(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Thornton Methodist Church and led by Rev Phil Drake, our Circuit Superintendent Minister.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
In today’s service we explore a theme from the set gospel reading for the service – ‘Joined in the Vine’.
Song – StF 83 – Praise My Soul the King Of Heaven
Opening prayer:
God of grace,
through the mediation of your Son,
you call us into a new covenant.
Help us therefore to draw near with faith
and join ourselves in a perpetual covenant with you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings:
Song – StF 549 – Come, Let Us Use The Grace Devine
This hymn by Charles Wesley is included in the Methodist Worship Book as part of the Covenant Service. As you read the words here, use them to reflect on what renewing the covenant promise at this time of year means to you.
Come, let us use the grace divine,
And all, with one accord,
In a perpetual cov’nant join
Ourselves to Christ the Lord:
Give up ourselves, through Jesu’s power,
His name to glorify;
And promise, in this sacred hour,
For God to live and die.
The cov’nant 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 cov’nant blood apply,
Which takes our sins away;
And register our names on high,
And keep us to that day.
For further reflection:
The parable of the vine is one of the set readings for Covenant Sunday, exploring what it means to be joined with and connected in Christ. As Christians we are a joined-together people. Whether we talk about fellowship, or communion, or living in connexion, these are all words reminding us of the same thing – that we are joined together in Christ.
1. We are joined together in prayer.
Worship is at the heart of the Christian life; and it is prayer which connects us to the source of that life. Prayer connects us to God. There are many forms of prayer, but above all, prayer is an exercise in listening: As we meditate with the aid of music, so we become attuned to God’s ways; as we contemplate the beauty of creation, we become rooted in God’s love. Prayer is not so much the words we speak, though we may have words to say; rather, it is allowing God’s word to live in us. So, the life of the vine plant flows into the branches.
As God’s word grows in us and fills our lives, we can then respond to God’s will for us. That is why Jesus says, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Because if we are aware of God’s will for us, we will respond obediently and faithfully to the tasks to which we are called. Being connected in prayer is about putting our own concerns last; coming to God in prayer, we do not seek our own way, but a greater understanding of God’s way. There’s a harmony and unity which comes through prayer, as we become attuned to God’s will and rooted in his love.
2. We are joined together in fellowship.
Because we are all branches of the same vine, we are all connected to one another. The vine is equivalent in John’s Gospel of Paul’s image of the body of Christ. In both these images, all the parts are joined together; the parts share in a common purpose and each has its role to play. We are not made to stand alone, but to have contact with other people. Even when separated by distance from those we love, we can keep in touch with letters and messages. If we could not communicate, our sense of being loved and cared for would soon wither and die.
As we share in the Christian life, caring for and learning from one another, so we grow in that life. But that does not mean to say that we should be wholly dependent on others. Have you ever been in the supermarket, and you overhear someone on their mobile, asking someone to help them choose which item to buy? Too great a reliance on others removes our capacity to think for ourselves and make our own decisions. There is something fundamental about human beings that each of us is an individual, uniquely ourselves. Our friendship in Christ unites us, deeply and intimately, but always leaves us our own unique selves, free to take our own distinct path through life. We should be neither dependent nor independent but interdependent, giving and receiving as our gifts allow and our needs dictate.
3. We are joined together in mission.
The culmination of the story is the bearing of fruit, so that God may be glorified. People can tell what kind of plant it is most easily by seeing its fruit. The bearing of fruit is not only the culmination of the life of fellowship, it also gives life to the world.
Time and again we return to the theme of how the things we take part in on a Sunday relate to the activities of the rest of the week. How do the things that happen in here affect our lives and actions out there – at home, in work and so on. How does the story we hear in church become the story we proclaim in the world? How does the care we receive within the family of the church become the care we offer in service to those outside of the church? As Christians we are joined together in Christ, but we must also be generous in seeing ourselves joined together with others, with many people of different faiths and none. There are many opportunities to be connected in mission and we should take them.
Prayer, fellowship, mission – all aspects of being joined together in Christ. As we come together on this special day of dedication, let us bear all these connections in mind. As we give thanks in prayer; as we share in the fellowship; and as we are sent out in mission with words of blessing and dismissal. And through these things may we remain joined to Christ and so give glory to God. Amen.
The covenant
God made a covenant with the people of Israel, calling them to be a holy nation, chosen to bear witness to his steadfast love by finding delight in the law.
The covenant was renewed in Jesus Christ our Lord, in his life, work, death and resurrection. In him all people may be set free from sin and its power, and united in love and obedience.
In this covenant God promises us new life in Christ. For our part we promise to live no longer for ourselves but for God.
We meet, therefore, as generations have met before us, to renew the covenant which bound them and binds us to God.
The Covenant Promise – these words will be used in covenant several services across the circuit during January. When you say them, remember that you are saying them in unison with other members of our congregations at this time. You may wish to speak these words out loud, and to stand as you say them.
Beloved in Christ,
let us again claim for ourselves
this covenant which God has made with his people,
and take upon us the yoke of Christ.
This means that we are content
that he appoint us our place and work,
and that he himself be our reward.
Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material 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 given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.
Therefore let us make this covenant of God our own.
Let us give ourselves to him, trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.
Lord God, holy Father,
since you have called us through Christ to share in this gracious covenant,
we take upon ourselves with joy the yoke of obedience and, for love of you,
engage ourselves to seek and do your perfect will.
We are no longer our own but yours.
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 blessèd 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.
We finish the service in song:
Song – StF 477 – Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart
Song – StF 566 – Take my life and let it be
Thank you for taking part in this service today. And now may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you this day and throughout the coming year. Amen.
Acknowledgments: Liturgy taken from the Covenant Service in the Methodist Worship Book (1999).
Scripture passages taken from The New Revised Standard Version, 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, with permission to use in acts of worship.
