THE service at Crediton Methodist Church on Sunday, May 17 was led by Rev Brenda Mosedale and her theme was ‘Heart Strangely Warmed’.

In the reading from John 17 Jesus was the centre of the disciples’ lives. He was praying for His followers and Jesus still prays for us.

Brenda said that it was the Sunday in between Ascension and Pentecost. In between times are often when creative things happen. John and Charles Wesley were in between things in 1738.

John and Charles Wesley were Anglican vicars. John was in his early 20s and had preached in Anglican churches, done good deeds, and gone into prisons but he started to realise that his heart was not in it.

He had visited America and on the return boat there were a group of Moravian missionaries. Listening to them John realised that he did not have fire in his heart – something was missing but he did not know what.

On May 24, 1738, John Wesley went to a Bible Study meeting at Aldersgate Street, London. He later wrote in his diary that he didn’t actually want to go to that meeting, but thought it was the right thing to do.

Someone was reading the preface to Acts and something miraculous happened. He later wrote ‘I felt my heart strangely warmed, I do trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation’. A few days later his brother Charles had a similar experience.

From that time on they were changed. The brothers did not preach in the Anglican churches, but went out into the streets, markets, villages and prisons taking the good news of Jesus to anyone and everyone who would listen.

This was the start of the early Methodist movement of people on fire for God.

Although this happened to the Wesley brothers centuries ago, it can happen to us at any time. It does not always happen in the way we expect.

John Wesley felt empty but God’s love filled him. God can fill us with His love.

Pam said in the reading we heard Jesus was praying for His disciples to fulfil the challenge ‘to go out into the world and make disciples’.

She asked people to write on post-it notes what challenges we had faced in our lives and what spiritual help we had received and how God had heard our prayers.

People stuck them on a picture of a flame and Pam thanked God for being alongside our struggles and challenges and for equipping us in ways that Jesus taught us.

Brenda said in an earlier reading from John, Jesus had been telling the disciples at the Last Supper that he would not be with them much longer, preparing them for what was going to happen.

It was not easy for them to understand how they would find Jesus. They had Jesus with them for 40 days after the Resurrection and the reality was that they were not alone. Then He was talking about going back to the Father – they were confused.

Simply Jesus was saying He was with them now but would not always be in the same kind of way.

He warned them that things would not be easy – they would face persecution.

John and Charles Wesley were no longer welcomed in churches. Sometime if we stand up for some causes we may not be welcome.

God being human on earth is no more. We recognise Jesus through scripture and we understand that He is going to be with us always.

There is a great deal more to Jesus praying with His disciples. We recognise that whatever is going on in our minds and in the world, sometimes we just have to trust.

The challenge is in just being here in this place and believing that God is with us.

Even though we are living centuries after the first Pentecost these things can be new to us. Sometimes life seems blank and God seems far away.

Something will happen and God sets us on fire again and who knows what will happen?

Bronwyn Nott