I always enter a new year filled with awe and wonder as I try to imagine what it will hold. As I grow older I wonder if this will be the year I experience my first major health problems. I pray for all my old friends, hoping we’ll all still be together when this new year draws to a close but I also look forward to welcoming new friends into my life for they help keep me to grow and to stay young!<\/p>\n
But as we stand on the brink of a new year it might be a good time for all of us to reflect on what has come to be known as “John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer.” Here it is;<\/p>\n
I am no longer my own, but thine.
\nPut me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
\nPut me to doing, put me to suffering.
\nLet me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
\nexalted for thee or brought low for thee.
\nLet me be full, let me be empty.
\nLet me have all things, let me have nothing.
\nI freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
\nAnd now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
\nthou art mine, and I am thine.
\nSo be it.
\nAnd the covenant which I have made on earth,
\nlet it be ratified in heaven.<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n
It can be pretty humbling to honestly recite this prayer and yet it is a reminder for us that life is fragile and that all good things come from God. It is also a good reminder that no matter what the new year brings, God will be present in the midst of it. So may you all enjoy a blessed new year and may it be one filled with joy and just enough surprises to keep you on your toes!<\/p>\n
Blessings,
\nPastor Andy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I always enter a new year filled with awe and wonder as I try to imagine what it will hold.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastorandy","category-messages"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bayviewumc.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}