Glossary of Terms

This Glossary contains definition used in our Youth Confirmation classes. Terms in italics within a definition are also defined in this Glossary.

Acts of Piety: Acts showing your personal devotion to God.

Baptism: a sacrament, special means of God’s grace coming to us, recognizes that God loves us even before we may be aware of that fact. Baptism symbolizes our acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Baptism also unites (or engrafts) us into the Kingdom of God.

Christ: the Messiah, God’s anointed one. He was and is the fulfillment of the ancient hope and God’s chosen one to bring salvation to all peoples, for all time.

Confirmation: with firmness. Confirmation means to make firm or solid that which has gone before or what was done earlier. Confirmation is about the gift that God has given us in Jesus Christ. It is about how God has loved us. It is about what we do to receive the gift and make it our own. It is a time of claiming the name of Jesus as our own.

Covenant: Formal agreement or treaty between two that establishes a relationship.

Covenant of Grace: Agreement made between God and humankind where God promised to provide grace to everyone and is also known as the promise of salvation from God to sinful humankind.

Fasting: Going without food (most common) or abstaining from a certain action for a spiritual or moral reason. It is NOT a diet technique! In addition, it is not required. Fasting does not make you holier than those who do not fast.

Forgiveness: Repentance is basic to our faith. It is basic to gaining a right relationship with God and humanity.

Incarnate: God in the flesh/human form.

Justifying grace: pardon for our sins. In justifying grace, we find freedom from guilt, opportunities to develop new relationships with God and other people, and areas of ministry in which we can live out our discipleship.

Pentecost: the official birthday of the church. The season of Pentecost begins the day after Pentecost and ends the day before the first Sunday of Advent. This season focuses on growth, emphasizing Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God and the life of the early church. The Day of Pentecost is the 50th and last day of the Easter Season. It was an Old Testament festival day, celebrating the first fruits of the harvest. But, it took on new meaning for Christians as the day the Church received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Predestination: United Methodists refute this belief. We believe that God gives humanity the power and freedom to decide whether or not he/she will serve God.

Prevenient grace: God at work in our lives even before we were born or before we were aware of it.

Redeem: to recover ownership of something by paying a specific sum; to fulfill (a pledge); to set free, rescue, ransom.

Redemption: to buy back. Jesus redeemed human beings so that they could be united with God.

Salvation: A work of God. God’s action to deliver us from sin. As revealed in the New Testament, salvation has past, present and future aspects. We have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. Salvation rests on the death and resurrection of Jesus and is ours through trust in Him.

Sanctifying Grace: God’s grace at work in us, helping us “go on to perfection.” God’s redeeming grace that gives us a fresh start every time we sin.

The Book of Discipline: the book of law for the United Methodist Church. It is the instrument for setting forth the laws, plan, polity, and process by which United Methodist govern themselves remains constant.

The Christian Year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, the great 50 days of Easter and Pentecost.

The Great Fifty Days of Easter begins at sunset on Easter Eve and continues through the Day of Pentecost. This time focuses on Christ’s resurrection and ascension.

The Trinity: three distinct and equal persons.

• God the Father—Creator. Sovereign and Preserver of all things visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of humankind, to the glory of His name.
• God the Son (Jesus Christ)—Redeemer. Jesus is the eternal Word made flesh. He was fully human and thus was tempted, hurt, grew weary, wept, etc. Jesus was the only begotten Son of the Father, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a ministering Servant, He lived, suffered and died on the cross. He was buried, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to be with the Father, from whence eh shall return. He is eternal Savior and Mediator, who interceded for us, and he will judge all humankind. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the way, the truth and the life. In Jesus, everyone can claim the right to receive the grace of God and to become a new creation.
• God the Holy Spirit—Sanctifier. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He leads humankind through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth.

Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Methodists practice discerning God’s will and making decision using four guidelines referred to as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral:

• Scripture is primary; it is the starting point and most important. It is through the filters of Tradition, Experience, and Reason that we look at Scripture.
• Tradition is what Christians have agreed upon over the last 2,000 years; it is our faith heritage.
• Experience is what we know to be true for our own lives and faith, especially from our experience with God. It is also the being experienced as a believer in our walk with God.
• Reason is using our own God-given ability to think.

Works of Mercy: Acts done to show compassionate treatment to others.

Works of Piety: showing devotion to God; for growing closer to God.

Awesome Methodist People |

John Wesley: the man credited with founding Methodism along with his brother, Charles. He was born to a home-schooling mother, Susanna, and an Anglican Priest, Samuel. He believed in a systematic approach to religion along with the other members of “The Holy Club” at Oxford. Based upon their approach, spectators called them Methodists (hint hint, wink wink). The basic principles upon which he built the Methodist faith were named by Albert Outler as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. For these beliefs, he was asked to never preach in the Anglican Church (where he first began preaching) again after his first sermon. However, he never left the Anglican church and establish Methodism both in England and America.

• Wesley’s first rule: Do no harm.
• Second general rule: Do good.
• Third general rule: Do all you can to draw closer to God.

