Commitment

Introduction

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I’ve often compared the Christian practice of baptism with a wedding. It’s a public expression of a life devoted to Jesus, much like a wedding is a public covenant of two lives devoted to each other.

When my wife and I were planning our wedding we spent a long while putting together our vows. Many of our peers were writing love notes to read to each other—free-form expressions of their love and commitment. That was all fine and good, but we wanted something a little more traditional. But not too traditional. We wanted it to be personal, but deeply meaningful. So, we combined several ideas we found in traditional wedding vows from different churches and cultures with our own thoughts and this is what we ended up with:

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I, Jason, take you, Joelle, to be my wife, just as you have been my friend and my love, and with divine assistance these things I promise:

I will be faithful to you and honest with you; I will protect, help and care for you; I will share my life with you; And I will forgive you as we have been forgiven.

These things I promise through sickness and health, plenty and want, failure and triumph as long as we both shall live.

Over nearly 21 years in our marriage I have come to realize that those promises were a goal to attain. We started well, but we’ve been growing in our love ever since. There have been times when I haven’t been honest, didn’t protect, or help or care for. Times when I hid my life from Joelle and times when I held onto resentment rather than forgive. These vows have pulled me back from resentment and remind me that I have committed to forgiveness. They have stopped me in my hiding and reminded me that sin thrives in darkness but love thrives in honest transparency.

In a sense, those vows were about belonging to each other, more then they were about perfectly loving each other every moment of our lives. The goal of complete and perfect love is what our vows describe. And year after year we are growing into a more perfect love.

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Last time I spoke to you I talked about the idea of church as a family of believers. I shared Paul’s illustration of the church as a body with every member belonging to the body in the same way that a finger or an eye belongs to the body. And I left you with this big idea: church isn’t a club with exclusive access, it is a family where every member belongs because they believe in Jesus. You belong because you believe, not because you have achieved.

Today we’re going to perform a sacred ceremony that takes us back to the idea of baptism and the whole concept of a wedding and lifelong devotion.

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So, I’m calling today’s message, “Commitment.”

Today is communion, and I’m going to divide my message into three short parts. This first part is about the footwashing ceremony.

The night before Jesus went to the cross he had a last supper with his disciples. You can read about it in John 13. Before the meal began Jesus took a towel and a basin of water and went around to the disciples and washed each of their feet. It was an act of service and selflessness, and a model for them to follow. It showed them that leadership wasn’t about position, but self-sacrifice—the greatest in the kingdom serving the least of them.

When Peter saw Jesus at his feet he was appalled and cried out, “No, you will never wash my feet!” To which Jesus replied, “unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” (John 1:8)

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There’s that word, belong.

Peter immediately changed his tune and said, “then wash my hands and head too, Lord, not just my feet!” I love Peter’s eagerness. He didn’t want to lose his connection to Jesus. Jesus reminded him that he was already clean—he already belonged—but he needed his feet to be washed.

This footwashing ceremony is like a little renewal of the commitment to follow Jesus. It’s like when you see the aspirational goals of being a Christian, but you fall short. You still belong to Jesus, but there’s some dirty stuff between you, and this footwashing ceremony washes that clean again. Like baptism, the footwashing is a spiritual cleansing.

When you give this service to someone else it is a tool for connection, for repentance, and for forgiveness. Similar to when I look back at my wedding vows to remind myself of the commitment I have made to belonging, the footwashing ceremony reminds us that we belong to each other—we are members of the same body of Christ.

And when you allow someone to provide this service to you and wash your feet, you are renewing your commitment to Jesus, and to his body, the church. When you accept this footwashing service you’re saying, “I belong Jesus.”

Let’s hold that thought and separate now for the footwashing. The ladies will go to fireside room, the men can go to down the long hallway to the kindergarten classroom, and families and mixed company are welcome to go out the door to the event center.

When you’re finished, please come back here and wait for the next part of our service.

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———Footwashing———

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Welcome back. Have the relational cracks been mended and the vow of belonging renewed?

We now have the emblems of the bread and the grape juice which Jesus described as his own body and blood. They are examples of course, not actually his body and blood, but when we take these emblems into our body we are tying our lives to the body of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul uses the body of Christ as an image of the church—a variety of people all linked together with the same kind of bond and the same necessity as a physical body is linked together.

1 Corinthians 12:14–18 NLT

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.

Do you have a rebellious body part? I’m sure some of you know what I’m talking about. Its when a joint or a finger or an eye decides it doesn’t want to operate like it was designed. In a sense, each of our body parts has made a commitment based on its design. The feet are commited to walking, the eye to seeing, the fingers to touching and grasping, the ears to hearing.

