Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

John Wesley (1703-1791) features prominently as one of Foster’s historical exemplars of faithful Christian living. Wesley was an Anglican cleric and theologian who became the driving force behind the Methodist revival in 18th-century England. His insistence on holiness of heart and life resonates closely with Foster’s exploration of how spiritual practices can transform believers from within.

Foster frequently refers to Wesley’s practical teaching and his passion for small-group accountability. The idea of class meetings, which Wesley pioneered, demonstrates a structured yet Spirit-led approach to communal growth—especially relevant to Foster’s discussion of guidance, service, and confession. Wesley envisioned Christianity not as a solitary endeavor but as a shared pursuit of “scriptural holiness.” Foster embraces that same communal spirit, pointing to Wesley’s ethos to show how close-knit spiritual “bands” foster honest confession and the pursuit of virtue through prayer, study, and mutual support.

Wesley’s role as an itinerant preacher also underlines how disciplined living intersects with mission. Foster alludes to Wesley’s rigorous schedule of preaching, pastoral visits, letter-writing, and personal devotion. This combination of outward service and inward devotion serves as a model for how spiritual disciplines can empower believers. Despite Wesley’s exhaustive labors, he diligently maintained practices of prayer, fasting, and small-group fellowship, demonstrating that an active ministry need not be divorced from contemplative rhythms.

Wesley’s heritage of fervor and discipline informed the growth of the Methodist Church, fostering a tradition that prized both heartfelt piety and social engagement. Foster cites this as an example of how spiritual disciplines, once internalized, lead to outward compassion and reform. Hence, Wesley becomes a guiding historical figure in Celebration of Discipline, embodying how disciplined devotion to God entails Blending Inner and Outward Expressions of Faith—a balance of personal piety and communal responsibility.

St. Francis of Assisi (1181/82-1226) appears in Celebration of Discipline as an icon of simplicity, humility, and joyful surrender to God. Although he lived in medieval Europe, his life and witness provide an example of how spiritual disciplines like service and solitude can be embodied in everyday existence. Born to a wealthy merchant family, Francis famously renounced his inheritance, adopting a radical life of poverty that sought to imitate Christ’s self-emptying.

In Foster’s account, St. Francis serves as a living illustration of simplicity as a spiritual discipline. He refused to amass possessions, thereby cultivating a deep trust in God’s provision. This radical stance not only challenged the materialism of his time but resonates in the context of modern consumerism. Foster presents Francis’s uncluttered lifestyle as an invitation to root one’s security in God rather than social status or financial gain.

Additionally, St. Francis demonstrates the discipline of service through his ministries to societal outcasts, such as those with Hansen’s disease (then known as leprosy). By voluntarily embracing what others shunned, he modeled how Christians can become instruments of healing and reconciliation. Foster cites this example to show that love for God and love for the marginalized are inseparable. As Francis discovered God’s presence in nature—addressing even the sun and moon as “brother” and “sister”—he expanded the Christian imagination of worship to include all creation, highlighting that worship extends beyond church walls.

Francis’s “Canticle of the Creatures” underscores the spirit of celebration so central to Foster’s work. It brims with praise for the goodness and beauty of the natural world, a reminder of how a life of simplicity, compassion, and awe can generate pure joy. Despite choosing austerity, Francis was no dour ascetic; he exuded the contagious joy that Foster argues is born of total dependence on God. By featuring St. Francis, Foster underscores that these ancient disciplines—simplicity, service, solitude—yield unbridled delight in God’s creation and unwavering hope in his providence.