From the pamphlet written by John Wesley (1780)

Adapted by George Lyons (2012)

INVOCATION

LEADER: “Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant which will never be forgotten” (Jer. 50:5 RSV).

LEADER: Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us now pray together the Lord’s Prayer, using “trespasses.”

PRAYER

LEADER and PEOPLE: The Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13, BISHOP’S BIBLE)

THE SCRIPTURE LESSON (John 15:1-8 NIV 2011)

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 ”I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

EXHORTATION

LEADER: My dear friends, fix these three truths in your hearts:

(1) Things eternal are more enduring and real than things that fade with time.

(2) Realities that are not seen are as certain as those that are.

(3) Your present choices determine your eternal destiny.

Choose Christ and His ways, and you are blessed forever. Refuse Him, and you are undone forever.

And then, my friends, make your choice. Turn either to the right hand or to the left. Choose Christ with His yoke, His cross, and His crown. Or, choose Satan, his wealth, his pleasure, and his curse.

Then ask yourselves, “Self, you see the choice before you. What will you do? Which will you have, the crown or the curse? If you choose the crown, remember that His cross and yoke, the service and sufferings of Christ are linked to it. What will you choose? Will you take the temporary gains and pleasures of sin and risk the curse? Or will you yield yourself as a servant of Christ and be assured of the crown?”

Do not delay your choice. If you are unresolved, you are resolved. If you remain undetermined for Christ, you are determined for Satan. Therefore, follow your hearts, this day and every day. Do not rest until the matter is settled once and for all. And see to it that you make a good choice.

Next, begin your journey with Christ. Adventure with Him. Cast yourselves upon His righteousness.

You are exiles from the presence of God and fallen into a land of robbers and murderers. Your sins are robbers, your pleasures are robbers. Your companions in sin are robbers and thieves.

If you stay where you are, you will perish. Christ offers, if you will trust Him, to bring you to God. Will you say now to Him, “Lord Jesus, will You take me? Will You bring me to God and bring me into the land of promise? With You I will risk myself. I cast myself upon You, upon Your saving death, upon Your righteousness.”

This is what it means to come to Christ as your Priest. And by this you now renounce your own righteousness. Do you deeply sense your sins and misery without Christ? Whether we are already forgiven sinners, or still far from God, let us confess together our total dependence on Him.

CONFESSION

PEOPLE: We acknowledge a deep sense of sin and failure. We see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior. The Spirit of God has awakened us to the reality that without Christ we are hopelessly lost.
So, we cry,

“Lord, what am I to do? Apart from You I am a slave to Satan, to myself, to sin? Without you I am lost and bound for hell. Lord, where am I! Is there any hope of escaping this miserable state? I am dead, if I continue as I am. What must I do to be saved?”

LEADER: As sinners, we become aware of our sin and the danger they present. We will look for help and deliverance. But we look everywhere else before we look to Christ. Nothing will bring sinners to Christ but absolute necessity. We will try to forsake our sins. We will pray and read our Bibles. We will go to church. We will listen to sermons. We will seek baptism and communion. We will try every religious thing we know to do, to see if there is salvation in them.

But all these things, though they are useful in their places, are of no help. Doing good deeds cannot help us. Religious achievements may actually come between us and God and be numbered among our sins. Obeying rules cannot help. Legalism is an empty well. All these good things tell us, “You knock at a wrong door. Salvation is not found in anything you can do.”

Do you now utterly despair of your own goodness? Do you now trust in Christ alone to save you?

PRAYER

PEOPLE: Lord, be merciful to me. What shall I do? I dare not remain as I am. And I cannot help myself. My praying will not help me. My hearing will not help me. If I were to give all my possessions to the poor, I would gain nothing. If I should give my body to be burned as a martyr, such self-sacrifice would not save me. Woe is me! What shall I do?

LEADER: You must let your sins go. You must let your righteousness go. You must let your good deeds go. Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He came to seek and to save those that are lost.

Friends, will you now risk yourselves for Christ? You have this threefold assurance:

First, we have God’s initiative. He has taken the first step. God the Father appointed and sent Christ into the world to save sinners. Jesus Christ is our only Savior. He is redeeming and reconciling the world to himself.

Second, we have God’s command. This is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Third, we have God’s promise. “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious; and whoever believes on him shall not be disappointed.”

Now, because we have this threefold assurance, we may now be bold to risk everything for Christ and to make ourselves totally available to Him.

The leader and people shall pray together:

LEADER and PEOPLE: Lord Jesus, here I am. Apart from You I am a lost creature, an enemy to God, under His wrath and curse. Will You, Lord, take me just as I am? Will you reconcile me to God? Will You save me? Do not refuse me, Lord. For if You refuse me, to whom shall I go?

