Last week I visited an electronic service center. I engaged the technician in light conversation. Our interaction briefly moved to the matter of religious belief and practice. I discovered that he identified with a church. More specifically, the Maronite Catholic Church. But he was also quick to confess that he did not really attend mass, only about two to three times a year. I pressed him a little and asked why he did not go more often. With a sheepish grin, he answered: “That calls for commitment.”
Here was a person who identifies with a church, but in actual practice he may be described as “unchurched.” Yet I found it rather curious that he understood and acknowledged that authentic religious engagement called for commitment. Sadly, he was not willing to take that step.
Then, I started to think about the true nature of commitment. And I wondered if there was more to it than, for example, the number of times one attends the gatherings of the organization or club or church to which one may belong. Let’s say the frequency of the gatherings are once a week, like a church Sunday worship. There are 52 weeks in a year. And I may attend 40 times out of the 52. That’s about 77% consistency. And I may conclude that that is commitment, and feel good about myself.
Yet, it may be worthwhile also to ask what the reasons were for the 12 times I was absent. Perhaps my job demanded my time. Perhaps I or a family member was sick. Perhaps there was some specific ministry that the Lord called me to do somewhere else. But what if those absences were because I decided (no coercion, no emergency) to do something other than worship with fellow believers? What is it that is so compelling for me to forsake my commitment to keep the Lord’s Day holy?
Even if I do have a 100% attendance, what is my mindset about the cause for which the church exists, its mission? Does it even matter to me? Am I actively seeking to do my part to help the church be the church? Am I living out the reality of the gospel outside of the weekly gatherings?
I fear that even among us who count ourselves active members of a church, we do not really know commitment. Could it be that even our involvement in church ministries may be nothing more than religious activity or duty? That genuine commitment to the cause of Christ and the Kingdom may be lacking? Once things become inconvenient, or something more interesting comes along, do we easily put on hold whatever commitment we claim we have?
A while back, someone preached a message at VIBC. The title of his message was, “All In.” That’s what commitment is about. The technician at the store understood that. I wonder if we really do.
—Keith Y. Jainga