Printed Service – Sunday 4th January 2026
Prepared by Rev. Vivienne Smith
Covenant Service
Call: We gather to praise the One who is faithful from generation to generation. He alone is worthy to receive all the praise and all the glory. His steadfast love endures forever, and on this covenant Sunday We offer ourselves to Him, our God and our king.
Hymn STF88 Praise to the Lord
Watch on YouTube
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.
Praise to the Lord, who doth nourish thy life and restore thee,
Fitting thee well for the tasks that are ever before thee,
Then to thy need he like a mother doth speed,
Spreading the wings of grace o’er thee.
Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtues confounding,
Sheddeth his light, chaseth the horrors of night,
Saints with his mercy surrounding.
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.
Prayer :Glory to the Father, the God of love, who created us; who continually preserves and sustains us; who has loved us with an everlasting love, and given us the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Blessed be God for ever. Glory to Jesus Christ our Saviour, who, though he was rich, yet for our sake became poor, and was tested in every way as we are, yet without sin; who proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross; who was raised from the dead and is alive for ever, and has opened the kingdom of heaven to all who trust in him; who is seated at God’s right hand in glory, and will come to be our judge.
Blessed be God for ever. Glory to the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, by whom we are born into the family of God, and made members of the body of Christ; whose witness confirms us; whose wisdom teaches us; whose power enables us; who will do for us more than we can ask or think.
Blessed be God for ever. To the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be praise and glory for ever. Amen.
God of grace, through the mediation of your Son, you call us into a new covenant. Help us therefore to draw near with faith and join ourselves in a perpetual covenant with you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings
Exodus 24:3-11
When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do.’ Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said.
He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, ‘We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.’
Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’
Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
Romans – 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Hymn STF566 Take my life and let it be
Watch on YouTube
Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
Reading
John 15:1-10
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
Reflection
Can I ask you a question? Apart from the Lord’s Prayer, what’s your favourite prayer?
I wonder how many would say, Make me a channel of your peace.
It’s a wonderful hymn. Remember the words…
Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;
where there is injury, your healing power,
and where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
O, Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love with all my soul.
It’s beautiful.
Thinking about it Charles Wesley wrote some amazing prayers and then went on to set then them to Music
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of Heav’n to Earth come down,
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown;
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation,
Enter ev’ry trembling heart.
Finish, then, thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in thee;
Changed from glory into glory
Till in Heav’n we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise!
Wonderful! It doesn’t get much better.
In a few moments I will be inviting you to join me is saying, in my opinion, one of the greatest prayers ever written, and it is well and truly a Methodist Prayer.
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 for 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 wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessèd God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
For those who say this prayer with integrity; for those who mean it, I would argue, it’s a life changing prayer, for in praying this prayer we are giving God all that we are, body, mind, soul and Spirit.
It’s a bit like a marriage service. Indeed, John Wesley’s original Covenant Prayer involved taking Christ as “my Head and Husband, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, for all times and conditions, to love, honour and obey thee before all others, and this to the death”.
By saying, and meaning, the covenant prayer we are literally marrying ourselves to Christ as individuals and as a community. He is the bridegroom; we are the bride.
Every minute of every day He offers us His unconditional and underserved love, and by saying this prayer, and meaning it, we are simply taking His outstretched hand and choosing to be His beloved.
I’ve been married to my husband Luke now for 35 years and I have to say everyday has been an absolute joy! Never had a cross word spoken. (Don’t believe it!) Thankfully by the time I married Luke I didn’t have to promise to obey!
Not so for those living in the medieval period. Back then the bride would have to promise “to be bonny and buxom in bed and at board”. The be fair the meaning of both words have changed over the years. Bonny back then meant “good” and buxom meant “obedient”. She was promising to be good and obedient both during the day and during the night.
Thankfully the world has changed!
And yet there is a bridegroom, who’s name in Jesus, and if we are truly to be His bride, then obey we must!
But remember, He is a husband like none other! We have nothing to fear! Quite the opposite! He loves us beyond anything we could ever possibly imagine, and He can be trusted 100%!
Should we choose to say this prayer today and mean it, He will be with us every day, and at the end He will lead us home. Our friend in life and in death. Our companion for eternity. Amen
Hymn STF556 Just as I am without one plea
Watch on YouTube
Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fighting’s within and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I com
The Covenant
God made a covenant with the people of Israel, calling them to be a holy nation, chosen to bear witness to his steadfast love by finding delight in the law. The covenant was renewed in Jesus Christ our Lord, in his life, work, death and resurrection. In him all people may be set free from sin and its power, and united in love and obedience. In this covenant God promises us new life in Christ. For our part we promise to live no longer for ourselves but for God. We meet, therefore, as generations have met before us, to renew the covenant which bound them and binds us to God.
