Covenant Renewal Service

Entrance

GREETING

Leader: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

PEOPLE: You are the one true God who reigns forever.

Hymn -- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

OPENING PRAYER

Almighty God, you search our hearts and you see every part of us. All our desires are known to You, and from you no secrets are hidden. By the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, cleanse our hearts so we may perfectly love you and glorify Your holy name. We pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Leader: Now as God’s dearly loved children, let us pray together:

PEOPLE: Our Father in heaven, holy is Your Name Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven Give us today Your daily bread, and forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For the Kingdom, the power, and glory are Yours, both now and forever. Amen.

Proclamation

1 Peter 1:13–16 “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””  

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, the apostle Peter calls us to more than fresh goals or renewed intentions.

He calls us to holy living. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Holiness is not withdrawal from the world, but devotion within it. We are called to live differently because we belong to a different kingdom. As obedient children, we are no longer shaped by former desires, but by the holy character of the One who has called us. “Be holy, for I am holy,” says the Lord. As we renew our covenant tonight, we do so not trusting in our own strength, but responding to God’s grace with lives set apart for His purposes in the year ahead.

The Proclamation

Dearly beloved, the Christian life is a life found in Christ, redeemed from sin, and consecrated to God. We are those who have entered into this life and have been admitted into the new covenant of Jesus Christ.

He is the Mediator of this covenant. He sealed it with His own blood so it would last forever. On one side of this covenant stands God, who promises to give us new life in Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith.

Every day God proves His goodness and grace to us, showing us that His promise still stands firm. On the other side, we stand as those who promise to no longer live life for ourselves but instead to only live for Jesus Christ because He has loved us and given His life for us.

There are times in our lives when it is important for us to remember and reaffirm our promises and vows. In this same way, we come today to renew our covenant with God. Many generations have done this before us. Tonight we make the covenant our own, renewing with both joy and sincerity the covenant that binds us all to God.

Wesley's Covenant Service

The Invitation

Leader: Let us gathered here before the Lord now in covenant commit ourselves to Christ as his servants. Let us give ourselves to Him so that we may fully belong to Him. Jesus Christ has left us with many services to be done. Some of these services are easy and honorable, but some are difficult and disgraceful. Some line up with our desires and interests, others are contrary to both. In some we please both Christ and ourselves, but then there are other works where we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.

Jesus Christ, we offer You this prayer:

PEOPLE: Let me be Your servant. Let me follow your commands. I will no longer follow my own desires. I give myself completely to your will.

Leader: The power and strength to live as true servants is given to us in Christ. We accept the place and work that He gives us, acknowledging that He alone will be our reward.

PEOPLE: I am not my own. I am Yours alone. Make me into what You will. Rank me with those You will. Put me to use for You. Put me to suffering for You. Let me be employed for You. Let me be laid aside for You. Let me be lifted high for You. Let me be brought low for You. Let me be full or let me be empty. Let me have all things or let me have nothing. With a willing heart, I freely give everything to Your pleasure and disposal.

Leader: Christ is Savior to those who are His true servants. He is the source of all salvation to those who obey. To be His servant is to consent fully to His will. Christ accepts nothing less. Christ will be all in all, or he will be nothing.

Now confirm this truth in Holy Covenant. Make it a reality in your life in these ways:

1. First, set apart time in your day, more than once, to be spent alone with the Lord. Seek to perceive God’s special care for you and gracious acceptance of you. Carefully think through the words of this covenant and its conditions. Examine your heart, even if you have freely given your life to Christ. Name the sins in your life. Reflect on whether you are willing to choose Christ’s holy laws and strict commands. Be sure you are clear in all of these, so you do not lie to God! James 4:8, Jer. 29:13

2. Second, uphold a serious spirit of holy awe and reverence. Psalm 46:10

3. Third, claim God’s covenant. Do not trust in your own strength and power but rely upon God’s promise of giving grace and strength. In this way, He will empower you to keep your promise. Proverbs 3:6

4. Fourth, be determined to be faithful. You have given your heart and life to God. You have opened your mouth to dedicate yourself to the Lord. With God’s power, never go back to your former way of living. Gal. 2:20, 2 Cor. 5:17

5. And last, be prepared to renew your covenant with God. Fall on your knees. Lift your hands. Open your hearts. Eph. 2:8-9, Hebrews 9:15

The Covenant Prayer

Leader: Let us pray together:

PEOPLE: My righteous God, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, see me now as I fall before You. Forgive my unfaithfulness when I have not done your will. You promise mercy if I turn to You with my whole heart.

Leader: God requires that you rid yourself of every idol in your life.

PEOPLE: From the bottom of my heart, I here and now renounce every idol in my life, covenanting with You that I will not commit any known sin. By turning against Your will I have turned my love toward the world. In Your power I will watch for any temptation that will lead me away from You.

Leader: Through Jesus Christ, God offers to be your God again, if you allow Him to be.

PEOPLE: Before all heaven and earth, I here and now acknowledge You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as my Lord and God. I vow to give all of myself, body and soul, to be Your servant and to serve You in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life.

Leader: Jesus Christ is the only way and means to God. God has given us Jesus as the way and means to salvation.

PEOPLE: Jesus, I here and now accept You as the only new and living Way. I join myself in covenant with You. I come to You hungry, sinful, miserable, blind, and naked, unworthy even to wash the feet of Your servants. With all my power, I accept You as my Lord and Head. I renounce my own unworthiness, and vow that You are the Lord, my righteousness. I renounce my own wisdom and take You for my only guide. I renounce my own will and take Your will as my law.

Leader: Christ has told you that you must suffer with him.

PEOPLE: Jesus, I here and now make this covenant with You and accept whatever comes in life. Through Your grace I promise that neither life nor death will separate me from You.

Leader: God has given holy laws as the rule of your life.

PEOPLE: I here and now willingly take on Your yoke and burden. All Your laws are holy, just, and good. I accept them as the rule for my words, thoughts, and actions, promising I will strive to order my whole life around your direction. I will not allow myself to neglect anything I know to be my duty.

Leader: The Almighty God searches and knows you, even the thoughts of your heart.

PEOPLE: O God, you know that we have made this covenant today in sincerity, without deceit or reluctance. If You find anything false in us, guide us and help us to set it right. And now, glory be to You, God the Father. From this day forward, I shall look upon You as my God and Father. Glory be to You, God the Son. You have loved me and washed me from my sins in Your own blood. From this day forward, I shall look upon You as my Savior and Redeemer. Glory be to You, O God the Holy Spirit. By Your almighty power, you have turned my heart from sin to God. From this day forward I shall look upon You as my Comforter and Guide. O mighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you have now become my Covenant Friend. And I, through Your infinite grace, have become Your covenant servant. You are mine and I am Yours. So be it. May this covenant that I have made here on earth be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Time of Remembering Our Saints

As we renew our covenant with God and set our hearts toward holy living, we do not do so alone. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, men and women who walked this same path of faith before us. Tonight, we pause to remember the saints who have gone before us, those who lived, loved, served, and finished their race in faith. Their lives remind us that God is faithful from generation to generation, and that death does not have the final word. As we name them and light these candles, we give thanks to God for their witness, we grieve with hope, and we entrust them once more into the loving arms of our Lord, confident that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Lighting of Candle of those who have passed this year

Lighting of Candle of all Saints

Hymn

Dismissal with Blessing

Leader: May our God, who establishes covenant relationship with those who seek to enter the Kingdom, be with you always. May Jesus Christ, who seals the new covenant with his blood on the cross, bring you peace. May the Holy Spirit guide your life both now and forever. Go in peace to serve the Lord!

PEOPLE: Amen.