They wanted traditional vows: “…for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘till death do us part.” At 62 and 66, they had both suffered loss before. She had been widowed, and he divorced twice. This time, they hoped to sustain their commitment ’til death do us part. And they hoped their children, nearly grown now, would choose to become a new family. It made their small island wedding a tender time as we blessed their marriage.
“Will you also leave?” Jesus asked, when many of his followers departed because of his radical teaching about absorbing him as food for body and soul. Was there a long pause? Embarrassed shuffling? A quick look around to see who might turn silently and leave the circle? Then Peter speaks for all of them: “No Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”*
Not “Where would we go,” or “Why would we go,” but a clear-eyed commitment, ready to dive deeper into the mystery of incarnation with Jesus, trusting (I suspect) that they would know themselves in a different way by the end of their journey together.
At the heart of any deep commitment is the question, “Will you leave or stay?” Another way of putting it is, “Are you willing to do the hard work of a long haul commitment? Or do you simply want the fellowship and food?” Within the CoS communities, we ask this question every year, during our season of recommitment. We know that our human lives shift and change. Not everybody can sustain a commitment to care for the whole body of the church, members and Stewards alike. But we also know that God has been faithful in sending a necessary core group to sustain each of the CoS churches, each planted in the soil of call and commitment. As we often say, “Thank God we’re in this together.”
*John 6:56-69
- Where do you feel called to stay present, stay faithful to a commitment?
- When have you ducked away from such a challenge?
- How have your deep commitments shaped your life?
-Marjory Zoet Bankson, Seekers Church
