As a frail 71-year-old preacher laid on the table behind the pulpit, he preached his last sermon. Too weak to stand, he was carried into the Methodist church in Richmond, Virginia. It was March 24, 1816. Though weakened in health, he spoke for an hour with an unmistakable quiet authority. The congregants were rapt with every word as they perceived the magnitude of the moment. The Prophet of the Long Road was nearing the end of a remarkable journey. 

Fittingly, he preached on Romans 9:28, “For he will finish the work…”

For forty-five years he faithfully ministered in a country not his own. Yet this man sent by John Wesley left family and loved ones in England, never to return again to his homeland. His heart found its resting place in Him. A memorial erected near this Methodist church where the last sermon was preached denotes him as one “whose only home was his saddle, his parish the continent.” This inscription upon a memorial was clearly evident with every step along the long road this faithful circuit rider trekked.

This man was Francis Asbury.

His last journal entry on December 7, 1815 grants us a glimpse into the life of the Father of American Methodism:

“My consolations are great. I live in God from moment to moment.”

The saddle was his home and the continent was his parish simply because he found his greatest satisfaction and source of consolation in Christ during each passing moment. His longevity in God was sustained with a heart utterly dependent upon God’s grace. Though Asbury suffered much to advance God’s kingdom, he faithfully preached Christ until the very end.