Foreword.
Acknowledgements.
Day 1: The God in history is the God of the future.
Day 2: Set apart for God’s purpose.
Day 3: The revival of our relationships.
Day 4: Taking the flight back to the father.
Day 5: Revival is a process not an event.
Day 6: Resource and support the mission.
Day 7: Let the young people shine, give them enough space.
FOREWORD
The Aldersgate incident of 24 May 1738 is remarkable in the Methodist tradition. Had it not been that God revealed Himself to John Wesley in a special way on that night at 8:45pm, there would have not been any Methodist theology to talk about. On a critical note, there would have not been Methodist Church to talk about. Glory be to God that, in His own special way, decided to give birth to Methodism through a home fellowship prayer meeting. It is in this context that we, as Methodists, have set aside the last week of May, a week which the 24th falls in, as Wesley Week. This is a moment of reflection and realign ourselves to the faith of our forefathers in Christ; a moment of tapping from the taproot; a moment of prayer, and as our theme calls for, a moment of revival and restoration. This helps us to appreciate who we are and to highlight the very aspects that define our identity. It is our conviction that this year’s Wesley Week topics will inspire us and at the same time help us realize that surely ‘revival and restoration’ is needed.
May God bless people called Methodists.
Revd. Dr. K. Paradza
(Mission Director)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Research and Publications Committee would want to thank the church at large for the affordance of this privilege to produce and publish church literature, of which this publication of the Wesley Week booklet is one of such mandated tasks. This 2023’s Wesley Week material was prepared by Rev. T. Dhiriza. We extend our profound gratitude to this man of God for coming up with this precious treasure. We thank all our local languages translators for making sure that this booklet is accessible to all Methodists in their mother languages. We appreciate these servants of the Almighty for all their commitment and sacrifices. Last, but not least, we continue to thank our Connexional Bookshop for always making sure that this treasure reaches all corners of the Methodist community, locally and abroad, as both hard and soft copies.
May people called Methodists be blessed abundantly.
Rev. O. Chagudhuma
(Research and Publications Coordinator)
AUTHOR’S REMARKS
I would like to express my gratitude to the Lord almighty for the grace and inspiration that he gave me to be able to put this together. I also would like to thank the Presiding Bishop of this great Church, the General Secretary, the Mission Director and Rev. O. Chagudhuma who entrusted me with this great timeless task to put this work to life. To my wife Chichi and my kids Matipanyasha Shane, Christian Nyasha and Alex Anenyasha you always inspire me to do my best and for that I cherish you. To the MCZ community, I thank you for your love and kindness. Hoping and trusting that this year’s John Wesley Week will help us to reflect on the History past and to look into the future revived in the glorious power of our maker.
Rev. T. Dhiriza.
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Day One
Topic: The God in history is the God of the future.
Readings: Psalm 85: 6; Revelation 22: 13
This years’ MCZ theme is historical and futuristic in its theology and practice. It is historical in that when it comes to the revival of the believer’s spirituality, John Wesley played an unprecedented role in the 18th Century England wherein the birth of Methodism came about. And the fire he set up has been a cornerstone for many Churches outside the people called Methodists. Therefore, seeking revival is not a foreign or borrowed concept to the people called Methodist, rather it is in their DNA.
Our theme is futuristic in that it seeks to speak to our tomorrows’ state of affairs in the spirit and in the life of the Church because as we seek to be revived today, we do so, so that we are a better people in our relationship with God and others in this journey of faith.
Just like John Wesley managed to bequeath an inheritance of faith and hope, if we be revived we are able to bequeath to the coming generations a Church that moves by faith and stands for Justice. Just as God was with those who came before us, God shall be with us and those who will come after us, revive us Oh! God.
Question of the day: Are we really willing to be revived and to revive others?
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “Best of all God is with us…”
Prayer of the Day: As you revive us, as you inspire us the way you did our forefathers and Mothers dear God we pray that you take over completely. Let your will win us and our Church.
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Day Two
Topic: Set apart for God’s purpose.
Readings: Exodus 9: 26, John 17: 17 and Acts 13: 2
John Wesley was so passionate about sanctification. It is to us the separation of our will so that we begin to live in God’s will. This is not an easy process or child’s play. The world is demanding that we serve it, the flesh all things being equal desires to sin and rebel against the will of God more than it desires to serve God. Yet sanctification separates us for God’s service and it helps us be distinguished from the rest.
