“No way!” said the pig.

“Why not?” asked the chicken.

“Because,” replied the pig, “for you it would only be a donation.  For me, it would be a total commitment!”

This little story illustrates one of the hard truths we as Christians face. That truth is that Jesus is looking for a total commitment from us. We learn this in his discussion with the rich young ruler when he tells him to sell all his possessions and give it to the poor. We learn this at the temple when Jesus points out a widow putting her last two cents in the offering plate. We learn this when Jesus teaches in Matthew 16:25 that whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will gain it.

Over and over again Jesus calls for a total commitment from us, and often we resist this commitment. Sometimes we think we are too busy to do the work of Christ. Sometimes we don’t think we are talented enough, or have the right gifts to do what God asks of us. Sometimes, at least when it comes to finances, we begin to think that everything we have is ours and this leads to a feeling of resentment when we give. When this happens we feel like the pig in my story–not willing to “help” because total commitment scares us.

Perhaps overcoming this fear begins by understanding and reminding ourselves of everything God has done for us. John 3:16 is always a good place to start: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not parish, but have eternal life.” We know from this text that God was totally committed to us and our world. It was because of this total commitment that he desired to save us; to bridge the gap between us and him. The reason he did this? Love.

I think it’s pretty awesome to know that God loves us this much. It’s a love that has transformed my life, and a love that I have seen transform the lives of many around me. The best part for me is knowing that God also equips me with the tools to share this love with others. He fills me with gifts, he adds time to my days, and he allows me to be the steward of resources that are beyond what I need. As I consider my own giving, I always remind myself that God has never sold me short and that if I have enough faith and courage to make that total commitment, he will never let me down.

My hope and prayer for all of you as you consider your giving in your church is that you would remember all the ways in which God has blessed you. In turn then, I would pray that we would give in a way that allows us to be a blessing to others. This is our call as persons of faith, to give ourselves totally and completely so that God’s Kingdom might truly come.

I decided to throw on my Pink Floyd t-shirt and my cargo pants and head out to see how it feels to be a visitor at a church. The first church I went to was 1^st United Methodist. I attended the contemporary worship service at 9:30. The only way I can think to describe it would be to say that it was a celebration of mediocrity. The band leader at several points apologized for the way the songs were going, which were “ok”—I would be willing to bet if they practiced a little more they would sound pretty good—and the pastor’s sermon, which I really can’t remember except for the ending, closed by celebrating that while they may not be the largest, most polished, or prettiest church, they are the most loving. I thought that was interesting considering no one bothered to say hi to me at the door, nor greet me once I went into the sanctuary, nor shake my hand during the friendly “greeting” time. When I shook the pastor’s hand afterward he asked if I was visiting. I said yes and he told me I should come back again sometime. No invitation to fellowship. No invitation to take one of their “visitor” bags they told all the visitors to grab. No interest in where I came from, who I was, or what I did for a living. Just, “come back sometime”. Sure—sometime.

Next, I went to visit the eFree church. It’s the largest church in Keareny, and Rick, my roommate from college, told me I should check it out. It was completely different than the Methodist church I was just at. The greeter at the outside door shook my hand with glowing enthusiasm, and in a church of a few thousand the second greeter inside recognized immediately that I was a visitor. I received a, “I don’t think we’ve met. Are you a member or are you just visiting?” I said I was visiting, and she ushered me over to their Starbucks-ish coffee bar where I was given a free mocha. (Yeah, we can discuss the merits of this some other time—but know this, it was tasty) Then, I entered the sanctuary with my mocha in tow and was greeted by the swell of awesome music played with no apologies. Folks around me came up to say hi even before the service started, and all of them were genuinely interested in me. It was pretty good until the pastor opened his mouth and began to spout his well-crafted and entertaining sermon of hate.

And this brings me to my main problem—

I believe as United Methodists we have the greatest message for people living in this crazy, messed up world. That message? That God loves you, that your past doesn’t have to be your present or your future, that we are called to have personal integrity, that we are called to ministries of justice as we live our faith out in the world, and that when we fail at those last two, grace is sufficient. The problem? We package our message in mediocrity. “Yes, our church sucks, but at least we love you.” Nice.

I realize that some of you absolutely hate the style of church offered up by our more evangelical brothers and sisters. We all have our style. I would only urge you to consider that whatever your style, you do it with integrity and professionalism. We need to seek excellence in worship, and when our worship fails we need to repent of it and transform it. My hope and prayer is that in my own church I will be able to see the places where we are offering mediocrity, and that I would have the courage as a leader to face it head on. Perhaps one of you could come visit sometime and share with me your experience. I would love to hear it.