My message today is titled, “commitment,” and I want you to think about that commitment in the same way that all relationships imply commitment. Or, in the same way that the parts of your physical body have an implied commitment.

The idea of commitment may be a little scary. Someone suggested that I use a different word to describe this. I get that, but I can’t find another word that works. If you think of one that makes this less pushy sounding, please let me know. Imagine a young couple who are dating. He’s absolutely in love with this girl, but when she brings up the idea of a marriage, it throws him in a tailspin. It shouldn’t, but in our broken world, the idea of commitment can bring up big, scary feelings.

And yet, the simplest of relationships include implied commitments that we all agree to just by being in the relationship. Friendship has an implied commitment of honesty and sharing life to some extent. Without honesty and time together, no friendship will last.

Belonging to the body of Jesus has a few implied commitments as well. That is, there are commitments that naturally exist, even if we don’t acknowledge them or talk about them much.

And, like my wedding vows, these relational commitments are goals of belonging: aspirations to develop and grow into. Here’s my best attempt at expressing these inherent commitments in a Christian’s life:

We follow Jesus together

We gather as a church family

We pursue love and peace

We serve with what God has given us

We share in the mission

Let’s take a minute to consider each of these ideas.

1. We follow Jesus Together

This first commitment is about belonging to Jesus, together. Our belief in Jesus ties us to one another. If you choose to follow Jesus, then there is an implied commitment to the body of Jesus—the church. And if you are part of God’s church, then there is an implied commitment to pursue a deepening relationship with Jesus. We call this discipleship.

The church in Acts 2:42 is said to have “devoted themselves” to the teachings of the apostles, to spending time together in Christian fellowship, to sharing meals with each other and to praying together.

Paul added this when he wrote to the Colossian church.

Colossians 2:6–7 NLT

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Church membership is not mainly about joining an organization; its about walking with jesus alongside His people. That requires a bit of organization, so church organization is a good thing, but the focus is the family of relationships, not the name on the sign out front.

2. We gather as a church family

The classic verse for this commitment is found in Hebrews 10:24-25

Hebrews 10:24–25 NLT

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Paul wrote this to the church knowing that we grow spiritually when we are together in loving relationship.

We need to make time to be together, to encourage one another when we face big life challenges, and to share life with each other. That means we need to worship together, pray together, study together, but also eat together and play together, and mourn together.

There is a discipline of togetherness in a healthy family.

When parents and their kids spend time together — when husbands and wives spend time together — love flourishes. When you spend time together you see each other not just as housemates but as friends. You enjoy each other. You know each other well enough that you can give each other the benefit of the doubt when something bad happens. Spending time together is like fertilizer for relationships. You love the people you spend time with.

And when one of the people you love is absent — when part of the body is missing — the family feels it.

Part of the commitment to gather is a commitment to noticing when someone isn’t around, and letting them know that they are valued and loved.

3. We pursue love and peace

The third natural commitment for a Christian is a commitment to the unity of the church through grace, honesty, forgiveness, and encouragement. This is what love really looks like. Jesus said,

John 13:34–35 NLT

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Jesus’ followers pursue love. And since all people are sinners, in order for love to persist in any meaningful relationship we must extend grace and forgiveness, and we must humble ourselves to repent when we have done something to harm the people in our church family.

In Romans 12:18 Paul encourages the church

Romans 12:18–21 NLT

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Families stay healthy not because conflict never happens, but because their love for each other causes them to repent of their wrongdoing, and offer grace and forgiveness to others who have wronged them.

4. We serve with what God has given us

This fourth commitment is a practical expression of love. Each person has a unique blend of interests, skills, experience and capacity. When we each give to the body of Christ what He has given to us, we all grow and thrive. Peter said it this way:

1 Peter 4:10 NLT

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

And Paul added this in his letter to the Galatians:

Galatians 5:13–14 NLT

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I’ve been trying to get to the gym three times a week with the goal of flexibility and maintaining muscle strength. If I only worked out my right bicep I’d start to look a little funny. And that disproportionate muscle mass would actually harm the rest of my body. It could pull my back out of alignment and do damage all the way from my neck to my feet. So, one day I work on core, another day legs, and another day upper body. With a wide verity of exercises, I keep my whole body fit and balanced.

Jesus’ church is a lot like that. It’s not his plan for a few people to cary the load of the church. If they do, the church is imbalanced and unhealthy. So, God has given each one of us talents and experiences and interests and He asks us to invest ourselves in service for each other and for those who have yet to belong to Jesus.

Church is not a place where some people perform while everyone else watches. Every member has a part of God’s service.

