Covenant: A Promise to Serve

This past Sunday, we at Grace Community experienced a Wesley Covenant Service.  It’s something that will become part of our annual communal practice for Baptism of our Lord Sunday.As I wrote out my individual covenant with God (as we each were invited to do in response to Holy Communion) the words of the song that played haunted me:

Eat this bread, filled with life    

Hunger no more

Drink this cup of living water 

Never thirst again.

I am the bread, I am the wine 

Children taste and see 

Here is all of me. 

God has consistently, faithfully offered all of God’s self to me.  I know that our spiritual ancestors were unable to be faithful to covenant … and so am I.  What could I possibly covenant to God in response to God giving all to me?Though it was more wordy than this, I basically told God “I am yours, every part of me.”Now, I know I will break covenant and seek restoration.  That is the way of humanity.  But I know that God longs to enable me to keep this promise.It’s a promise to serve.  To serve my only Master however he chooses.  To serve when I don’t feel like it.  To serve when I’m unpopular.  To serve though everyone desert me.  To serve in the face of conflict.  To serve in the throes of doubt.  To serve … and to serve … and to serve.This promise is a covenant that depends entirely on God.  And I trust him.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:

What are you covenanting these days?

——

Brian Niece

www.brianniece.com

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Daily Prayer: Monday, January 7, 2008

I have recently been recovering a practice that I had abandoned since moving to Georgia. Why I left this practice, I’m not sure. All I can say is Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.

It’s not that abandoned prayer. But I abandoned the reading/praying of prayers as part of keeping daily time. Ritual prayers in a daily practice format remind me of the process of salvation. I’m reminded of the journeying of the Christian life.

So I thought I would occasionally share a prayer from this recovered practice.

I tend to gravitate toward Celtic prayers for this practice. The strong Trinitarian lens of these prayers, coupled with the practical understanding of sacramental living really speak to me.

Here is what I prayed this morning:

I arise today
In the strenght of the mighty Creator
In the strength of the rising Savior
In the strength of the life-giving Spirit
In the strength of the mighty Three
Whose love is One.

I arise today
In the strength of the angels and archangels
In the strength of the prophets and apostles
In the strength of the martyrs and saints.

I arise today
In the strength of heaven and earth
In the strength of sun and moon
In the strength of fire and wind.

I arise today
In the strength of Christ’s birth and baptism?
In the strength of Christ’s death and rising
In the strength of Christ’s judgment to come.

Amen.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Got a favorite daily prayer?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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