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Jonathan Andersen

A young pastor in an old denomination

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A prayer for the new year: Wesley’s Covenant Prayer

For countless years of my youth, I was at Conyers First United Methodist Church on New Year’s Eve.

Each year, the youth group at my home church hosted a lock-in on New Year’s Eve. These long nights were filled with lip-singing contests (I won many of these), games that involved us running through a huge dark church, pizza, and a pancake breakfast on New Year’s day. It seems like every year there was also a broken stained glass window discovered the Sunday after.

While vague memories of those fun times have lingered, I’ll never forget being in the sanctuary when the clock struck 12:00 each year.

We didn’t have a fancy service. We would gather in the sanctuary, which was always filled with a little more mystery without the sun-lit stained glass and loud organ present. Typically, we would sing worship songs played off of the latest WOW Worship CD. Our youth minister would give a short message. Then, we would sit in the pews and pray as the New Year arrived.

I don’t remember many specifics of my prayers on those evenings. But I always remember feeling the transcendent presence of God in the darkened space. I also remember asking myself this question each year: “Am I closer to God this year as compared to last year?” Some years this question was very convicting. Other years it led me to celebration.

Little did I nor the youth minister know that our gathering in the sanctuary on New Year’s Eve was a Methodist tradition that began years before.

In 1755, John Wesley began leading Covenant Renewal services. These services were times in which people would remember the covenant made at their baptism–a covenant to serve God with all one’s heart and soul. Wesley found that these services were very encouraging and powerful for everyone involved, and soon they began being held in numerous Methodist societies.

Over time, many British Methodist churches began to hold these services on New Year’s Day or the first Sunday of the year since these were natural times of renewing commitments. These services continue with regularity in British Methodism today. While only a small number of congregations in America hold these services each new year, the order of worship for a Covenant Renewal service can be found on page 288 of the UMC Book of Worship.

One of the most powerful aspects of the service is the “Wesley Covenant Prayer.” While John Wesley admitted that he was not the originator of this prayer, it has served as a powerful tool for spiritual formation in the Methodist church over the last two centuries.

Throughout my first six months of ministry I have prayed this prayer regularly in the mornings in order to help orient my heart for the day. I plan to continue to pray it throughout this new year, and I’d like to invite you to pray this prayer with me as well.

The Wesley Covenant Prayer

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 for 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.

Click here for a PDF of this prayer that you can easily print. This is a great prayer to have around, so cut it or fold it in half and place it in your bible or somewhere where you will see it regularly.

 

Kneeling

January 1, 2013 by Jonathan 4 Comments

A prayer for our freedom

This is a prayer I recently wrote to be included in a
prayer guide for our nation that my church distributed.

Almighty God,
You have blessed the people called Americans with a land that enables us to live in freedom, speak in freedom, and worship in freedom.

These freedoms reflect the freedom that you gave to each of us when you created us in your image. You created us free so that our love for you would be freely chosen. You created us free so that our love for others would be freely chosen.

But God, like the rest of humanity throughout the ages, we as individuals and as a nation must confess to you that we haven’t always used our freedoms for your glory. Instead, we’ve used our freedoms for our own selfish purposes and ambitions. We’ve used our freedoms to oppress others. We’ve used our freedoms to pursue earthly pleasures rather than your Kingdom. Forgive us. We are desperately in need of your mercy and grace.

Almighty God, forgive us and free us from the sins that entangle us so that we can truly be free to love you and love others. Grant us the strength and resolve to use our freedoms for your purposes and not for our own. Grant us the strength to use our freedoms for the encouragement and upbuilding of others and other nations, particularly those who are the most vulnerable in this world. Grant us the strength to use our freedoms to pursue righteousness and holiness.

Grant us these things so that people would be able to see that you, the author of freedom, love this world deeply and desire for all its people to prosper.

We ask all these things in the name of your son Jesus Christ who freely went to the cross for us and for our salvation, Amen.

Veteran's Day

October 31, 2012 by Jonathan 2 Comments

A Prayer for South Carolina

I’ve never blogged a prayer before but I sometimes journal them.  After following the UMC’s 40 Days of Prayer effort online and a heartfelt desire to respond in a productive way to the latest news involving Governor Mark Sanford I thought I’d try my first blogged prayer.

Almighty God,

We come to you disappointed, confused, sad, angry, and speechless.

Through the tears of the Governor we are reminded of times in our own lives when we have disappointed, hurt, and admitted failure to you and others.  We come to you as broken individuals that have sinned against you by what we have done and left undone.

Forgive us for mocking the sin of others.
Forgive us for rejoicing at others moral shortcomings.
Forgive us for constantly justifying sin in our lives and in the lives of others.
Forgive us for going about our daily routines and not loving as you love us.

We are uncapable of fully living the truths that we proclaim.
We are dependent on your grace.
Thank you for bestowing it upon us.

As the father whose love is never failing, pour out your extravagant love on the Sanford family in these difficult times.  Remind Mark that nothing can separate him from your love and forgiveness.  Lead him to sincere repentance.  Give his family hope for a brighter future that is lit by your love, mercy, and kindness

As the author of relationships, comfort the staff and friends of the Sanfords.  Provide friends, mentors, and spiritual leaders for all who are in need.

As the reconciler of the world, continue the work of restoring trust and relationships among all of us and with you.

And may the redemption we know through your son spread and conquer all selfishness,
Amen.

June 25, 2009 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

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