Tomorrow is my birthday. I mention it for a couple of reasons. First, I’m not planning on celebrating any more birthdays after this one. Second, last night I actually got to go out on a date. This is unfortunately not a frequent occurrence in our house. After a nice dinner and a little bit of window shopping, we headed downtown for a movie premiere!
Yes, you read that right. I don’t live in California but I went to a movie premier last night. Wesley is the story of John Wesley’s early ministry. It was filmed here using a lot of local actors (hence the location of the premiere). The lead was played by Burgess Jenkins, who happens to be a friend of my husband. (Well actually my husband is better friends with his older brother, but why quibble?)
I confess, I was a bit skeptical about how good this independent, low-budget film could turn out. I was pleasantly surprised. The script was good, the story interesting, and the acting, while not Oscar-winning, was WAY above what I’ve seen in many of the Christian films. (I’m not trying to be cruel, but I’ve found some of them painful to watch.)
And most exciting was the message that the film conveyed. John Wesley was an Anglican priest who had no understanding of the gospel. He was working hard to earn his salvation, but he had no assurance of his own salvation. It was a failed missionary journey to Georgia, meeting with the Moravians, and other influences that led him to true faith in Christ and an understanding that justification is by faith in Christ, not our works.
After seeing the movie, I am very interested in learning more about John Wesley’s life and ministry. I know that I will have disagreements with some of his theology, but I think that there may be fewer than I previously thought. I’ll try to mention any good resources for studying John and Charles Wesley that I discover.
By Kristen H.
Glad you had a fun birthday! You said you're done celebrating. Did you turn 39?
Happy belated birthday! I hope you don't make good on your threat to stop celebrating. If you're feeling old just tell people you're 10 years older than you are, and they'll be amazed at how fantastic you look for your age. 8) (You look great anyway, but an extra boost never hurt.) Glad the movie was good. I'll keep an eye out for it.
Jennifer
Thanks for the heads up Kristen! I will definitely try to see this. I'm pathetically ignorant of my ancestors. Although I've read a few things about Suzanna.
My dad is the first pastor in the family since John Wesley (but he's Presbyterian and not Methodist).
Kimberly @ Raising Olives
I had no idea there was such a movie. I will look into it! Thank you…
Oh, and I was sad to see that you won't be celebrating any more birthdays.. please tell me you are joking (smiles). They are such a precious way to make memories and enjoy family.
Happy last birthday, and wishing you many more.
At our age, we can be expected to forget that we've already celebrated the last one…. 🙂
I'll look for the Wesley movie