church attendance nationwide rose to levels not seen since the 1950s. Sales of Bibles and other religious books also increased significantly.

We saw the same response here at College Avenue: our attendance spiked on the Sunday after September 11 to 416, the biggest crowd of the year for a “regular” worship (that is, excluding Friend Day, Easter, and Christmas.)  As America anxiously held its breath, wondering when and where the next attack would occur, individuals showed up for worship who rarely darkened the doors of our building in less stressful times.  

Such a response was short-lived, however, both nationally and locally. According to an article in the December 29 issue of the El Dorado News-Times, a Gallup poll conducted at the end of last September showed that church attendance nation-wide had dropped back to previous levels. Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll, described the post-9/11 spirituality by saying "It looks like people were treating this like a bereavement, a shorter-term funeral kind of thing, where they went to church or synagogue to grieve." This same pattern, with a sudden but fleeting  interest in religion, was seen in the weeks after President Reagan was shot and also following the conclusion of the Gulf War.  

While our participation here at College Avenue remained at record levels throughout 2001, it is interesting to note that by the first Sunday in October we were experiencing one of the lowest attendances of the year, and after September 16 we did not go above 400 again until Christmas. 

The phenomenon suggests a hard truth often taught by Jesus:
 

the key ingredient in discipleship is faithfulness, not feelings. Our Lord experienced first-hand the fickleness of would-be disciples who enthusiastically supported him when Jesus seemed to meet their needs (John 6:15) only to later desert him when Christ challenged them with a teaching they were unwilling to accept (John 6:66).

Jesus was never under any illusions about the constancy of human nature (John 2:23-25). On the contrary, he predicted that many would exhibit episodic bursts of enthusiasm, only to later fall away (Luke 8:13-14). That is why Jesus sternly warned would-be disciples to “count the cost” before making a commitment (Luke 14:25-33) and solemnly predicted “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13; see Hebrews 10:35-39). 

In the past few years much has been made of the symbolism of “9-1-1”:  they are, of course, the numbers we punch on our phones in the event of an emergency. When it comes to our faith, however, may I suggest a different set of numbers? 

Christianity is, and always has been, a 24/7/365 religion: that is, Jesus calls us to faithfulness 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and not just during times of crisis. We are to take up our cross “daily” (Luke 9:23); pray “continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17); place our gifts in the collection “on the first day of every week” (1 Corinthians 16:2); bring honor to God through our “daily life” (1 Thessalonians 4:12); and be “devoted” to worship, the Lord’s Supper, and the fellowship of our church family (Acts 2:42). 

Do not misunderstand me:  personal tragedies such as receiving the diagnosis of a life-threatening disease or experiencing the unexpected death of a close friend, or national tragedies such as the events of 9-11, may well be spiritual “wake up calls” which can shake an individual out of their spiritual lethargy and remind them of their need for God. But both the Scriptures and long experience suggest that, unless such an awakening is accompanied by a genuine repentance (see Luke 13:1-5) and a consequent change in behavior, the feelings of the moment will soon be forgotten when personal security and comfort are restored.   

How about you? Has your discipleship been a “hit or miss”, haphazard proposition? Do you carry on regular conversations with your Father, or do you pray only when some urgent need arises? Do you worship with your church family regularly, or do you have to “think about it” before you decide where you’ll be this Sunday? Is your family in Bible School on a weekly basis, or do they “drop in” every now and then? Are you a “9-1-1” Christian, or is your religion 24-7-365?