Lent: A Time for 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 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 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.
Amen.

The Wesley Covenant Prayer was used by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in services for the renewal of the believer’s covenant with God. We use this prayer today to help guide us to lay aside our will in order that we might live into the will of God. If we pay attention to the language, it includes very strong sentiments of surrender and submission. “I am not mine but yours;” “You put me to what you want and not what I want;” and “I completely yield to you.” In order for us to become renewed, we have to get outside of our own thinking and allow ourselves to enter into God’s thoughts. This is how we can confidently and joyfully proclaim, “…you are mine and I am yours.”

This prayer encapsulates our Lenten experience. We must begin by re-purposing our lives. We have to move away from believing all power for our joy, peace and fulfillment begins and ends with our abilities and will. We must acknowledge our humanity and our mortality so that we can embrace our dependence on God and God’s greater design for our lives.

On Ash Wednesday, we come to the altar and we have the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads as we say, “From dust you came and to dust you will return.” This is not a morbid or demeaning act but rather a reminder that we came from God and we will return to God. This is where we start! We remember we are temporary and God is permanent. We have a choice to be a part of God’s ultimate plan or we can lead a disconnected provisional life. Hence, our Lenten examination begins…

Questions to ponder this Lent:
What are you doing for the in-between “dust” times? Are you connected to the God that animates your life? Are you allowing God’s dreams (will) for your life to take precedence over yours? Are you experiencing the power, joy and hope God wants for you?

Blessings,
Pastor Carol