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The
Covenant Service |
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Covenant Service |
INTRODUCTION
The following hymn or some other suitable hymn or lyric is sung:
COME,
let us use the grace divine,
And
all, with one accord,
In
a perpetual covenant join
Ourselves
to Christ the Lord:
Give
up ourselves through Jesus’ power,
His
name to glorify;
And
promise, in this sacred hour,
For
God to live and die.
The
covenant 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 covenant blood apply,
Which
takes our sins away;
And
register our names on high,
And
keep us to that day. Amen.
The
minister says, while the people stand:
Let
us pray
ALMIGHTY
God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets
are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy
Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen. Then
the people sit, and the minister says:
DEARLY
beloved, the Christian life, to which we are called, is a life in Christ,
redeemed from sin by Him and, through Him, consecrated to God.
Upon this life we have entered, having been admitted into that New
Covenant of which our Lord Jesus Christ is Mediator, and which he sealed with
His own blood, that it might stand forever.
On
God’s part, the covenant is His reconciliation of the world to himself in
Jesus Christ and His promise that He will fulfil in and through us all that He
declared in Him, who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
That His promise stands we are sure, for we have known His goodness and
proved His grace in our lives day by day.
On
our part we have received this covenant through faith, and stand pledged to live
no more unto ourselves, but unto Him who loved us and gave Himself for us and
has called us to serve Him to the praise of His glory.
From
time to time we renew our vows of consecration, especially when we gather at the
Table of the Lord; and on this day we meet expressly, that we may joyfully and
solemnly renew the covenant which binds us to God.
Let
us then, remembering the mercies of God, and the hope of His calling, lift up
our hearts to Him in adoration.
INTRODUCTION
ADORATION
Let us pray
All kneel.
Let
us adore the Father, the God of love;
Who
created us;
Who
every moment 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.
We
adore thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
Let
us glory in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Who,
though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor;
Who
was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin;
Who
went about doing good and preaching the gospel of the kingdom;
Who
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross;
Who
was dead and is alive for evermore;
Who
has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers;
Who
sitteth at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father;
Who
shall come again as Judge and King.
Thou
art the King of glory, O Christ.
Let
us rejoice in the fellowship of 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
is ready to do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
All
praise to thee, O Holy Spirit. Here follows a period of silent prayer. THANKSGIVING
Let
us give thanks to God for His manifold mercies.
O
GOD our Father, the Fountain of all goodness, who hast been gracious to us [ not
only in thee year that is past, but1] through all the years of
our life: We give thee thanks for thy loving-kindness which has filled our days
and brought us to this time and place.
We
praise thy holy name, O Lord.
Thou
hast redeemed us and called us with a high calling in Jesus Christ. Thou hast
given us a place in the fellowship of thy Spirit and the witness of thy Church.
We
praise thy holy name, O Lord.
In
darkness thou hast been our light; in adversity and temptation a rock of
strength; in our joys the very crown of joy; in our labors the all-sufficient
reward. For all thy long-suffering
and the abundance of thy grace.
We
praise thy holy name, O Lord. 1
The words in brackets are omitted except at an
Annual Covenant Service. CONFESSION
And
now let us examine ourselves, asking God to search our hearts. INTRODUCTIONSilent confession.
Let
us humbly confess our sins to God, lest by self-deceit we shut ourselves out
from His presence. Let us pray
O
GOD our Father, who hast set forth the way of life for us in thy beloved Son: We
confess with shame our slowness to learn of Him, our failures to follow Him, our
reluctance to bear the cross.
Have
mercy upon us and forgive us, O Lord.
Forgive
us, we beseech thee, the poverty of our worship, our neglect of fellowship and
of the means of grace, our hesitating witness for Christ, our evasion of our
responsibilities in thy service, our imperfect stewardship of thy gifts.
Have
mercy upon us and forgive us, O Lord.
Forgive
us that so little of thy love has reached others through us, that we have been
thoughtless in our judgments, hasty in condemnation, grudging in forgiveness,
slow to seek reconciliation, unwilling to help our neighbor as we ought.
Have
mercy upon us and forgive us, O Lord.
Have
mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant
mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash
me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new right spirit within me.
Ps. 511, 2, 10 The people still kneeling, the minister rises and says:
This
is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and
in Him is no darkness at all. If we
walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
1 John 1: 5, 7-9
Amen.
Thanks be to God.
The
Lord be with you:
And
with thy spirit. Let us pray
O
GOD, who hast appointed our Lord Jesus Christ as Mediator of a new covenant,
grant us grace, we beseech thee, to draw near with fullness of faith and join
ourselves in a perpetual covenant to thee; through the same Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
All stand, and the
lessons are read:
Old
Testament:
Jeremiah 31: 31-33
Epistle:
Hebrews
12: 22-25a
Gospel:
Matthew 11: 27-30
A
sermon may be preached.
THE COVENANT All remain standing, and thee minister says:
And
now, beloved, let us with all our heart renew our part in the covenant that God
has made with His
People,
and take the yoke of Christ upon us.
This
taking of His yoke means that we are heartily content that He should appoint us
our place and work, and that He alone should be our reward.
Christ
has many services to be done; some are easy, others are difficult; some bring
honor, others bring reproach; some are suitable to our natural inclinations and
temporal 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 assuredly given us in
Christ, who strengtheneth us.
Therefore
let us make the covenant of God our own. Let
us engage our heart to the Lord, and resolve in His strength never to go back.
Being
thus prepared, let us now, in sincere dependence on His grace and trusting in
His promises, yield ourselves anew to Him, meekly kneeling upon our knees. All kneel. The minister says in thee name of all.
O
LORD God, Holy Father, who hast called us through Christ to be partakers in this
gracious covenant, we take upon ourselves with joy the yoke of obedience, and
engage ourselves, for love of thee, to seek and to do thy perfect will.
We are no longer our own, but thine. Here all the people join.
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. Silence. If a celebration of the Lord’s Supper is to follow, the minister and people rise, and the minister says:
Jesus
said: ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for thee
forgiveness of sins’.
Praise
be to thee, O Christ.
Behold,
how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity. The
service of the Lord’s upper continues from this place.
If there is no celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the service ends as follows: Silence
after the Covenant. The
Lord’s Prayer. Hymn
or lyric,
during which the offerings are
collected. Dedication
of offerings.
Ascription:
GLORY
be to thee, O God the Father, who hast loved us and made us accepted in thy
beloved Son.
Amen.
Glory to thee, our Father.
Glory
be to thee, O God the Son, who hast loved us and loosed us from our sins by
thine own blood.
Amen.
Glory to thee, our Savior.
Glory
be to thee, O God the Holy Spirit, who sheddest the love of God abroad in our
hearts and dost free us from the law of sin and death.
Amen.
Glory to thee, our Guide and Strengthener.
O
one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to thee be all love and all glory
for time and for eternity. Amen. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.
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