Covenant Renewal

Last night, as part of our New Light gathering, we spent some time in reflection using a modified version of the Covenant Renewal Service in the Wesleyan tradition - a service that calls participants to renew their covenant with God. The climax of the service is this powerful prayer for Covenant Renewal:

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 by 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 blessed 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.

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You know that old expression, "Be careful what you pray for!"? It definitely applies in this situation, because when we pray, "I am no longer my own but yours..." -- when we pray, "I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal..." -- that's a prayer of surrender. The act of surrendering, it seems to me, isn't to be entered into lightly... but when we're able to truly surrender, that's a pretty powerful (powerless!) thing! I wonder what God might do with me -- how God might use me -- if I were able to truly surrender all things, yield all things, give myself completely to God. I hope I can find out.

Here at the beginning of a brand new year, we're challenging everyone in the New Light community -- and on Sunday, everyone in the Chestnut UMC congregation as well -- to pray this prayer daily. We've printed up bookmarks with the words so everyone can keep them at their fingertips, and we're providing a weekly guide to daily devotions. We hope people will be intentional about spiritual practices using these resources, and we can't wait to see the transformation God can accomplish in us through our faithfulness to these daily practices.

Prayer for the New Year

A beautiful prayer for the new year, written by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, a pastor in our Conference, who's also part of the group Montana Logging & Ballet Company and a gifted hymn writer... with thanks to Rolling Ridge, whose e-newsletter contained this prayer; and especially to Steve, without whose permission I'm copying it here...

God,
I thank you for this past year.
For every day—
pleasant and unpleasant,
easy and difficult,
with all their gifts and struggles,
good decisions and bad—
I thank you.
I do not presume to judge
days I should or should not have had.
I thank you for them all.
Each one was a step on my journey,
which has brought me to this day;
and on each you accompanied me.
Each moment was a gift of your Presence,
and from them I may still receive grace.
I thank you.

For the year to come, God, I thank you,
and I entrust myself to you.
I trust that you will accompany me
each day, each moment, each experience,
whether relaxing or challenging,
familiar or new.
Whatever shall befall me,
you will be with me,
and it will be good.
I thank you; I look forward with hope,
and I open my heart to your blessing.

Bless me each day of this new year:
that I may receive your blessings,
be ever mindful of your presence,
and listen for your voice;
that with courage I may trust your deep desire for me,
and that I may live in harmony with your grace.
Amen.

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

HaPpY nEw YeAr!

Oh man! How blessed I am! We have just returned from our post-Christmas travels. We got to spend some quality time with both sides of the family - first with my extended family in Searsport, Maine, and then with Sara's, both the Ewing and the Turkington sides, in Lake Junaluska, NC. Rachel got to celebrate Christmas with all four grandparents, and with all five of her living great-grandparents, and with a whole assortment of aunts, uncles, and cousins. If I counted it right, we got to see 37 different family members over this past week! We are feeling so grateful for the gift of extended family - for these relationships which keep us grounded and which nurture us so deeply.

I have lots to reflect upon here at the beginning of a brand new year, but first I'm anxious to get some good sleep in my own bed, so I'll begin with just these few things for which I'm thankful:

• that the trip home went smoothly, and especially that our plane landed safely even in the middle of a snowstorm
• that Rachel slept the entire way home, through two flights and all the transitions in and out of her stroller, on and off planes, and even into a car once we'd landed the final time
• that our friend Oliver came in his four-wheel drive to pick us up at the airport and delivered us to our door
• that even though we've apparently had several significant snow "events" while we've been away, some kind and generous neighbor has kept our driveway and walks shoveled, saving me lots of time and frustration tomorrow

How much better does it get?

Happy New Year! I'll get back in blogging mode soon!