John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, had a practice of leading people to renew a promise to God. During Wesley’s life, this became a yearly practice that came to be known as a “covenant service,” often celebrated on New Year’s Day or on a Sunday near the beginning of the calendar year. He adapted a prayer for use in that service that continues to be used in all sorts of Methodist Churches worldwide. We used a version of that prayer in the worship service this past Sunday.
The prayer is not for the faint-hearted or casual follower of Christ. It speaks to a radical commitment to give your energy, time, and focus to do the will of God in the world. There is no holding back, no escape clause, no fingers crossed behind your back. Instead, we enter into a life marked by complete devotion to God.
A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition
I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You,
Exalted for You or brought low for You.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
To Your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine, and I am Yours. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen
The prayer reminds that following Jesus Christ is not something that can be squeezed into the edges and margins of my life. It is to be at the center of who I am, how I speak, and how I act.
The prayer calls me to keep making course corrections and adjustments all the time. When you steer a boat across a lake or across the wide ocean, you have to make thousands of course corrections along the way to keep the boat headed in the right direction. Faith in Christ is not just a one-time decision we make, but all the daily, moment by moment course corrections we make overtime.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Steve