1989 Watchnight Service
The Covenant
Melvyn Lim
On 25th Dec 1747, John Wesley strongly urged the Methodists to renew their covenant with God. His first Covenant Service was held in the French Church at Spitafields on August 11, 1755.
Thus on 31st Dec 89 during the watchnight service, we renewed our commitment to the Lord, reaffirming that “we are no longer our own but Thine.” Indeed, the covenant is the heart of the watchnight service.
Rev Norman Wong, in his sermon entitled 'Fishers of Men or keepers of aquariums' posed the challenge to the congregation to commit themselves totally to the Lord on a personal level as well as a church.
One of the significance of the Watchnight service must be the partaking of the Holy Communion at twelve midnight (New Year's Day). This year, the lights were dimmed prior to this Sacrament and the people were ushered forward to the altar in a candlelit sanctuary. This managed to encapsulate a moment in time where perhaps John Wesley used to hold his Covenant Service.
After the service, a sense of shared commitment and conviviality was felt as the people mingled to exchange greetings. It was a blessed start to a new year and indeed a new decade ... To God be the glory!
