This New Years, Sing the Wesley Covenant Prayer (music from Alan Beuscher)
New resource for churches planning Wesley Covenant Services
John Wesley encouraged his churches to begin the year together in a covenant renewal service, what we in the Methodist world now call a Wesley Covenant Service. It’s a powerful time of confession, repentance, and re-committing ourselves for a covenant life with God and one another.
Seedbed has created a very nice outline of one way to do the service here, if you are looking for how to go about planning one—there’s no one right way to do it, but generally the service concludes with the church praying Wesley’s covenant prayer as one body.
I wanted to share a resource with you, especially if you are planning services for the new year. Alan Beuscher, a member of Centenary Church in Lexington, KY, adapted the lyrics to Wesley’s covenant prayer and set it to music. It’s a beautiful, simple, and wonderfully singable tune—and the lyrics are adapted right from Wesley’s covenant prayer, which in my eyes is one of the most convicting, dangerous, and beautiful prayers in the Christian tradition. You can hear a great rendition of it in the Youtube video above by John Crowe.
Alan has expressed his desire to offer this resource as a gift to churches to use for free, provided that folks give credit where it is due. I’ve included the pdf above which has the lead sheet with the melody line, chords, and lyrics, which Alan has generously offered for free. Thanks Alan!
The new year is a good time for Christians to consider that we are a covenant people, a people who live out of the promise that God has made to us. And in response, to his covenant of grace in Jesus Christ, is that we make our lives together a promise to him—a tall order, made very clear by Wesley’s prayer! And yet, this covenant life is the only true way to joy, because it is the only true way to holiness. And on that note, may we, in 2025 and in the years to come, not only pray this covenant prayer, but live as a covenant people. Happy New Year’s, and God bless you!
Here’s the simple text of Wesley’s Covenant Prayer, in its original language:
“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.”
And here is an adapted prayer, put into more modern language:
“I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,
Praised for you or criticized for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.
And now, O wonderful and holy God,
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,
you are mine, and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it also be made in heaven. Amen.”