(The following was written by Rev. Melissa Maher, Pastor of Serving Ministries at Chapelwood United Methodist. Used by permission.)
- Do no harm
- Do good
- Stay in love with God
These simple rules for living form the structure of what it means to obey the Great Commandment which is expressed in two ways: love God and love neighbor. But these rules also bring about questions and call us to action. What does it mean to be loved, do no harm, do good and abide in God’s love? How do I (we) follow this blueprint to wholeness? John Wesley believed you did so by practicing works of piety and works of mercy.
Works of piety are those practices that draw us into God’s presence so we hear God’s still, small voice guiding us, God’s song of redemption sung over us, and God’s words of promise to always be with us. These works of piety are practiced in private when it is just God and us. They are also lived out publicly in corporate worship or small groups. Works of piety include reading scripture, praying, fasting, and taking time for solitude.
Works of mercy are those practices that draw us closer to one another through the presence of the Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that His followers be recognized for how they loved and served one another. Scholars have noted about John Wesley and the Methodists that “it was not so much that the Methodists were among the poor as the poor were among the Methodists.” In other words, a shared life together which crosses economic, social, or ethnic boundaries and calls people to inward and outward expressions of holy love is the calling of the Christian life. To hear the cry of the needy is to hear the cry of all of God’s children-the orphaned child in Zimbabwe, the single mother in Houston, the homeless man on the corner of Westheimer, the CEO in Houston, the migrant worker from Mexico, and the family in the suburbs. To hear and respond to the cry of human need has been God’s work of reconciliation from the beginning of time. For God is rich in mercy and has made us alive in Christ (Eph 2:4-5), and His justice will roll like a river (Amos 5:24). In these promises, we place our faith and hope.
Mother Teresa said, “If we want the poor to see Christ in us, we have to see the image of Christ in the poor.”
Three simple rules came to life in Wesley’s practical, daily responses to loving God and loving neighbor. He spoke out against
- slavery which deprived humanity of freedom and dignity
- alcoholism which used grain for fermented spirits instead of food for the hungry
- health care which favored only those with money and denied care and compassion for the poor.
He encouraged his small groups to be among the poor, to visit the sick, and to witness with their eyes the deplorable conditions of those who go without.
Living the "3 Simple Rules" 