Dear Friends,
I hope that you are having (since the season is 12-days long) a very Merry Christmas!
This Sunday, we will celebrate the arrival of 2023 by gathering together to sing, read scripture, pray and partake in the Sacrament of Communion. As we prepare for that time, I invite you to join me in praying the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer.
Saying this prayer as a new year begins is a tradition that dates back to very beginning of the Methodist movement. I have included both the traditional version of the prayer and a contemporary version written by Rev. Jeremey Smith of Seattle First UMC below. Feel free to
say one or both versions. Let us Pray,
(Traditional)
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
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 thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
(Contemporary)
I am not my own self-made, self-reliant human being.
In truth, O God, I am Yours.
Make me into what You will.
Make me a neighbor with those whom You will.
Guide me on the easy path for You.
Guide me on the rocky road for You.
Whether I am to step up for You or step aside for You;
Whether I am to be lifted high for You or brought low for You;
Whether I become full or empty, with all things or with nothing;
I give all that I have and all that I am for You.
So be it. And may I always remember that you, O God, and I belong to each other. Amen.
Happy New Year,
Luke
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