Minimum or maximum?

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD (Psalm 84:1).

There are two kinds of Christians. Some are members at St. Minimum Christian Church, while the others belong to St. Maximum Christian Church.

The people who attend St. Minimum have many questions on their minds. How often do I have to go to church? How many times each year do I have to go to Communion? How much money do I have to donate? I pray at supper and at bedtime—is that enough? I was on a committee last year—do I have to serve on one this year too?

The people who go to St. Maximum also have questions about their walk in the faith. What can I do to help with Sunday School? How many times will the Sacrament of the Altar be offered each month so that I can get strength for my faith? Can I help organize a weekday Bible class for people who work on Sundays? Is there something new we can do to reach out to the unchurched in our community?

You would expect St. Minimum to have more members than St. Maximum—after all, our sinful nature doesn’t want to put much effort into things that are religious. But people who gravitate to St. Minimum usually don’t attend for very long. When you regard church as something that’s too demanding of your time or money, you’ll soon become a name on the membership roll that no one ever sees in person.

The church with a healthy membership is St. Maximum. People who go here are excited about church. Sunday morning is a joyful time as they are reassured of Jesus’ forgiveness. They look forward to better understanding His teachings through sermons and Bible study. They can’t wait to show their gratitude to God through song and offerings. And they want to share the blessings of Jesus with others. They pester friends and relatives to come with them to worship. They are always thinking about ways the church could do new things to support different people in their needs. They feel valued because they know the church needs them. People who belong to St. Maximum are usually active members to their dying day.

Which type of Christian are you? If you aren’t one already, St. Maximum is still accepting members!