John's Epistle          

Making Commitments

The scenario-so often portrayed in film and television stories that it has become almost cliché-goes like this: Two people meet and, obviously, they are "right" for one another, yet one or both of them has a fear of commitment. So, the story goes, they endure all sorts of tragic-comic adventures on their way to the perfect happy ending. Ahh.

If only life were truly that simple.

There is often a grain of truth, however, even in the cliché. In the "fear of commitment" story, the truth comes in a couple of places. First, there really are people who refrain from committing fully to relationships because they are afraid. Maybe you know some of these stories first-hand.

That first truth indicates a second, deeper, one: fear of commitment comes from the knowledge that commitment changes things. In the case of the aforementioned film and TV stories, for instance, the characters have their lives in order, just the way they want them, and they know that commitment to another person means reordering their own lives.

Specifically, commitment to another person, to a group, or to a cause, requires us to get outside our self-centeredness and consider the needs of others. This is what is so amazing, so wonderful, so life-changing about commitment. And there is no commitment that is more life-changing than that we make to follow Jesus.

It was his commitment to us, the willingness, as Paul describes it in Philippians 2, of the eternal Word, equal with God, to become human and endure suffering that stands as the definitive act of selfless love. That selflessness is the antidote for our self-centeredness, and the commitment of Jesus the Christ allows us to make commitments of our own.

The church season of Lent stands as the time when we make commitments after his example in a formal manner. We give something up-something that is

important to us, in order to endure a form of suffering by choice, just as Jesus did-and allow God to fill that void with whatever it is God sees fit. For many Christians, Lent is also a time to reclaim spiritual disciplines, so many Christians commit to some new practice like daily readings of the scriptures, a more rigorous prayer life, or fasting after the model of Christ's forty days in the wilderness.

In this way it makes sense that we might use this time as a chance to recommit to the practices of spiritual life we promise to follow in the vows of membership in our Church. You probably know that United Methodists take vows to uphold the Church through our Prayers, Presence, Giving, and Service, and in these ways to share a Witness in the name of Jesus Christ. We are not really United Methodists; we are essentially Christians who practice our faith as United Methodists.

During our next two Sunday worship services, March 13 and 20, you will have the opportunity to bring forward the enclosed/attached commitment form (see the included "First Fruits 2011" document) and make a commitment of discipleship. We will help you keep track of your commitment with periodic reminders. If you choose, you can simply complete the form and keep it as a reminder of your commitment. There are specific instructions on how to complete the form included with it.

Our Stewardship Committee is working hard on a new model for Discipleship Commitment that we will launch in August of this year. In the coming months, you will hear more about that program and the ways in which it will replace this method, which we have followed for the past two and a half years. I am SO excited about the new model, but also about what God has been doing in and through this model: Lives are being changed and the witness we share is truly transforming the world.

Thanks be to God for the story of salvation being told at Buckingham! There is nothing cliché about that story.

Grace and peace,

Pastor John