Let us then seek forgiveness for the sin by which we have denied God’s claim upon us.
Let us pray.
God of mercy, hear us as we confess our sins.
For the sin that has made us slow to learn from Christ, reluctant to follow him, and afraid to bear the cross: Lord, have mercy, Lord, forgive. For the sin that has caused the poverty of our worship, the formality and selfishness of our prayers, our neglect of fellowship and the means of grace, and our hesitating witness for Christ: Lord, have mercy, Lord, forgive.
For the sin that has led us to misuse your gifts, evade our responsibilities, and fail to be good stewards of your creation: Lord, have mercy, Lord, forgive.
For the sin that has made us unwilling to overcome evil with good, tolerant of injustice, quick to condemn, and selfish in sharing your love with others: Lord, have mercy, Lord, forgive.
Silence
Have mercy on me, O God, in your constant love; in the fullness of your mercy blot out my offences. Wash away all my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Give me the joy of your help again and strengthen me with a willing spirit.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore to all who truly repent this is his gracious word: ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Amen. Thanks be to God.
Hymn Come, let us use the grace divine
Watch on YouTube
Come, let us use the grace divine,
And all, with one accord,
In a perpetual cov’nant join
Ourselves to Christ the Lord:
Give up ourselves, through Jesu’s power,
His name to glorify;
And promise, in this sacred hour,
For God to live and die.
The cov’nant we this moment make
Be ever kept in mind:
We will no more our God forsake,
Or cast his words behind.
We never will throw off his fear
Who hears our solemn vow;
And if thou art well pleased to hear,
Come down, and meet us now.
To each the cov’nant blood apply,
Which takes our sins away;
And register our names on high,
And keep us to that day.
Sisters and brothers in Christ, let us again accept our place within this covenant which God has made with us and with all who are called to be Christ’s disciples. This means that, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we accept God’s purpose for us, and the call to love and serve God in all our life and work.
Christ has many services to be done: some are easy, others are difficult; some bring honour, others bring reproach; some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests, others are contrary to both; in some we may please Christ and please ourselves; in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.
Therefore, let us make this covenant of God our own. Let us give ourselves to him, trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.
Eternal God, in your faithful and enduring love you call us to share in your gracious covenant in Jesus Christ. In obedience we hear and accept your commands; in love we seek to do your perfect will; with joy we offer ourselves anew to you. We are no longer our own but yours.
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 for 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 wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessèd God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Silence
Hymn STF668 Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
Watch on YouTube
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.
Perfect communion, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight.
Angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. [Refrain]
Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Saviour am happy and bless’d,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love. [Refrain]
Prayer
As we have entered this covenant not for ourselves alone, but as God’s servants and witnesses, let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Loving God, hear us as we pray for your holy catholic Church: make us all one, that the world may believe.
Inspire and lead all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world: establish justice and peace among all people. Have compassion on all who suffer from any sickness, grief or trouble: deliver them from their distress.
We praise you for all your saints who have entered your eternal glory: bring us all to share in your heavenly kingdom.
Let us pray in silence for our own needs and for those of others…
Silence
Lord our God, you have helped us by your grace to make these prayers, Answer now your servants’ prayers according to their needs; in this world grant that we may truly know you, and in the world to come graciously give us eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn STF80 My God I am thine
Watch on YouTube
My God, I am thine;
What a comfort divine,
What a blessing to know that my Jesus is mine!
In the heavenly Lamb
Thrice happy I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of his name.
True pleasures abound
In the rapturous sound,
And whoever has found it hath Paradise found.
My Jesus to know,
And feel his blood flow,
‘Tis Life everlasting, ‘tis Heaven below.
Yet onward I haste
To the heavenly feast,
That, that is the fulness, but this is the taste.
And this I shall prove,
Till with joy I remove
To the Heaven of heavens in Jesus’ love.
Prayer
God of grace and steadfast love, You have called us into covenant with You—not because we are worthy, but because Your mercy endures forever. Strengthen us, O Lord, as we offer ourselves again to Your service. May the Holy Spirit empower us to let go of all that keeps us from Your will, to take up the work You set before us, and to walk faithfully in the way of Christ.
Blessing
As we renew this covenant today, may Christ’s peace guard your hearts, God’s wisdom guide your steps, and the Spirit’s power keep you steadfast in faith. Go in the joy of those who are bound to God in love. And may the blessing of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rest upon you and remain with you this day and always. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.