John Wesley adopted the Moravian Bohemian Watchnight tradition into Methodism in the 1740s, as a Christian alternative to drinking celebrations; he adapted a traditional Covenant Prayer for such services of recommitment and New Year’s Eve became a popular night to renew the faith:
I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth,let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
~ Renewal of the believer’s Covenant with God