If I had come on my own initiative, You might rightly ignore me. But I come at the command of the Father. Do not reject me. Lord, have mercy on me. Lord, help me. Lord, save me!

I come, Lord. I believe, Lord. I throw myself upon Your grace and mercy. I trust Your saving death alone to save me. Do not refuse me.

I have nowhere else to go. Here I will stay. I will trust You, and rest in You, and risk myself for You. On You I rest my hope for pardon, for life, for salvation. If I perish, I perish on Your shoulders. If I sink, I sink in Your ship. If I die, I die at Your door. Do not bid me to go away, for I will not go. I abandon myself to You.

COMMITMENT

LEADER: Yield yourselves now to the Lord. As His servants, give up the rule and government of yourselves to Christ. “Do not yield the parts of your bodies as tools of unrighteousness to continue in sin. Instead yield yourselves fully to God, as those who have been made alive from the dead. And yield every part of your body as instruments of righteousness to God.” “Don’t you know that you make yourself a slave to obey whoever or whatever you yield yourselves to?” You are God’s servants; obey Him!. Yield yourselves so fully and finally to the Lord that you may henceforth be only the Lord’s.

Those who yield themselves to sin and the world say in their hearts, “Sin, I am yours. World, I am yours. Riches, I am yours. Pleasures, I am yours.”

But we, with the Psalmist, say to the Lord:

Then the leader and people shall affirm together:

AFFIRMATION

LEADER and PEOPLE: I am Yours, my God; I reverence You. I dedicate myself to Your service. Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”

LEADER: In giving yourselves without reservation to the Lord, you affirm that you will be content for Him to rule your life.

Let Him assign you your work. Christ has many services to be done. Some are easy and honorable; others, more difficult and menial.

Some suit our preferences and interests; others are contrary to both. In some we may please Christ and please ourselves, as when He asks us to feed and clothe ourselves.

Some spiritual duties are more pleasing than others—such as to rejoice in the Lord, to bless and to praise God. These are the sweet works every Christian enjoys.

But then there are other works. In these we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves—such as

• in enduring the sins and shortcomings of others,
• in reproving others for their sins,
• in withdrawing from the company of those who profess to be Christians, but persist in rebellion; or
• in taking a stand against wickedness, whether in the church or in the world.

Confessing Christ and His name is never easy when it costs us shame and ridicule. It is never easy to sail against the wind, to swim against the tide, or to surrender our rights and privileges because Jesus Christ is our Lord.

See what it is that Christ expects and then yield yourselves to His whole will. Do not think of trying to make your own terms with Christ. That will never be allowed.

Let us now approach Christ in prayer.

All the people will join the leader in praying:

PRAYER

LEADER and PEOPLE: Lord Jesus, if You will receive me into Your house, I offer myself without reservation. If You will but accept me as Your servant, I will gladly accept Your terms. Impose on me whatever condition pleases You. Make Your own provisions. Command me to be or do whatever You will. All I ask is, “Please, let me be Your servant.”

Make me what You will, Lord. Send me wherever You will. Let me be a vessel of silver or gold, or a vessel of wood or stone. I would prefer to be a vessel of honor. But I serve at your pleasure.

I am content, if I am not the head, or the eye, or the ear, one of the nobler and more honorable parts of Your Body. If you choose, let me be the hand or the foot. I am willing to be one of the lowest and least esteemed of all the servants of my Lord.

LEADER: Lord, put me on whatever task You will. Rank me with whom You will—as important or insignificant.

PEOPLE: Put me to doing; put me to suffering, if you will.

LEADER: Let me be employed for You, or laid aside for You. Let me be exalted for You, or trodden under foot for You.

PEOPLE: Let me be full; let me be empty.

LEADER: Let me have all things; let me have nothing.

PEOPLE: I freely and heartily resign all to Your pleasure and disposal.

LEADER: Friends, such a commitment to Christ as you have now made is the essence of
Christianity. You have chosen God to be your portion and happiness. You have laid all your hopes on Christ. You have cast yourselves wholly upon the merits of His righteousness. You have thoughtfully and heartily resigned your rights to yourselves. You have given up yourselves to Him.

Only when you have given yourselves to Him without reservation are you Christians indeed, and never until then.

Christ will be the Savior of none but of His servants. He is the Author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him. Christ will have no servants but by consent. His people are a willing people. Christ will accept no consent that is not full. to all that He requires. He will be all in all, or He will be nothing.

THE COVENANT

LEADER: And now let us confirm our commitment by a solemn covenant, beginning with the singing
of a covenant hymn.