5. We share in the mission

If you look at Matthew 28 you’ll find the grand mission that Jesus has sent his body—his church—to accomplish:

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This mission is grounded in the truth of Jesus’ love for all humanity. It is launched through the lives of people who are disciples—those who follow Jesus. And it is accomplished through the united effort of God’s people.

Our church family has adopted a mission statement that expresses a piece of this broader mission that Jesus has given us, and it focuses our attention on the relational nature of God’s kingdom:

We exist to be disciples of Jesus who develop new relationships and celebrate transformed lives.

We start as followers of Jesus, and from that context we make new friendships and serve them as the opportunity allows. When they trust us, we can share our journey with Jesus and invite them to follow Jesus with us. As we see God changing lives we celebrate God’s work in their lives.

The church family doesn’t exist for itself. Healthy families open their doors, make room, and bless others.

Belonging to the body of Christ naturally leads to participating in the life of the body.

Today I’ve been talking about the idea of commitment to the body of Christ—the Church. I’ve pointed out that these commitments are inherent to loving community. They are practical expressions of our love for God and for each other.

Behind me we have the communion emblems—symbols for the body and blood of Jesus that was shed to make it possible for us to share in His love.

We practice an open communion in our church, meaning you don’t have to be a member of this church, or have been baptized to participate. Whatever your context for being here today, you are welcome to take these emblems of Jesus body and blood into your body. As you do, consider these commitments to follow Jesus, to gather and do life together, to pursue love and peace, to serve each other and to participate in the mission of God’s church. Let this ceremony be a renewal of your vow to follow Jesus.

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——Communion——

Kneel together

Verna will pray a blessing on the bread.

Joelle will pray a blessing on the grape juice.

Rise and break the bread, then hand it to the deacons.

Verna will read Matth 26:26 and the people will eat the bread

Matthew 26:26 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Then Joelle will read Matt 26:27 and the people will drink the grape juice

Matthew 26:27 ESV

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,

Commitment

What we just did is precious and holy. It’s one of the few things Jesus told us we must do as a church. And yet its a ceremony—a religious practice.

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Healthy church families are not built by consumers who occasionally attend religious events and do religious ceremonies like this one. Healthy churches are built by people who know they belong to Jesus and to one another. Like a family gathering around a table, we gather, we grow, we forgive, we serve, and we carry the mission together.

I mentioned earlier the idea that belonging to God’s church is like a finger belonging to the body. Membership isn’t about having your names of the books of an organization. You belong because you are connected to the body and sharing in its life.

The fact that you are here ties you into relationships, and those relationships imply a commitment. A commitment to follow Jesus, together.

As we close today I’d like you to use your finger and make a statement that you are willing to follow Jesus along with this church family. It’s not marriage, or baptism. But it is an, “I’m in” kind of statement. A willingness to grow into the commitment of belonging we just talked about.

Up front and out back of the church I have a heart with the words, “We Follow Jesus, Together.” I’d like you to put your name on one of these hearts. If you’d prefer, I have an ink pad so you can put your fingerprint on it. Or you could do both.

You can take this step if you’ve been part of this church all your life and want to say, “yes, we follow Jesus together.”

You can put your name here if you just recently walked through our doors, but you have found the family of God and you want to say, “yes, I’ll follow Jesus with this community.”

You can put your name here if you’re baptized, and you can put your name here if you haven’t yet made that public declaration, but you want to say, “we follow Jesus together.”

You can participate whether you’re a kid or an adult.

As Steve plays the a song of benediction on the organ, Please make your way to the middle aisle and come forward to put your mark on this heart.

I’m going to pray, before we close and then Steve is going to play the organ. If you prefer not to wait at the front, you are welcome to move to the outside of the pews and head to the back of the church where there is another heart that you can sign.

After you have put your name on one of these hearts, you are welcome to stay back and enjoy the music, or exit quietly out this side door to your right, or down the outside aisles through the back doors.

Since this is a solemn moment, I’d encourage you to keep your conversations to a whisper and let the music fill the air and your heart.

If you choose not to sign one of these hearts, that’s OK. You are still welcome to be part of our church family. If that is your choice you can slip out to the outside edge of the pew and head out the back doors, or, better yet, hang out in your pew and listen to the beautiful music and take this time to pray.

One last thing before we pray. If you put your name down here and you are not yet an official member of this church, I’d like to invite you to join me on June 5 at 6 pm for an evening we’re calling, “I’m a member here.” We’ll have dinner together and explore what our church is about and invite you to take whatever the next step is in your journey with Jesus.

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Let’s pray

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