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;
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 fulfilment
And when it is lacking;
When I have all things,
And when I have nothing.
I willingly offer all I have and am to serve you, as and where you choose.
(The Covenant Prayer: Methodist Worship Book pp288-289)

The annual Covenant Service has been key to Methodism since its beginnings in the 1700s. The Covenant Prayer – which we say together during the service – doesn’t make easy reading.

Perhaps you’re very familiar with it, or maybe you’re seeing it for the first time. Either way, try reading it through slowly several times. Which phrases jump out? Are there any that concern or delight you?

Throughout our lives we make promises. I’m writing this on New Year’s Day having made several New Years Resolutions few of which are likely to survive the fortnight. What can I say? At least I mean well. Similarly, at a first glance the Covenant Prayer looks like a list of standards we can’t possibly live up to. Aren’t we making promises we can’t keep? Setting ourselves up for failure and its associated guilt?

No. Not in the slightest. We enter into these promises knowing perfectly well that we don’t have the strength to keep them all by ourselves. They aren’t a list of things we ‘must’ do in order to earn God’s love but rather opportunities to connect with God and show God’s love in the world. In the Covenant Prayer we experience the challenge of the gospel and are reminded that, ultimately, we are not in charge. We live in God’s world, not God in ours.

Our Covenant Service will take place on Sunday 26^th January at 10.30am. All are welcome!

Happy New Year!