It always amazes me how the weather influences our lives.  Most conversations begin or end with comments about the weather. The weather greatly influences our goings and comings. If the weather is bad, most churches can assume attendance will be down, and thus offerings will be down. Good weather also poses a threat to church attendance because it tempts us to find other things to do “on such a glorious day.”
     The weather rarely determined whether or not John Wesley would take a trip. Wesley tells us about his interest in a little village called Plessey, about 10 miles from Newcastle. This little town had a bad reputation. Wesley said of the town that it was filled with people he described as “the first rank for savage ignorance and wickedness of every kind.” He told us about one of their town celebrations, always held on a Sunday, where men, women and children met together to dance, fight, curse, swear and play chuck ball and gambling games. 
    Wesley writes that he and John Headly set out between seven and eight o’clock to go to Plessey. “The north wind being unusually high, drove the sleet full in our face, which froze as it fell, and cased us over presently.  When we came to Plessley, we could very hardly stand.  As soon as we were a little recovered I went into the square and declared him 'who was bruised for our sins, and wounded for our iniquities.’”
    The people gathered to hear Wesley, in spite of the wind and snow. In fact they came back in larger numbers later that afternoon to hear him a second time, according to his report. 
    John Wesley was such a compelling preacher that even people with the reputation he described withstood amazing discomforts twice a day to hear him preach. Maybe we can run from the car to the sanctuary during the next sprinkle.