John Wesley’s Sermon 16: The Means of Grace emphasizes how God's grace operates
John Wesley’s Sermon 16: The Means of Grace emphasizes how God's grace operates in our lives and the specific ways, or "means," through which we can experience and respond to it. Wesley understood grace as God’s continuous, loving presence and action in our lives. This presence is an unmerited gift from God, always available to us but not forced upon us, meaning it can be accepted or refused. In this sermon, he focuses on three primary "means of grace": prayer, Scripture, and the Lord’s Supper (or Eucharist).
Prayer: Wesley sees prayer as a way to directly communicate with God, seek His guidance, and express our dependence on Him. Through prayer, we experience God’s grace as we open ourselves to His transformative love and guidance.
Scripture: Reading and meditating on Scripture connects believers to God’s Word and His will. Wesley viewed Scripture as a crucial means by which God’s grace enlightens and teaches us, shaping our understanding of Him and guiding us in our daily lives.
The Lord’s Supper (Eucharist): Wesley held a high view of the Eucharist as a special means of grace, where believers encounter God’s grace in a unique, sacramental way. He saw frequent participation in the Lord’s Supper as spiritually nourishing, a way to receive and respond to God’s love continually.
Wesley’s view of these means was not mechanical; they were not automatic or magic rituals. Instead, he insisted that they only work to the extent that the individual participates with a sincere heart and open faith. For Wesley, practicing these means of grace is part of living a life wholly oriented toward God and the love of neighbor. It helps to keep us attuned to God’s will, allowing His grace to transform us more fully.