HYMN

Charles Wesley’s “Come, Let Us Use the Grace Divine” to the tune of (Carl G. Glazer and Lowell Mason’s) “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”:

1  Come, let us use the grace divine,
    And all, with one accord,
    In a perpetual cov’nant join
    Ourselves to Christ the Lord:
2  Give up ourselves, through Jesus’ pow’r,
    His name to glorify;
    And promise, in this sacred hour,
    For God to live and die.
3  The cov’nant we this moment make
    Be ever kept in mind:
    We will no more our God forsake,
    Or cast his words behind.
4  Forever we will rev’rence here
    The One who hears our vow:
    And if You are well-pleased to hear,
    Come down, and meet us now!
5  To each the cov’nant blood apply,
    Which takes our sins away;
    And register our names on high,
    And keep us to that day!

LEADER: Search your hearts whether you already have, or can now freely, make this commitment to
God in Christ by the Spirit.

First, consider what your sins are. Examine whether you can resolve to forego them all. Consider
what His laws are—how holy, strict, and spiritual. Can you, upon deliberation, choose them all as the
rule of your whole life?

Second, compose your spirits into the most serious frame possible, suitable to a transaction of such
high importance.

Third, lay hold on the covenant of God and rely upon His promise of sufficient grace and strength.
Only through these will you be able to keep your promise. Do not trust your own strength, but take
hold on His strength.

Fourth, resolve to be faithful. Having engaged your hearts, opened your mouths, and subscribed with
your hands to the Lord, resolve in His strength never to go back.

Fifth and last, are you prepared, in the most solemn manner possible, as if the Lord were visibly
present before your eyes, to bow and open your hearts to the Lord?

PRAYER

The LEADER and people will bow and pray together.

LEADER and PEOPLE: O most holy God, we humbly beg You, accept the poor prodigals at Your door. All of us were once, or are even now, far from You because of our sins. We are all by nature worthy of death. And we made ourselves a thousand times worse by our wicked practices. But out of Your infinite grace, You have promised mercy to us in Christ, if we will only turn to You with all our heart. We have heard the call of the gospel. And so, we now come. We throw down our weapons and submit ourselves to Your mercy.

You require, as the condition of our peace with You, that we should put away our idols. So, we here and now from the bottom of our hearts renounce them all.

We firmly covenant with You not to allow ourselves to continue in any known sin. We will, instead, conscientiously use all the means we know You have prescribed for the utter destruction of everything that corrupts us. We humbly affirm before Your glorious Majesty that it is the firm resolution of our hearts to forsake all that is dear unto us in this world, rather than to turn from You to the ways of sin. We will guard ourselves against all temptations, whether from prosperity or poverty, pleasure or pain, so that they may never draw our hearts away from You.

You have, out of Your boundless mercy, offered graciously, to be our God through Christ. So we call heaven and earth to record this day, that we do here solemnly acknowledge You alone as the Lord our God.

And now, speaking not only as one in this sacred assembly, but speaking for myself alone, I do take You, O Eternal God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be my God. Be my portion. I do give up myself—body, soul, and spirit—to be Your servant. I promise and vow to serve You in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life.

O blessed Jesus, I come to You hungry, wretched, miserable, blind, naked, and poor. I am unworthy to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord, much less to be a child of the King. But because of Your unparalleled love, I wholeheartedly accept You as my Lord and Master. I will love, honor, and obey You before all others from this day forward. I renounce my own worthiness. I acknowledge You as the Lord my righteousness. I renounce my own wisdom. I take You as my only Guide. I renounce my own will; Your will shall be my law.

Your word has told me that I must suffer with You if I am to reign with You. So, I do here covenant with You to accept my lot, as it falls, with You. By Your grace, I risk everything for You. It is my purpose that neither life nor death shall part You and me.

Now, Almighty God, search our hearts. You know that I make this covenant with You this day, without any known deception or reservation. I humbly beg You, if You see any flaw or falsehood in my resolve, reveal it to me and help me to put it right.

All stand and say in unison:

LEADER and PEOPLE: And now, I praise You, Father God. From this day forward, I shall be bold to look upon You as my God and Father.

Glory be to You, Lord Jesus. God the Son, You loved me and gave yourself for me. You washed me from my sins by Your death and resurrection. You are now my Savior and Redeemer.

Glory be to You, O God the Holy Spirit. By Your almighty power and inescapable presence, You have turned my heart from sin to God.

O eternal, all-mighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are now my Covenant-Friend. And I, through Your infinite grace, am Your Covenant-Servant. And may the Covenant I have made on earth be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Holy Communion