At the start of 2022. we gathered around the communion table, coming together as a church family. Communion is a meal that reminds us of Jesus’s sacrifice upon the cross, which Jesus spoke of as he shared the Last Supper with his disciples. “Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26b-28. Jesus uses the word covenant here, which is a relational commitment to work toward a common goal. Jesus made a commitment to forgive the sins of those who put their faith in Him, restoring the relationship between God and humanity.

At the communion table, we invited everyone to speak works of covenanting together. We affirmed our commitment to Jesus through the act of saying “yes” to Jesus for the year ahead. We recommitted ourselves to one another, as a church family, to continue our journey together in 2022, grateful that God has given us one another, to support, encourage and equip one another for the journey ahead, as we venture into the unknown. Finally, we symbolically spoke to those outside our church family, committing ourselves to sharing the Good News of Jesus with those who don’t yet know Him.

And I invite you to share in those words of covenanting too, by either reading them below or by joining with us in the recording of the service, 33 minutes in.

Covenanting Together

Speaking to Jesus

Responding to Your love for me, I affirm my commitment to You.
Jesus, You are my Lord. You are my Saviour. You are my example.
Please help me to become more like You.

Speaking to one another in the church family

Recognising that God wants us to live out our faith together;
to encourage each other to become more like Jesus,
I commit to serving this church community.
Please disciple me as I open my life to you.
You are my community for discipleship, mission and worship in this coming year.

Energised by God’s Spirit,
We will walk together with God and in partnership with one another.
We will value, trust, honour and respect one another in Christ.
We will be intentional about discipleship, helping one another to learn how to walk in the way of Jesus, wherever we are and whatever we are doing.
And we will embrace the adventure of faith, taking risks of faith to see His Kingdom Come.

Speaking to the wider community on our frontlines and in our neighbourhoods
Joining in with God’s loving mission to the whole world,
We commit to sharing God’s love with you
in our attitudes, in our actions and in our words.
We will be Good News in relationship with you,
sharing with you the blessings we have received from our Heavenly Father.

Amen

(Modified from the New Year Covenant Prayer by Carl Smethurst: https://www.swbaptists.org.uk/blog/2018/01/02/new-year-covenant-prayer).