"A Charge to Keep I Have"

A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify, a never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill; O may it all my powers engage to do my Master's will!

Arm me with jealous care, as in thy sight to live, and oh, thy servant, Lord, prepare a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray, and on thyself rely, assured, if I my trust betray, I shall forever die.

~ “A Charge to Keep I Have” by Charles Wesley, United Methodist Hymn 413

The Sunday in worship we will start to discover the ways in which “All Are Called.” Through David’s story, we will explore our purpose, how God equips us, our support systems, and how we hear affirmation that we are on the right path. We will hear about David’s successes, and his epic failures which include a misuse of power, murder, and sexual abuse. We will hear how through it all, God called David to play an important role. When David turned his eyes towards God again, and focused on living a faithful life, great things happened. We will work through wrestling with our own sin, and how we might truly live into who God is calling us to be.

As we begin this journey, 11am worshippers will join in singing “A Charge to Keep I Have,” a United Methodist Hymn written by Charles Wesley. His inspiration comes from Leviticus 8:35, which is part of the moment Moses is ordaining Aaron and his family to play a specific role of teaching the community how to live into God’s covenant. It is the words of Moses calling the people to “keep the Lord’s charge.” In other words, “live into who you are called to be.”

The hymn talks through the role that all followers of Jesus have to serve God, to witness, to use all that we have to bring glory to God, to commit to asking God to help the singer to live into who God has called them to be.

While this 1762 hymn may seem old and outdated to some, it is one of the most well-versed cries of commitment to God. It spent 60 years circulating as a poem before Lowell Mason put it to music in 1832. I encourage all of us to use it as our prayer this week, committed to living into who God has called us to be.

Comment your thoughts below!

Blessings friends,
Pastor Nicole