Weekly Greeting - January 2, 2026
This Sunday, January 4, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany in worship!
The actual Feast of the Epiphany takes place on January 6, marking the end of the Twelve Days of the Christmas season and moving the church into a new liturgical season where we will remain until Ash Wednesday.
We will also celebrate the beginning of 2026 together in worship using John Wesley’s own words.
In 1780, John Wesley published Directions for Renewing our Covenant with God, more commonly called “Covenant Renewal” by United Methodists today. While Wesley wrote the directions himself, he credits English Puritan Richard Alleien with the tone of the service. Scholars also identify threads of German pietism in the service as well. Many churches use the service in its entirety on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, but we will begin our worship service with the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer.
It reads this way:
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 by 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.
It's a bold prayer to pray, I think, and so I thought it only fair to give you a preview before asking you to say those words out loud.
Here’s another version that I find a bit more accessible, adapted by Rev. Jeremy Smith:
I am not my own self-made, self-reliant human being.
In truth, O God, I am Yours.
Make me into what You will.
Make me a neighbor with those whom You will.
Guide me on the easy path for You.
Guide me on the rocky road for You.
Whether I am to step up for You or step aside for You;
Whether I am to be lifted high for You or brought low for You;
Whether I become full or empty, with all things or with nothing;
I give all that I have and all that I am for You.
So be it.
And may I always remember that you, O God, and I belong to each other. Amen.
May we begin this new year together in sure and certain hope of God’s love for us,
Mary Beth