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Good morning and welcome to Rayleigh Methodist Church. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism,聽visited the old town of Leigh several times between 1748 and 1756 in order to set up a Methodist Society.聽The story goes that on one of those occasions his chaise got stuck in the ruts 2 miles from Rayleigh and he and his companions "thought it best to walk to the town though the road was both wet and dirty.".It was un-doubtedly from this Society at Leigh that quotes: "apostolic fishermen (in other words evangelists) robed in blue jerseys" started to hold meetings in a house in Eastwood Road, in about 1837,聽the same road on which our church is sited. So, this church can trace its roots to the beginnings of worldwide Methodism.聽聽
Let us pray.Glory to the Father, the God of love,聽who created us;聽who has loved us with an everlasting love,聽Bless茅d be God for ever.
Glory to Jesus Christ our Saviour,聽who proclaimed the good news of the kingdom,聽died on a cross;聽who was raised from the dead and is alive for ever.聽Bless茅d be God for ever.
Glory to the Holy Spirit,聽the Lord, the giver of life,聽who will do for us more than we can ask or think.Bless茅d be God for ever.
To the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,be praise and glory for ever. Amen.
聽Today we celebrate Epiphany, marking the arrival of the wise men to worship the infant Jesus. Our first hymn,聽鈥楤rightest and best of the sons of the morning,鈥� proclaims our faith in a God who brings us from darkness into light.
Hymn: Brightest and best of the sons of the morning - 227
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORDAt the start of the new year Methodists make a聽 resolution in a special 鈥榗ovenant service鈥�,聽聽The Covenant is not a contract in which God and human beings agree to provide particular goods and services for each other! Rather,聽the Covenant is the means of grace by which Methodists accept the loving聽 relationship God offers and then seek to sustain it.聽Later the minister of this church, the Revd Dr Calvin Samuel, will be preaching about the Covenant.聽And towards the end of the service we will renew our Covenant through promises made to God in solemn declaration and prayer.聽But first we hear three scripture readings. The first from the law, the second from the prophets and the third from the epistles or New Testament letters.聽
First Reading (Tony Knuckey)A reading from the Law. - Deuteronomy 29 Verses 10鈥�15. Words of the Old Testament prophet Moses:0 You stand assembled today, all of you, before the LORD your God鈥攖he leaders of your tribes,[a] your elders, and your officials,聽all the men of Israel, 11 your children, your women, and the aliens who are in your camp, both those who cut your wood and those who draw your water鈥� 12 to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God,聽sworn by an oath, which the LORD your God is making with you today; 13 in order that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.聽14 I am making this covenant, sworn by an oath, not only with you who stand here with us today before the LORD our God, 15 but also with those who are not here with us today.
For the wisdom that guides uswe praise you, O God.
Second Reading (Heather Simmons)A reading from the Prophets 鈥� Jeremiah 31 verses 31鈥�34The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.聽It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt 鈥� a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.聽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.No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, 鈥楰now the LORD鈥�, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
For the word that inspires uswe praise you, O God.
Epistle (John Harrison)A reading from the Epistles - Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. These are words of St Paul.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,聽holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,聽but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For the truth that enlightens uswe praise you, O God.
Our Choir today comes from the Fishermen鈥檚 Chapel, a sister congregation within the Southend and Leigh Methodist Circuit.聽聽Singing and music have long been important elements of Methodist faith and worship. The Choir, directed by Heather Simmons with Dave Cook on keyboards,聽sing a medley of faith in a God who hears our prayers.聽聽
Choir: Medley Jesus on the Main line, when the Saints
Local lay people, called Methodist local preachers, have always been vital in leading Methodist worship.聽聽Local preacher Sanya Strachan聽 brings our gospel reading.
Gospel Reading (Sanya Strachan)A reading from the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 14 verses 22 to 25.聽
Hear the Gospel of Christ.Glory to Christ our Saviour.
Mark 14:22-25聽22 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said,聽鈥楾ake; this is my body.鈥� 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. 24 He said to them, 鈥楾his is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
This is the Gospel of Christ.Praise to Christ our Lord.
We now listen to Waterside choirs, who are part of our circuit community, performing Singing for My Soul,聽composed by their Music Director Heather Simmons.
