I Got Engaged!
One of the most exciting days in a person's life is when
they happily announce that they have gotten engaged. And they might show off a ring, or set a date,
or make big plans for the upcoming day.
And of course, an engagement to be married is full of hope and promise
and joy for the future, because it means a commitment has been made, a promise
of loyalty has been spoken, and a bond is secured.
As a pastor, I speak with engaged couples frequently, and
help them plan not only the wedding, but the marriage. My words of advice at such a time is to worry
less about the ceremony, and focus on the relationship. The wedding is over in a day, but the marriage
is designed to last a lifetime. Engagement
is the beginning of a lifelong trust and covenant.
While marriage is one common context, the word
"engagement" applies in a variety areas of life. Automobiles (used to) have a clutch that is
disengaged to change gears or stop, and engaged to make the car move. When children are engaged at school, they are
attentive, learn more, and happier students.
Engagement is connection and involvement, engagement is the source of
progress.
Christians are more spiritually healthy when they are
engaged in the life and work of the church.
Attending the worship services is important, but to sit and listen and
leave without connecting to other people does not describe engagement. Commitment, participation, and service
describe engagement. And the Kingdom is
advanced by those who are engaged.
Using the illustration of a wedding engagement, the couple
is focused in the goal of becoming husband and wife. And while work and family and grocery
shopping still continues during the period of being engaged, the focus of life
is in planning and preparing for the day in which the marriage is made. The engagement is the subtext to all the
activity and events of life.
Engaged Christians live in a similar way. The mission of Christ, in all of its facets,
becomes the baseline and subtext for life.
Building community, serving one another, and growing in grace permeates
and filters into all of life. Church is
not merely a Sunday Morning event, but an central part of one's identity, each
and every day. Attendance at the worship
service is more than an occasion to be spiritually fed, but seeks an
opportunity to serve and contribute to the lives of others. As engaged Christians, we live all of our
lives with an awareness of our mission, and we seek to reflect the light of
Christ however we can.
This sense of engagement gets taken one step further when we
consider that the Scripture continually refers to the church as the "Bride
of Christ." We are betrothed to the
Savior. We are engaged. And our loyalty to the Lord is reflected and
exercised in our relationships to one another.
Just as we cannot imagine being partially or half way kind of - sort of engaged
to be married, neither can we be partially committed to the Savior. The Lord requires our whole self, and expects
our fidelity and loyalty.
Consider your engagement to Christ and His
church. Ask yourself - Is your devotion
to the Lord is reflected in your personal relationships? Is your love for God evidenced in your service
to His Kingdom? And of you find the answers are not reflective
of what you would want them to be, then take a few steps to strengthen your
sense of engagement and loyalty to the One who loves you immensely.
