Praying Hands and Dirty Fingernails

Today's chapter from Bishop Schnase's book Remember the Future, he speaks of John Wesley's acts of piety and works of mercy.  These acts which are essential the the our life in Christ, have become words that leave a sour taste in our mouths.  The Bishop writes, "Piety brings to mind self-righteous, sanctimonious arrogance. And no one want to be at the mercy of anyone else. Mercy connotes weakness, dependence, surrender."


For Wesley piety meant praying, worship, receiving sacraments, fasting, and belonging to a society of Christians that hold one another accountable for our growth in the knowledge and love of God.  These acts allow us to experience the inward transformation of the Holy Spirit within us.  These acts of piety nurture our relationship with God.

Works of mercy then are ministries of compassion, service and justice that relieve suffering, feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, and heal the sick. We do these out of obedience to Christ.  These are the ways that we love our neighbors and work towards healing a suffering and broken world.

What happens is that sometimes these acts lead congregations to emphasize one over the other.  A congregation becomes very inward focused when piety is emphasized over mercy. A congregation that does acts of mercy without care for their personal relationship with God will burn out.  The Bishop tells of the British Methodist general secretary Martyn Atkins who said, "Acts of piety and acts of mercy are like two wings of a bird; without either one, we cannot fly....Following Christ involves praying hands and dirty fingernails."

• How well does our congregation cultivate both ministries of piety and ministries of mercy?
• For deeper exploration, read Matthew 25:31-46; Matthew 20:27-28; and Romans 14:7-8