes this particularly timely. The hours that we have volunteered at Trent Park Elementary have tended to dominate our activities at times, but there are many other efforts that our members actively support. However, it is the service that we provide at the school that I want to elaborate on and express appreciation for the many hours that were volunteered this past year as well as tell you about some plans for the coming summer. As I have mentioned in the past, this year saw us provide a team of volunteers to teach the hands-on science activities to Kindergarten through Third Grade. We also provided assistance to the Fourth and Fifth Grades on a part-time basis. The team consisted of Norm Fuhr, Frank Norris, Kim Fink, Sara Sanders, and me. Jo Anne Norris has also helped Frank with his classes at times. Without our help, Trent Park Elementary would have had to forego science and if you ask any of us, we would tell you how rewarding it has been. Kim says that she gets much more out of her time with the students than she gives and we all would agree. There are other events at school that received our support and participation. Book Fairs always benefit from many volunteer hours as did the “Reading Across America” activities where volunteers read aloud to students in every grade. The recent Science Night was a grand success largely due to the work of our volunteers assisting the teachers. Vern Davis was once again a big hit with his Madagascar roaches while Frank Norris wowed folks with his dry ice demonstrations. So, I am sincerely grateful to all of you for the substantial work that you have done over at the school this past year. It is paying dividends in the learning experiences for the students and their exposure to new concepts and ideas. With God’s help, we plan on having a space camp for about fifty students this summer, partnering with Morehead Planetarium, NASA, and local private organizations. Participants will learn about robotics, space, astronaut training and other interesting topics. More information will be forthcoming and we will be seeking volunteers to be space guides. Again, thank you all so very much. God bless you!! See you at space camp! Jerry Egolf Play and Pray Happy Mother’s Day The weather will get warmer, Flowers will start to bloom. Off will come the winter coats, Mowing the grass will come real soon. Children will be dismissed from school, Summer vacations will be planned. Some people will go on trips or visits, Others love the beaches and sand. No matter what we plan to do, There’s work. Then there is play. Enjoy each other when you get the time, Don’t forget to pray. Let’s also celebrate Mother’s Day, Children are a gift from God.
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