The Call to Deeper Commitment and Community Rooted in Love

Commitment is a word that carries great meaning – one that implies sacrifice, devotion, and, often, the surrender of personal freedom. And yet, when our commitment is rightly placed – in Christ and in one another – it leads not to bondage but to true freedom.

“True Christian commitment cannot flourish in isolation – It requires community.”

Fifty years ago, in 1975, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began attending the People of Hope in New Jersey, USA, a member community of the Sword of the Spirit. I thought I understood commitment back then; I certainly wanted to belong. But I quickly learned that belonging isn’t the same as being committed. After a year navigating between two men’s houses, I tried to live out my faith independently during college. It was there that I discovered something crucial: true Christian commitment cannot flourish in isolation. It requires community.

In a somewhat unconventional move, I joined the Navy, hoping that its structure and discipline would teach me the lessons of commitment. The purpose of this enlistment was to come back to our covenant community and be fully committed. It worked. Both the Navy and Youth With A Mission (WYAM) who I worked closely with during my navy years, by nature are transient communities. I began to long for more stability and four years later, I returned with a renewed heart, ready to commit fully – first to God, and then to the Christian community that helped shape me.

Putting God first – makes all things possible

Commitment must begin with God. Real Christian community is only possible when God is placed at the center. Let’s be honest – we’re a pretty decent bunch, but without God’s grace, we’d likely drive each other up the wall. Over the years, I’ve hurt people and have been hurt, but I’ve also forgiven and been forgiven. In that mercy, I’ve found strength to continue.

God gives us grace to put Him first, and from that flows the grace to love one another. Moses is a striking example from the Old Testament. From a human perspective, he was an unlikely community leader: He was abandoned by his mother, raised in Pharaoh’s palace, became a murderer, went into exile, married into a foreign tribe, and received council from a priest of a foreign religion. 

Nine times he approached Pharaoh and nine times he was rejected. He led a grumbling, weary community for forty years – and then wasn’t even permitted to enter the Promised Land. Yet God chose him. God empowered him. And God favored him. Moses appears with Elijah at the Transfiguration with Jesus, proving he entered the true Promised Land in glory.

Why Moses? Because his humility allowed him to say yes. He was more committed to God’s will than his own reputation. Because he put God first, he was able to love the brothers and sisters he was called to lead. And that’s the kind of commitment we’re called to; not perfect resumes, but faithful hearts.

The Nature of commitment

Commitment by itself is neutral. What matters is the object of our devotion. History has shown us how commitment can be dangerous when given to false ideologies. But for followers of Christ, commitment is rooted in love and produces good fruit: peace, unity, perseverance, and holiness.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, invites us into a deeper kind of commitment – not mere adherence to the law, but transformation of the heart:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” … “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:17 & 48

How do we begin to live this way? How can we begin to “be perfect as our heavenly Father”?  We first must understand who God is, God is love, that is a perfection we can strive for, even achieve. Love, by its nature, demands three things:

1. Community – Love cannot thrive in isolation. Jesus tells us,

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” 

John 14:23

This is the heart of Christian community: God dwelling with us.

2. Obedience – Jesus says plainly,

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 

John 14:21

Love requires more than affection; it calls for action – steadfastness in living out God’s word.

3. Accountability – I learned during my time in college that a private relationship with God wasn’t enough. I needed others to encourage me, challenge me, and keep me faithful. That’s still true today. Whether it’s through participation in prayer meetings, my men’s group, or conversations with my pastoral worker, I continue to find life and strength in mutual accountability. Even this reflection benefitted from the insights, from my men’s group, the brothers helped shape it.

The Law of love and the joy of commitment

Community is not a helpful add-on to the Christian life – it is essential, the very fulfillment of the Father’s will. Love is the foundation of everything we do:

Jesus summarizes the commandments: 

“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

Matthew 22:37–39

These are not abstract ideas. They are meant to be lived realities. When my wife Teresa and I took our marriage vows over 40 years ago, we committed to love and serve each other through every season – sickness and health, joy and sorrow. That hasn’t always been easy (especially when I was the one hard to love!). But our love has deepened not just through feelings, but through commitment.

And I see the same thing in our community life – in small groups, prayer meetings, and acts of quiet faithfulness. These are much more than obligations; they are signs of love.

Pilgrims of Hope

We still fall short of perfect love, but we press on. We’re not finished yet. We are pilgrims—on a journey toward the fullness of Christ, sustained by grace and mercy. As St. Paul the Apostle writes:

 “…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” 

Philippians 3:13

That hope is not wishful thinking. It’s anchored in Christ. Pope Francis, in his Bull of Induction for the Jubilee Year of Hope, described it this way:

“The storms that buffet us will never prevail, for we are firmly anchored in the hope born of grace… This hope… inspires us to keep pressing forward… May the witness of believers be for our world a leaven of authentic hope.”

We are the People of HOPE

Our community, The People of Hope in New Jersey, USA, has been called to embody this hope – to be a sign to the world. We are not alone. There are many faithful Christian communities across the globe. But we have a unique calling to live and share the charism of hope.

That hope ultimately points to heaven, to our perfect belonging in God. And we walk this journey not alone but surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.

Think of the Christian journey like a marathon. Unlike the 100-yard dash, in a marathon everyone who crosses the finish line wins. One of the most inspiring things about a marathon is watching runners help those who are struggling even as they themselves are running the race.

Let us renew our covenant commitment

So let’s keep going. Let’s commit ourselves again – fully – to Christ and to each other. Let’s allow God’s love to flow through us, transforming our relationships into signs of His presence.

I am so grateful for all those in the People of Hope and the Sword of the Spirit who have loved me and been committed to me these past 50 years. Teresa and I are grateful for the 41 years that our marriage has been supported by our brothers and sisters. It has been a gift, a blessing, and a joy to walk this road with so many loving brothers and sisters.

Together, let’s press on – in faith, in love, and in hope.

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Top image credit: People of Hope community members gather for worship and praise, © photo courtesy of the People of Hope, New Jersey, USA.