Aldersgate Day

While Aldersgate Day isn’t technically a part of the liturgical calendar, it is an important day in the history of the Wesleyan Tradition. Today is the day that John Wesley, the man who was key in the foundation of Methodism, felt his heart “strangely warmed”. This warmth is seen as the turning point in John’s faith that would ultimately lead him to build the foundation on which numerous Wesleyan traditions have been built. 

In all honesty, I didn’t know Aldersgate Day existed until a few years ago. If my explanation of it sounds rudimentary, it’s because I’m still learning about it. I wasn’t raised in a faith community that placed a high value on church history or tradition. Their focus was more about personal experiences with God in the present.  I tend to think there is some sort of beauty in both strains of thought. Tradition and history, for me, bring a level of reverence and connectedness to something greater than myself. Personal experience situated in the current moment brings practical application and relevance to abstract meaning. 

I think Aldersgate Day is a beautiful marrying of these strains of thought. It is a day that reminds us of one man’s personal experience with the Divine that altered the course of his life and, subsequently, the lives of so many others who have come before us. It connects us to our history as the Body of Christ and to the Great Cloud of Witnesses as a whole. It reminds us that our personal experiences with God matter and have the power to transform not only us, but the world itself. So, may we all find our hearts being “strangely warmed”, not only for the sake of ourselves, but for the sake of the world. 

Happy Aldersgate Day, friends!