Waterside Choirs: Singing for my soul
The Sermon (CS)
The opening words of the Methodist Covenant prayer are really quite challenging.聽聽鈥淚 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;聽let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you鈥︹�漌hat kind of mad person would pray such a prayer?聽 And why in the world聽 would anyone pray, 鈥榩ut me to suffering?鈥櫬燱ell, we Methodists are just the kind of mad people who have been saying that prayer for well over 250 years.The practice of a covenant service goes way back in our tradition, as far back as our founder, John Wesley.聽However, the covenant service was not original to Methodism. Methodists followed the example of Moravians and Puritans.聽聽The focus of the covenant service is to renew vows of faithfulness to God and to each other, for the Covenant Service ultimately reminds us that we are not our own; we are Covenant People of a Covenant God.So, what exactly is a covenant? Well it鈥檚 not quite like a contract.聽 For a contract is often required in cases of mistrust, to protect our rights from those who might otherwise take advantage.聽Whether starting a new job, taking out insurance, or selling our property, we use contracts, ultimately because we can鈥檛 be sure we can trust the other.聽In contrast, a covenant presumes a relationship of trust and it鈥檚 not designed primarily to protect one party from the other but rather to bind together those who enter the covenant.聽It鈥檚 one of the reasons that marriage is often referred to as a covenant. For it鈥檚 a covenant relationship that is described in marriage vows: for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health till death parts us.聽A contract safeguards our rights; a covenant binds us together.The Covenant Service is an annual attempt to remind ourselves that we belong to God and God to us.聽One of the striking things about God is that God is revealed in scripture as a covenant making God, a Creator God who chooses to bind himself to his creation in a covenant of love.聽This is important: we celebrate Covenant Sunday not because we have made a covenant with God but because God has made a covenant with us.聽This what Jeremiah looks forward to in our reading from the prophets: 鈥淭he days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.聽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.So, what kind of mad person prays such a covenant prayer?聽 Turns out they鈥檙e not so mad after all.聽聽Those who pray that prayer recognise that the God whom we worship is a God who calls us into covenant relationship and that in that relationship that we find our true identity and vocation as covenant people.Having addressed the 鈥榳ho鈥� question we need now to consider the 鈥榳hy鈥� question.聽 Why would anyone pray a prayer that includes the words 鈥榩ut me to suffering?鈥� Let鈥檚 be clear: no one who prays that covenant prayer is asking for suffering.聽 That鈥檚 not what the prayer is about. Instead, this is a prayer that makes a statement of intent.聽 The person I want to be, is one who is bound to God in a covenant relationship of love which means that not only do we trust in God to determine whether we will be employed or laid aside, exalted or brought low, full or empty, we also trust in God to provide us the grace and the strength to do these things. This is who we want to be in a covenant relationship of love.聽 And it is only within the security of that love that we can bear to make such life changing promises.聽聽And make no mistake those promises are indeed life changing.聽 Methodists have long been committed to the poor, deeply engaged in issues of social justice, made an enormous contribution to the rise the trade union movement, campaigned against the destructive outcomes of alcohol abuse and gambling, are fiercely opposed to any form of slavery. Indeed, the very last letter written by John Wesley was addressed to William Wilberforce urging him to continue the fight against 鈥榯he execrable villainy鈥� of slavery in all its forms. That fight is still required today to combat modern day slavery. Those covenant promises we make have implications for the way we live our lives and the issues to which we remain fiercely committed.However, the covenant prayer is not only a statement of intent, it鈥檚 more than a promise; it鈥檚 also a lifechanging moment.聽 It鈥檚 not dissimilar to the exchange of marriage vows. When a couple commits to each other for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health they make promises for the future, but those vows are also a life changing moment for it is in the very exchange of vows that their relationship changes from an engagement to a marriage.聽聽So it is that when we say our covenant prayer it鈥檚 more than a declaration of who we want to be within a covenant relationship of love, one entirely submitted to God. It鈥檚 by means of those very words that we become such a person.This is in part what Paul has in mind when he says be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When we pray the covenant prayer, we remind ourselves not only who we are, but whose we are. That reminder, that renewing of our minds, enables us to be transformed by God鈥檚 grace, so that we can face whatever lies ahead.For me, this is powerfully demonstrated by Jesus on the night before his crucifixion. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed three times, 鈥淟ord鈥� if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.聽 Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.鈥澛� That prayer聽 is not only a declaration of Jesus鈥� desire to submit himself fully to the will of God, wherever it may lead, it鈥檚 also the means by which Jesus becomes the man ready the face the cross the next day.Why would anyone pray such a challenging covenant prayer?聽 Because it is for us a declaration of our desire.聽 We want to be people fully submitted to the will God, within a covenant relationship, because we trust that God鈥檚 will for us is far beyond anything we might choose for ourselves, even if God鈥檚 path for us includes the road of suffering.聽 But we also pray that prayer because we hope to be transformed by it, so that we become more fully a Covenant People of a Covenant God committed to living out God鈥檚 purposes in this world.聽 Amen.
Confession聽Before we renew our promises to God, we prepare ourselves by confessing our sins.聽Let us pray.
O God, we confess the blindness聽that is not even aware of sinning;The pride that dare not admit it is wrong;The selfishness that can see nothing but its own will;The righteousness that knows no fault;The callousness that has ceased to care;The defiance that does not regret its own sins;The evasion that always tries to make excuses;The coldness of heart that is too hardened to repent.God, we are sinners. Be merciful to us. Amen.
Brief silence
To all who truly repentthis is God鈥檚 gracious word:'Your sins are forgiven'.Amen. Thanks be to God.
As we prepare to say our covenant prayer We listen once again to the gospel choir: Steal Away
Choir: Steal Away
The covenant prayer聽
We now come to the heart of the Methodist covenant service, at which we recommit our hearts and lives to God.
Sisters and brothers in Christ,by the help of the Holy Spirit,let us accept God's purpose for us,and the call to love and serve Godin all our life and work.Christ has many services to be done:some are easy, others are difficult.Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.Therefore let us give ourselves to God,聽trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.
And so, in faith, we say together:
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 thingsto your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and bless茅d God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,聽you are mine and I am yours.聽So be it.And the covenant now made on earth,聽let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Our next hymn, 鈥楤eyond these walls of worship鈥�, reminds us that as covenant people our faith propels us to serve our communities.聽聽We stand to sing.聽
Hymn: Beyond these walls of worship - 547
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
We say together the prayer that Jesus gave us:Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your Name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Save us from the time of trialand deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,now and for ever. Amen.
We stand to sing a hymn that echoes the promises we have renewed 鈥� to serve Jesus come what may: 鈥極 Jesus I have promised鈥�.
Hymn: O Jesus I have promised 鈥� 563聽
May the blessing of God,聽the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,聽be upon us and remain with us for ever. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.In the name of Christ. Amen.