By the Grace of God? How Blessed!

How can I discover God's grace in my life? How can I recognize that God's love is meant specifically for me? How can I deepen my relationship with God so that I can experience the “joy of grace”?

In the mid-18th century, the first Methodists in England asked a very similar question: How can we progress toward salvation? In response, John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, gave people the three General Rules. In the third of these rules, he refers to what he termed the "means of grace": celebrating worship, hearing God's Word, receiving Holy Communion, praying, studying Scripture, fasting. To Wesley, experiencing grace in one's own life is not so complicated. You don't need any special talent or extraordinary ability. God has already made it possible by giving us the means of grace.

The 18th century is long gone, but the means of grace are still there for us. Yet questions remain: How can we embrace the means of grace in our lives? What is important to us about them?

During the season of Lent, we will take time to reflect on and discuss such questions together. Each UMC congregation in Austria will host a discussion group, through which we are invited to learn more about God and ourselves, and to deepen our relationship with God.

The congregation of ESUMC will host an online conversation in English every Tuesday evening in Lent, starting Tuesday 24 February, from 19:00 to 20:15. The conversation will be led via Zoom by Pastor John Calhoun. Each session will begin with a video interview with a pastor or lay leader from one of the congregations of the UMC in Austria, on one of the "means of grace." Following the interview, there will be a lively discussion of the themes and questions raised in the interview.

For more information, or to join the conversation, please contact Pastor John at esumc@emk.at.

We warmly invite you to join us in exploring God's grace and its blessings in our lives as Christians!