What could a prophet fleeing for his life, a community bickering and arguing amongst themselves, and Jesus speaking to his own people possibly have in common? And what could any of this have to do with my life? While each of these situations seem disjointed, distant and unrelatable, in reality they are all addressing the very same issue. And it is an issue that every person faces at some point throughout their life. It is the relationship between Faith and Commitment.
Because Faith simply cannot survive without commitment. And commitment will not survive unless it is rooted in faith.
For Elijah having won victory over the prophets of Ba’al, finds himself pursued by his enemies and on fleeing for life while on his journey to the Mountain that God has called him to. He sets out to fulfill his commitment but along his journey finds himself overcome with exhaustion and believes he is too weak to continue. Even though he recognizes the commitment he made, his lack of faith convinces him that it’s an impossible task.
For St. Paul, he reaches out to a community he had pastored for 3 years. His affection for this community of believers is evident in his numerous letters. They are an exemplary community of Faith. But their arguing, bitterness and reviling of each other risks destroying their commitment to one another and in turn the ability to live out their faith.
For Jesus, he once again faces a crowd who lack faith. They know who he is. They have seen and heard for themselves Christ’s works and teaching. They have seen his commitment to lead people into a relationship with God, but they lack the faith to be able to see Jesus as the Son of God and bread of everlasting life.
In each of these examples, to accomplish God’s work, it takes both Faith and Commitment. Without one the other risks being rendered useless.
As we look across the many ministries alive at St. Martha’s Church, we see God’s work. We see the hands of Christ present in our community and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit alive in the hearts of our parishioners. We gather throughout the week in adoration and in our liturgy to celebrate our faith that Jesus is the Son of God and is the Good News. We also gather together with our gifts and honor the commitment we have made that engages, supports and sustains the many ministries of our communities.
Today or perhaps at some later point in your week, I invite each of you to take a moment and thoughtfully read through the results of our recent Joyful Living, Grateful Giving campaign. There you will see a brief summary of how your financial commitment, pledged in faith, continues our parish commitment to live out our baptismal promises.
In these many ministries and outreach we fulfill our pledge to live lives that find Joy in the work that we do and what we offer, we offer with gratitude. Our theme of Joyful Living, Grateful Giving is not simply a banner or sign we have on display. It is an announcement to all in our community of who we are, how we choose to live, and a recognition of the commitment we pledge to honor.