This is part three of a three part series on Christian discipleship.

For the third month now St. James has been helping us to reflect on what it means to be a faithful Christian. He writes, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17; NIV) Or, as I have paraphrased this famous verse: Faith is exercised in our daily lives or it is no faith at all.
We began with a sketch of a faithful devotional life and then continued with an outline of the character traits that mark the Christian disciple. In this final installment of the series, I want to turn to exercising the ministries to which Jesus himself calls each and every baptized person.

It may come as a surprise to some to hear that Jesus calls all baptized persons to the same foundational ministry. Our first vocation—the calling from which all other ministries derive—is the ministry of belonging. You have read this right. Jesus calls us first and foremost to a ministry of belonging.

Let me make this clear. On the night before he died, Jesus prayed to the Father for his disciples, saying, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:22) Belonging involves much more than adding your name to the membership roles of a congregation. Exercising our Christian faith means being one with a very real group of people. St. Paul famously described each of us as irreplaceable and vital members of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). This sacred Body remains a mere abstraction until we commit to a specific congregation.

To belong to St. Mark’s, for instance, means that we form relationships with each other and we devote ourselves to a common ministry. This people in this congregation matter to us personally, and we allow ourselves to matter to those same people. Too often people come to church for what they will get out of it. They come to worship services or to programs to consume a spiritual product for themselves. Their desire to grow spiritually or to be comforted or to be healed is understandable and laudable. But they miss the point entirely if this desire to consume a spiritual good remains their guiding principle.

Belonging means above all that I am here to invest myself, to add value, to be a part of what we are all doing together. Paradoxically, we will always come up empty when we ask the question: What am I getting out of church? By contrast, the Holy Spirit will fill us to overflowing when we begin to ask another question: How can I add to the life of the church with the gifts that the Lord has given me?

If you want to belong, you have to show up. Regular attendance at worship, fellowship events, and Christian Formation courses weaves us together as one. Those who are homebound enjoy this same sense of belonging through the ministries of visitation, our radio broadcast, our podcasts, and our publications.
Authentic membership includes pledging to St. Mark’s each year. The Biblical standard for our pledge is the tithe. Many are still working toward the tithe, but I want to be clear that the amount of one’s pledge does not determine one’s level of belonging. (In my own prayers I have been directed to make the full tithe to the church and to give to other good causes over and above the tithe. This is a change for us and would be for many of you. We will not be reducing our other giving but instead will be maintaining that giving while gradually increasing our pledge to the Cathedral to ten percent.)

Disciples make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Jesus instructs us to bring the Good News of his saving grace to everyone. We are to raise our children as Christians, but we are also to invite friends, neighbors and acquaintances to join us for worship, fellowship and study so that they too can belong to the Body of Christ.
Finally, disciples exercise a ministry. While ministry is deeply rewarding in a personal way, we should never think of it as doing our own thing in isolation. We are part of a Body, and authentic Christian ministry serves the ministry of the whole congregation. On August 15, we will be celebrating Rally Day. You will have the opportunity to find out about new ministries and recommit to familiar ones. Please put this date on your calendar, make every effort to attend, and bring a friend with you. If you would like help hearing the Spirit’s calling to you, let me know. I would be delighted to help you share your spiritual gifts here at the Cathedral.

Faith and works go hand in hand. Our prayers find completion in the works of our hands in the name of Christ. Our works are rich and fulfilling when motivated and directed by our faith. And so, as this new program year begins, I urge you to join your brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s exercise our faith together!