In high school and throughout college I dated a girl that I was convinced was “The One”. She was amazing on a number of different levels. She was talented, kind, caring, and, well, she was also incredibly pleasing to the eye. (I would have said she was hot, but as a pastor I’m not sure that is appropriate, so I’ll leave it at that.)

We dated for five and a half years and I remember at various points in that relationship praying that God would bless us and that ultimately we would one day be married. One Christmas I even bought her an engagement ring! As you can probably probably guess given the title of this post, we never made it to the wedding day. Things fell a part pretty quickly after the ring was exchanged. We both realized that it wasn’t what we wanted and that was that. Though, there were still times in the midst of my loneliness that I called out to God to bring her back. Thank goodness God didn’t pick up the phone on that one.

As I’ve worked on my sermon this week on unanswered prayers I’ve tried to imagine what my life would have been like if God had answered that prayer. First and foremost, I don’t think I’d be a pastor right now. You see, my call came in the midst of loneliness and depression, wondering if this was all the world really had to offer. A big part of those feelings came as a result of the end of that relationship. It was as I struggled with these things that God spoke a word of peace into the storm of my life. That word also came with a vision of ministry, and I new in my heart this was where God was calling me.

If God had answered that prayer I most likely would have continued my studies in Music Theory and Composition, heading off to graduate school after college with wife in tow to pursue my dream of being a world famous composer. Instead, I became a religion major and poured myself into my faith. After college, being that I was single and poor I moved back home with my folks and took a job as a manager at Gigglebees, a local family restaurant in Sioux Falls, SD.

If God had answered that prayer I never would have met my wife who was attending college in Sioux Falls. She was my college friends sister-in-law, and after complaining to my friend about how I was going to be single my whole life his wife introduced us.

If God had answered that prayer I wouldn’t have decided to hang around Sioux Falls a little bit longer to see where this new relationship would lead. I wouldn’t have taken the job at Sunnycrest UMC  as the music and youth pastor. I wouldn’t have helped them start a new service that today continues to grow and bring new folks into the church. I wouldn’t have been able to reach into the lives of those young folks for God and share with them the good news of Christ in their lives.

If God had answered that prayer, I never would have lived in Denver where I attended seminary with my beautiful bride. I never would have fallen in love with snowboarding, and deeper in love with my wife. I never would have known the heartache of miscarriage and the strength of a love that can overcome all adversity.

If God had answered that prayer, I never would have learned that “I Can!” at Burns Memorial, or patience and perseverance at Mitchell 1st, or the joy of friendship and the power of ministry in DeSmet–and the awesomeness that is pheasant hunting!–or the movement of the Holy Spirit at Grace.

If God had answered that prayer, I’d probably still be overweight and unhappy. I wouldn’t know Eliese, or Grace, or Myles. If God had answered that prayer, I wouldn’t be the person God has called me to be.

As it is, God didn’t answer that prayer and for that I give him all the glory and all the praise.

This Sunday at Grace, we will be dealing with unanswered prayer. Please come, and bring a friend as we discuss what it means when God doesn’t answer our prayers.

This drives me nuts because I’m more of a practical driver. I want to know what the fastest and easiest route is from one point to the next, and that’s typically the way I go. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a little diversion here and there—how can you resist a drive through the Badlands off I-90?—but still, short and to the point is more my style. This makes me wonder, though, if God ever gets frustrated with me and the “life” road I travel.

Matthew 7:17 says, “Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” This passage lets us know that there is a direct route to God, a way that we can travel that leads to life. Unfortunately it also tells us that only a few find it. Most of us spend our lives wandering around on dusty, dead-end-ridden back roads that lead who knows where all the time wondering how in the world we got here. God must really shake his head when he sees the choices and paths we take in life. Fortunately, while Jesus says only a few will find the right road he also gives us clear directions to that road.

Acts 2:28 tells us that God has made known the path, and John 14:6 tells us that the path is Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In this journey of life, Christ is the map that guides us; he shows us the right path. Jesus said the key to finding it is letting go of our lives and taking on the life God has for us instead. (See Matthew 16:25) In other words, if we want to find the path that leads to life we have to be willing to set aside our own map and pick up God’s instead.

I realize many of you are like my father-in-law and you love those scenic routes. If you are one of these persons what I want to assure you of today is that there is no route more beautiful, more scenic, or more incredible than the one God lays at our feet. A life traveled with God on God’s path is a truly rewarding and joyous life. Have the courage to follow it.