As we get separated for God’s grace, God’s prevenient grace as John Wesley puts it, draws us closer to God and humanity. We begin to know that this separation is not intended to make us elites, but servants of the Gospel. We begin to allow the Spirit to send us where he wills and we begin to love and live for others.
We as the people called Methodist are being separated from the rest, like a brand plucked from the fire we are called to serve and called to minister. We must influence the communities that we are coming from, we must yearn to make Christ known, to make justice flow like a river and pour out love in the world, {Amos 5: 24}. That is how the world shall know that indeed we are God’s disciples, {John 13: 35}. We are thus separated yet we are in the world, but not of the world, {John 17: 15-16}.
Question of the day: What are some of the moral hazards that are hindering us to be true servants of the Lord at Church and at individual level?
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “Give me a hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God…”
Prayer of the day: We pray dear Father that you continue to sanctify us with your Word. Forgive us where we run away from your grace in moments we pursue vanity.
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Day Three
Topic: The revival of our relationships.
Readings: Matthew 5: 9 and 2 Tim 4: 14
So, on one fateful day in August 1737, John Wesley refused his ex-wife Sophie Hopkey the ancient Christian rite of the Holy Communion. In his defence John Wesley argued that Sophie had not made the right appointment/registration to receive the Eucharist. Of course, the actual and deeper reason was that John Wesley was bitter after his nasty separation with Sophie and her subsequent marriage to one William Williamson. Compare with today’s scripture you can tell the Apostle Paul regardless of how powerful he was in the ministry, was bitter with some people.
This is more or less the state of the Church today, some ministers are bitter against each other and believe it or not, they are sworn enemies as we speak. Some members are not seeing eye to eye and some members and some ministers literally hate each other.
It is imperative that our relationships get mended and that we ask for the Spirit of God to give us the humility to take the first step towards love, reconciliation and genuine unity. We are the body of Christ and we thus need each other. Also, taking from our Lord Jesus the Christ’s teaching, a city divided against itself cannot stand, {Matt 12: 25}.
Question of the day: Do you have any person that you are bitter with and or hold grudges against? Would you like to be led by the Spirit to make peace with them?
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “All people need to be saved…All people can be saved…”
Prayer of the day: Dear God we pray for our hearts to be rid of the burden we carry, the burden of hate, discrimination, anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. We trust that we are better off at peace with each other than we are at war against each other. Help us.
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Day Four
Topic: Taking the flight back to the father.
Readings: Luke 15: 17-18.
We went to a youth camp the other year as youths. There, a friend of ours taught us a song that resonates well with today’s theme. It had these lyrics, “Batsirai Jehova nekuti vanoda Mwari vapera mweya mizhinji yatonhora, vanhu voda mari kupfuura Mwari wavo…” Loosely translated it says, ‘help us oh! Lord for those who genuinely love God are scarce and many are cold in their faith, people have become lovers of gold more than God.’
Look the moment we make a deliberate choice to come back to God, the Lord awaits us at the gates to welcome us. See, this is the gist of the Gospel, in that from being called a prodigal son/ daughter to being restored and being called my son/ my daughter is back. From wearing rags to being covered in the fathers coat, from feeding with the pigs to having a special banquet thrown for you. This is mercy and this is revival. It is possible if at our individual level we go back to the Father in humility and with contrite hearts. Inhliziyo lemoya idabukile Nkulunkulu awuyi kuyidela/ Moyo yakaputsika neyakapwanyika Mwari havayishore, he moulds them to the former state, {Psalm 51: 17}.
Question of the day: Are you in good standing with the Father or you feel you are far away from his feet?
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “The world is my parish…”
Prayer of the day: We come to you dear Father, broken as we are, lost in time and in action yet trusting that at the gates your Grace awaits us. We take a walk of shame back to where we belong and that’s in your presence and guidance. Receive us, we pray.
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Day Five
Topic: Revival is a process not an event.
Readings: Philippians 1: 6
The scripture of the day clearly says that the Lord who started this good work in us will see to it that it is complete. This was an encouragement by the Apostles not only to the ancient Church but to us and the future generations that will come after us. So, we see that God indeed begins the work of faith in us and journeys with us until we reach our destinies.
