Message: Reformation of Love / John 8:31-36

 In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Those who heard him questioned what he said because they believed they were not slaves to anyone. But Jesus pointed to a deeper problem. “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”

The freedom Jesus speaks about is more than freedom from outside control or oppression. When sin rules our lives, we are held captive by its power. Even today, there are things within us that can hold us back. Often, fear and anxiety lie beneath them. Anxiety itself is not a sin. We all experience it. But fear of the future and the constant pressure to prove our worth can damage our sense of self-worth and even lead us to hate ourselves. When fear controls us, we may begin to see others as competitors and ignore their suffering to protect ourselves. In this way, fear can lead us into sin, and we may become trapped by its power.

One of the things that causes anxiety and fear today is the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). AI allows computers to perform tasks such as learning, reasoning, understanding language, and solving problems. It can analyze information, write, translate, and complete complex tasks in a short time. These advances are helping us find possible solutions to long-standing problems and opening up new opportunities in medicine and other areas of life.

However, AI also brings uncertainty. Some people worry about keeping up with new technology, and others fear losing their jobs. There are also concerns about the large amount of electricity AI requires and its impact on the environment. Some speak of the “AI Singularity,” a possible future when AI surpasses human intelligence and becomes difficult to predict or control. Some even warn that this could threaten humanity’s survival.

Beyond its possible benefits and dangers, however, AI raises a more fundamental question: What does it mean to be human?

Since the modern era, we have often understood human beings in terms of their ability to think, reason, and make judgments. Today, society also measures people by their achievements and productivity. So, AI raises questions not only about jobs and economic inequality but also about the meaning of human existence.

Reformation Sunday invites us to reflect on this question. In particular, John Wesley, the leader of the Methodist movement, offers an important perspective. Wesley’s reformation of love reminds us that human worth is rooted not in our abilities or achievements, but in God’s grace and love. The Methodist tradition later became part of The United Church of Canada.

Wesley lived in 18th-century England, a time of great change. Commerce and industry were expanding, cities were growing, and economic and social changes were emerging that would eventually lead to the Industrial Revolution. New wealth was being created, but it was not shared equally. Many workers faced insecure employment, illness, and hardship.

Wesley was a faithful Christian from an early age. As a priest in the Church of England, he gathered with friends at Oxford to study the Bible, pray, fast, and serve others. They visited prisoners and the poor. Their disciplined practices earned them the nickname “Methodists.” Yet despite his efforts, Wesley struggled to feel assured of his salvation. He wondered what more he needed to do to be accepted by God.

On May 24, 1738, Wesley attended a meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. While listening to someone read Martin Luther’s preface to the Letter to the Romans, he felt his heart “strangely warmed.” He came to trust in salvation through Christ and gained a renewed assurance of God’s forgiving and accepting grace.

This was a turning point in how Wesley understood Christian faith and God’s grace. He realized that he did not need to do more good deeds or achieve something extraordinary to earn God’s love. He came to trust that God’s grace was already given, not something he had to earn through his own efforts.

Wesley’s experience helps us understand the freedom Jesus speaks about. Christian freedom is not about the ability to do whatever we want or choose whatever we like. It is freedom from the power of sin, enabling us to respond to God’s love and live a new life in Christ. Jesus says, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

For Wesley, love was no longer something he had to practise to earn God’s acceptance, but a way of responding to the grace he had already received. His spiritual renewal led to a movement that helped reform the church. At that time, the Church of England paid little attention to the working classes and the poor. Some labourers found it difficult to attend church, so there was a need for worship outside church buildings. But preaching outdoors was unusual and controversial within the parish system.

Wesley could not ignore those who needed the gospel. In 1739, he began preaching outdoors in Bristol, visiting the places where miners and labourers lived and worked. He later declared, “The world is my parish.” For Wesley, the gospel could not be confined to church buildings or social classes.

Wesley also organized small groups where people met regularly to study the Bible, share their faith, and care for one another. Laypeople and women took on important leadership roles. The church became more than a place for worship and teaching. It became a community where people experienced God’s presence and cared for one another.

This change reached beyond the church. Wesley and the Methodist communities provided medicine and health care because medical care was too expensive for many people at that time. They also helped create work opportunities, offered small loans, and supported education. Wesley strongly opposed slavery. For him, faith was not only about caring for souls. God’s love could not ignore poverty, illness, injustice, or oppression.

One of Wesley’s important teachings was “Christian Perfection.” But this did not mean knowing everything or never making mistakes. It meant living in God’s grace and loving God and our neighbours fully, so that this love guided our thoughts, words, and actions.

Wesley’s reformation of love speaks to us today in the age of AI. We need to learn new technologies and adapt to change. Yet we must not measure human worth by intelligence, productivity, or economic value alone. Even if a machine can do something better than we can, our dignity does not diminish. Our dignity is rooted not in what we achieve, but in the God who loves us.

We do not need to prove that we are better than others to be worthy of love. Instead, we can turn our attention to those around us. Rather than asking only how well we can adapt or how much we can gain, we can notice who is being left behind. This includes people losing their jobs, those unable to access services because of digital barriers, and those struggling to find meaning in a rapidly changing world.

Reformation is not about thinking old traditions are bad and only new ones are good. It means examining our beliefs, institutions, and ways of living in the light of the gospel. We must ask what our churches are holding on to and whether our practices truly reflect Christ’s love. Wesley’s life reminds us that reformation can begin when we rediscover God’s grace and respond through love. This is what it means to hear Jesus’ words, “The truth will make you free.”

We do not know exactly how AI will change our world. But we know what matters as our world changes. Human worth is not determined by ability or productivity, and no one should be treated as disposable. The freedom Christ gives us helps us move beyond fear, recognize the suffering of others, and seek ways to live together rather than protecting only our own interests.

The world will continue to change, and our churches will need to change as well. But the reformation we seek is not about having more power or achieving more. It is about becoming more loving. Christian freedom has a direction. It frees us from the power of sin and leads us toward love. As we find freedom in Christ, we are called to reach out to our neighbours and let God’s love grow more fully in our hearts, our churches, and our society. This is the reformation of love we need today.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Min Hwang