And are we yet alive?

I must admit that one of my favorite moments every year at our Annual Conference occurs during the clergy session.  Every year we sing the old Charles Wesley Hymn And are We Yet Alive.  The song has been in used to open meetings since the early days of Methodism in America.



John Wesley made this hymn the first song in a section entitled “For the Society at Meeting” in the hymnal that he produced in 1780.  Given the circumstances which engaged the lives of the early circuit riders, the question which they asked in the opening line of the song as they met each year was far from a mere hypothetical question: And are we yet alive?

The early preachers in America often slept out in the woods and traveled on foot or horseback, they went from town to town and even door to door with the Message of God’s love and grace.  They even inspired a popular saying of the time that suggested that during any particularly heavy rainstorm there would be “nobody out tonight except crows and Methodist preachers.”

Due to the harsh living conditions which the early circuit riders endured, the average life expectancy of a Methodist circuit rider was only 33 years.  Half of them died before even reaching that age. Of the first 672 Methodist preachers, two-thirds perished before even serving a dozen years.  By 1828, over 2,500 men had served as Methodist preachers in America. 

When they gathered for their Annual Conference, you can bet those circuit riders glanced anxiously around the room, searching for their friends and comrades.  That opening line was an all too real: And are we yet alive and see each other’s face? Glory and thanks to Jesus give for His Almighty grace! 

The song continues: What troubles have we seen, what mighty conflicts past, fightings and fears within, without, since we assembled last!  Even if we can’t relate to the hardships of those early preachers, we can relate to the hardships of daily ministry in the 21st century. The hymn concludes with an exhortation that is also worth remembering: Let us take up the cross till we the crown obtain, and gladly reckon all things loss so we may Jesus gain.

So each year as we gather and sing, I am reminded of those courageous and faithful preachers who took up the cross in this new land.  They did so with little regard for the personal cost, but complete regard for the cause of Christ.

Maybe that’s why the longer I have been a Methodist pastor, the more powerful and meaningful this song becomes to me. As I sing the song, I look around the room and I can’t help but be aware that not everyone is with us this year – some are missing – many are long gone – including some of the pastors who helped teach me as a young child. Thinking of them and those early circuit riders and I sing the hymn with more gusto and with a few tears in my eye.

Blessed is the man who perseveres. For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised.   James 1:12

Doing Time in the Minor Leagues

It was the bottom of the 8th inning. The Texas Rangers were playing at home against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a new expansion team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Royce Clayton was the next Texas hitter.Jim Morris, a 35-year-old rookie, was warming up in the bullpen. He had suited up for his first game in the major leagues. A few months before, Morris was a high school science teacher in Big Lake, Texas. Improbably, the bullpen call came for Jimmy Morris. When he took the mound, and fired four pitches at Clayton, each ball traveled faster than 95 miles an hour.

 Some might think the moment was the stuff of fairy tales. Except in real life, fairy tales don’t "just happen." They usually follow years of disappointment and hard work. And some might think that fairy tales require a "happily ever after" ending. They usually do. Except in real life, heroes of a story often have their own definitions for that term.

What Jim Morris hadn’t counted on was how much time a professional baseball player actually spends in the minor league - or what his life is like while he’s there. He found out soon enough when his Brewers roommate filled him in. Morris describes the enlightening conversation in The Oldest Rookie:

...I didn’t know the minor-league system from astrogeology...I learned that the lowest level of play was rookie ball, and that if you played well there you were sent to either low-A ball or high-A ball, depending on whether you did really well. After that came double-A, then triple-A, then the big show - the major leagues. 

In other words, just because he was recruited by the Brewers, and was paid a $35,000 signing bonus, didn’t mean Morris had a slot on the Milwaukee team. The hard reality? He might never have a place on the team! His buddy, Tom Candiotti, explained why:

It can take years - five, six, eight, even ten years or more. And most guys never make it at all. Major-league rosters are only twenty-five players, and every year a lot of new guys try to take their place. 

So what were Jimmy’s chances of actually pitching for the Brewers?

By the time you’ve made it to the top, you’re standing on a couple of thousand dead bodies, all of whom had the same dream you did and no idea what to do with their lives if that dream didn’t come true. Fewer than one percent of those drafted ever make the big leagues. 

Jimmy realized he probably wouldn’t be in Milwaukee the year he was drafted by the Brewers.

You can read the rest of the story here.

Perhaps in Jimmy's story is revealed our story of faith. Forgive the analogy, but far too many of us are "drafted" at a young age into the journey of faith and then quit, retire, walk away, become injured, you name it. Perhaps that is why Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21 NIV)

Faith, not unlike baseball, is a journey of persistence.  Do not be discouraged.  God has chosen you to be on His team.  Now you must do the work to prove yourself faithful because one day, the Manager will call your name and hopefully He will be able to say, "Well done ..."