Charles Wesley: Brother of John Wesley and member of the Holy Club. He was extremely influential in the music of the church. He composed a majority of the hymns in the original Methodist hymnal, in which 56 of them are included in our current hymnal.

George Whitefield: A leader of the Methodist movement and ex-Anglican minister. He exposed John Wesley to field preaching and revivalism.

Francis Asbury: Co-superintendent of the Methodist movement in America. His appointment (1784) marked the beginning of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the USA. He led all the Methodists in America for 32 years. He was the first American Methodist Bishop.

Thomas Coke: Coke served two terms as President of the Wesleyan Conference and also presided regularly over the Irish Conference. Arguably, the most significant contribution was in the field of overseas missions. He was also a co-superintendent of the Methodist movement in America.

Albert Outler: (1908-1989) was a 20th century American Methodist theologian and philosopher. Outler is generally considered to be one of the most important Wesley scholars in the history of the Church as well as the first real United Methodist theologian. He was also a key figure in the 20th century ecumenical movement. He was an ordained Methodist Elder who served in several appointments. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University, teaching at both Yale and Duke University before beginning a long tenure at Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Additional Information |

For more history and Methodist doctrine, check out these websites:

www.umc.org = Official UMC site

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Methodist_Church

http://gbgm-umc.org/UMHISTORY/Wesley/sermons/

Other Awesome People |

3 Wise Men: Astronomers that saw the star in the East, were instructed by King Herod to follow the star and report their findings. God revealed Herod’s plan to kill the child to them and told them not return. Their voyage took several years and they found Jesus when He was 2-4 yrs. Old and gave him gifts of frankincense, incense and myrrh in worship and praise.

John the Baptist: Jesus’ cousin (son of Elizabeth and Zechariah) that spread the gospel before Christ’s coming.

Saul/Paul (Disciple name): Persecutor of early Christians (Followers of the Way) who was blinded by a strange light (Jesus) on the way to Damascus. After his blind experience, he converted to Christianity and became a leader of the early church. He spread the gospel across the known world, particularly to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). He was jailed several times and later killed for his teachings.

Pontius Pilot: Roman governor that presided over the trial of Jesus. He washed his hands clean at the sentencing because he did not believe Jesus had committed any crime.

Virgin Mary: Mother of Jesus

Joseph: Jesus’ earthly father

Abraham: “Father of many nations.” He was the first person to enter a covenant with God. He is the biological father of Isaac, Ishmael, several others. His lineage includes: Isaac, Jacob, David, Joseph, and the earthly father of Jesus.

Basic Seasons of the Church |

Advent

• Color: Purple (symbolizes royalty, sorrow, and regret for wrong doing), but some churches use Blue instead (symbolizes hope).
• Symbol: Advent wreath
• When?: Begins 4 Sundays before Christmas and ends on sundown of Christmas Eve.
• Why?: Advent is the time of preparation for Christmas. It is a time when you are encouraged to study and pray in anticipation of the coming of Christ.

Christmas

• Colors: White (symbolizes purity and holiness) and Gold (symbolizes wealth and precious things).
• Symbol: Nativity scene without the wise men.
• When: Christmas Eve through the day of the Epiphany, January 6th.
• Why?: Christmas is celebrated in order to help us be apart of the story of Jesus and to help us experience God in our lives through symbolism, rituals, and traditions.

Epiphany

• Colors: White (symbolizes purity and holiness) and Gold (symbolizes wealth and precious things)
• When: The season of Epiphany is the time between Christmas and Lent. The day of Epiphany is January 6.
• Why?: The day is now observed as a time of focusing on the mission of the church in reaching other by “showing” Jesus as the Savior of all people. It is about beginnings. At the beginning of Jesus' life it marks the coming of the wise men. It commemorates Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of his ministry. The term epiphany means “to show”, “to make known”, or even “to reveal”.

Pentecost (Day)

• Colors: Many churches wear red attire to symbolize the Holy Spirit.
• Symbol: Dove
• When: 50th day of the Easter season.
• Why?: It is the day the church received the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room and the OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH.

Pentecost (Season)

• Colors: Red (Pentecost Day), White (Trinity Sunday), and Green (Season After Pentecost until Advent)
• Symbol: Dove
• When: 50th day of the Easter season.
• Why?: It is the day the church received the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room.

Lent

• Colors: Purple (symbolizes royalty, preparation, and regret for wrong doings) and Black is used to drape the cross in order to symbolize Christ’s death.
• Symbols: Ashes (Ash Wednesday cleansing/repentance service) and Palms (Palm Sunday celebration).
• When: From Ash Wednesday until sunset of Easter Eve (Lasts for 40 days).
• Why?: It is a time of preparation for Easter and a time of repentance.

Easter

• Colors: White and Gold (joyous and festive colors).
• When: Sunset on Easter Eve until Pentecost and includes Ascension Day (on day 40 of Easter), which is the day Christ ascended to heaven.
• Why?: Celebration of Christ’s resurrection and to focus on His resurrection and ascension.