If we look at the work that John Wesley inspired, at times he felt dejected, his work in America is regarded by others as disastrous and others see it as a dismal failure in his ministry. He himself had some mixed feelings about his work in Georgia. John had stones thrown at him, he was hated and loathed upon and banned from using some Churches even though he was an ordained minister in the Church of England. Yet because the ancient promise of scripture that God will see us through the work he begins in us was engraved in his heart he continued and soldiered on.
The challenge is on us to solider on in the vineyard of the Lord. True, some of our circumstances are unbearable, some ministers are not getting their allowances, some members because of the vastness of their circuits only meet up with their reverends once or twice a year, salaries and incomes are inadequate for most of us. Yet the process of revival will and should continue in us through the power of the Holy Spirit and we thus must without doubt be willing to be patient in this process which is never an event.
Question of the day: What are the signs of a patient Church or believer who trusts the processes of God?
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “ Let us fear sin, more than death or hell…”
Prayer of the day: For the journey ahead, we pray your strength dear God. For the times we will be on top of the mountains and for the moments we will find ourselves in the valley, we pray and plead you power and patience to trust your process.
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Day Six
Topic: Resource and support the mission.
Readings: 2 Corinthians 9: 7 and 1 Peter 4: 10
The third pillar of the strategic document that the MCZ has been using for the last 5 or so years speaks to the issues of resourcing or financing the mission of the Church. I would think that if we were to ask John Wesley for his view on this pillar he would say, “…give all you can.” You see, my brothers and sisters, where we are as a Church and where we must go, we can only go there if and when we harness our resources together for the mission.
We can only give all we can when we become cheerful-givers in the House of the Lord. We also need to Participate in the revival of our church resources. We have blessed men and women boys and girls in the House of the Lord and it is time we rise up to become participants and not observers when it comes to resourcing the Church.
One way we could and must encourage each other is for us to use our gifts and talents to minister in the Church. Why should the church pay for lawyers and advocates to defend the Churches cause when we have dignified and respected lawyers amongst us? Why should we have to bear the cost of building Churches and houses when in and amongst us we have competent builders? Why should the Church struggle to build proper Sunday School structures when we have qualified teachers who are doing some splendid work with ECD learners in our formal schools? Surely, do we not have competent plumbers, engineers, doctors, educationist, the list is endless.
Is it not a time for all of us to use these talents and acquired professions to propagate the Gospel and help the Church we so dearly love? This is how other Churches are doing it, let’s also rise and play our role. Where
ever you are, whoever you are I say to you that the greatest resource the MCZ has is you.
Question of the day: How do you want to contribute to the resources of the Church? What talents and qualifications do you have and are you humble enough to serve the church ‘pro-bono?’
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “Give all you can…”
Prayer of the day: You have blessed us dear God. You have raised us from the dust. Teach us therefore to serve you with our substance, and to resource this Church you died for, the Church that nurtures and nourishes us.
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Day Seven
Topic: Let the young people shine, give them enough space.
Readings: Jeremiah 1: 4-8 and 1 Timothy 4: 12
By now most of us in the MCZ are aware of the fact that the term Methodists was coined when John, Charles Wesley and their friends were at Oxford University. It was a nickname given to them by their adversaries and others who observed the way they conducted themselves. They were literally teenagers at this time but the impact they made was so huge they could not be ignored.
The writer of Timothy is encouraging the young people and I do the same to all our youths in the MCZ community, rise and influence the space and communities that you find yourselves in. Look, whilst power is complicated to have control over, influence is a gift that needs no position, vote or authority. John and his friends didn’t have power, they were just a group of young people who had a sense of direction and purpose and they then influenced history.
The MCZ as an institution has done and I believe continues to try to do its best. Look we have our own Youth Department and organizations that are recognized at the highest level. You should take advantage of these structures and show yourselves worthy of the Gospel and mission of the Church. Show your selves worthy I repeat.
Question of the day: Do we have grounded youths amongst us? Are young people getting enough mentorship and support in their spiritual and physical life? How can the Church further support the young people?
Sunday School memory statement from John Wesley for the day: “ Speak and act honourably where ever you are…”
Prayer of the day: Raise amongst us a generation that is courageous, humble and prayerful. A people who base their faith in Jesus and in the Word. Raise amongst us the Joshua’s and the Deborah’s of our generation. Lead us dear God in this journey holding our hands and those of the young ones amongst us.
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Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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