8 January 2006 St. Andrew's
Confirmation, Covenant, Contemplation
A busy service which combined The Methodist Covenant Service with the Confirmation of K, a young woman who has grown up within this church. Our text is Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Confirmation of Baptism, of discipleship - of belief and a way of life in which Jesus is at the centre.
Do you commit yourself to this life? - question for each of us - commitment seems so hard to come by, yet here K has committed herself to a life of discipleship - do we live by the commitments we have made?
Do you accept the gift and cost? - there is gift & cost to any commitment - time, energy, focus, priorities - “in daily life and work” - putting theory into practice - living out the gospel, the words of Sunday in our work, in our social lives, in our moral ethical lives. It's not all cost - the gift is to live in the presence of God.
With the whole church will you proclaim by word and action? Will you put faith into action -
Powerful statements, daunting, but we are not alone - part of a community of faith - strengthed by the power of the Holy Spirit - to be a living sacrifice, to be transformed.
Covenant - submission - service - I willingly offer ... don’t say it if you don’t mean it - essence of discipleship is discerning the will of God and carrying it out. We belong to an Active Faith - follow, on the way, producing fruit, go out, proclaim, heal. This covenant is another powerful statement - we do not say it alone, we do not need to work out God’s will alone. We belong to a worshipping, praying fellowship - we share this journey with one another and the whole community of faith - discernment - prayer - strengthening, transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Contemplation - We need to seek God’s will as a whole church. There is always a danger of drift - WADITW - If we take baptismal/confirmation promises seriously we need to look at where we are, and where God is calling us to be. So the Elders have been reflecting upon our life together and are giving the whole congregation a chance to reflect with us - a questionnaire, which can give us some pointers, a report on 2 April, - together we look to discern the will of God for this church — what is good and acceptable and perfect.?
I am no longer my own but yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
wherever you may place me,
in all that I do
and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me
and when there is none;
when I am troubled
and when I am at peace.
Your will be done
when I am valued
and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment and
when it is lacking;
when I have all things,
and when I have nothing.
I willingly offer
all I have and am
to serve you,
as and where you choose.
Glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so for ever.
Let this covenant now made on earth
be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.