What is the difference between making a New Year’s resolution and renewing our commitment to God through covenant? For me resolutions feel self-made. My resolutions were often something that I wanted to achieve through the possibilities of the New Year. A few popular New Year’s resolutions as you know are exercise more, eat better, lose weight, and drink more water. These are fantastic goals to guide our life. However, is there more? Is there something that does not originate with our own effort and yet leads us into new ways and hope for the New Year?
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement invited believers to renewed commitment to God as the New Year dawned. A copy of this Covenant Renewal service may be found here. For me, renewing my commitment and covenant of love to God for the New Year is a lasting adventure that I can intentionally pursue each day of the New Year. We have opportunity to engage in covenant with God through each uttered prayer and our response to Jesus’ invitation to the Table set before us at the Eucharist. Jesus’ new covenant is written on our heart to form our lives from the inside of our being to our outward actions.
The Scripture
During grievous trials and temptations, the prophet Jeremiah wrote of the new covenant which, as later discovered would be poured out upon humanity through the depth of God’s love shed through Jesus’ crucifixion. Jeremiah 31:31-34 makes clear this new covenant through which was to come was vastly different from the old covenant when Moses brought the stone tablets down the mountainside.
This new covenant was and is to be written on the heart of the believer. Verse thirty-three states: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” God yearns to form us within our inward being so that we can become increasingly Christlike in our interactions with God, self, and others.
Today’s Prayer Practice
How will you make your covenant renewal to God as the New year dawns? Will you participant in a Covenant Renewal Worship experience at church or from home? Will you pray with the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer. This prayer has clauses in it which may be rather difficult to desire. For example, “Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,” However, as we stick with them, we discover a new reliance upon God.
For today’s prayer practice I invite you to consider the Lord’s Prayer as a covenantal renewal prayer. As you pray with this prayer from Jesus consider it phrase by phrase making your covenant commitment for the New Year. You may desire to journal your response. Here is a prayer grid to assist you with this renewal of commitment to God.
| The Prayer | Reflection Questions |
| Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. | How will you intentionally seek to honor, praise, and hallow God’s name through each passing day this coming year? How will this impact your daily encounters with others? |
| Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | How will you seek God’s will and release your own best desires? |
| Give us this day our daily bread; | Spend time noticing God’s provisions for you. Provisions are spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. |
| And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; | How have you been forgiven this day? How will you forgive others? |
| And lead us not into temptation, | What leads you into temptation? Lack of patience, a quick temper, feeling overloaded with Covid impact and stress? |
| But deliver us from evil. | When have you experienced God’s deliverance? What was that like for you? What is your hope for God’s further deliverance? |
| For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory for forever and ever. Amen. | How are you humbled before God’s amazing power and presence? |
Enjoy making your covenant renewal this New Year.
Brenda
