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Our Methodist heritage leads us to renew our covenant with God at the beginning of each new year. We speak aloud together words penned by John Wesley (the founder of Methodism) for this purpose in 1755:
Let us pray...
Father, you have appointed our Lord, Jesus Christ, as mediator of
a new Covenant; give us grace to draw near with fullness of faith and join ourselves
in a perpetual Covenant with you, through Jesus Christ our Lord... Amen.
The Covenant...
In the old Covenant, God chose Israel to be a special people and
to obey the Law. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection, has made a
new Covenant with all who trust in Him.
We stand within this Covenant and we bear His name. On the one side, God promises to give us new life in Christ. On the other side, we are pledged to live, not for ourselves, but for God. Today, therefore, we meet to renew this Covenant that binds us to God.
Friends, let us claim the Covenant God has made with His people and accept the yoke of Christ. When we accept the yoke of Christ, we allow Jesus to guide all that we do and all that we are, and Christ Himself is our only reward. Christ has many ways for us to serve Him. Some are easy; others are difficult. Some receive applause; others bring reproach. Some we desire to do because of our own interests; others seem unnatural. Sometimes we please Christ and meet our own needs; at other times we cannot please Christ unless we deny ourselves. Yet Christ strengthens us and gives us the power to do all these things. Therefore, let us make this Covenant with God our own. Let us give ourselves completely to God, trusting His promises and relying on His grace:
I give myself completely to you, God. Assign me to my place in your service. I am no longer my own but yours. Your will, not mine, be done in all things: wherever you may place me, in all that I do and in all that I may endure and suffer; when there is work for me and when there is none; when I am troubled and when I am at peace. Your will be done when I am valued and when I am disregarded; when I find fulfillment and when it is lacking; when I have all things and when I have nothing. I willingly offer all that I have and am to serve you as and where you choose. And now, Holy God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - You are mine and I am yours. So be it. May this Covenant made on earth continue for all eternity... Amen.
Note: "Amen" is a Hebrew word which means "firm" or "established." After a prayer, it means "May it be so" or "So be it." Many of Jesus' words begin with this word, which is then translated "truly."
Renewing our covenant with God