There’s an old definition of the difference between contribution and commitment: think of your breakfast ham and eggs. For the hen, it’s a contribution; for the pig, it’s a commitment.

The difference also has to do with how much you have to start with.

In the case of the widow in today’s Gospel, her two small coins were a commitment—money that she gave to the temple because she thought it was the right thing to do, and she did it wholeheartedly.

One reason I’ve always loved music ministry is the shared commitment of the members. You know what I mean: the people who show up on time, fully prepared, for every rehearsal and service, even in lousy weather. The people who give it their best shot, who take music to practice at home—and bring it back! The people who help sort music, who shepherd a newcomer through the peculiarities of this music ministry, who go beyond the call of duty. It’s not that they don’t have anything better to do with their time. Most of the time they have family and job obligations, and music is part of their commitment to their faith. I’d turn myself inside out for folks like that.

Yet I’ve heard directors say of their singers’ efforts, ”Well it’s only what they should be doing. They’re just volunteers.”

The arrogance is breathtaking. Just volunteers?

I get a little crazy when I hear something like that. Advanced degrees can’t make up for lack of pastoral understanding. The job of a director is to enable those volunteers to do their best, to shepherd them into new understanding of the kingdom, to inspire them and be inspired by them, to listen to them and learn from them.

Commitment is a two-way street.