The Messenger - November 12, 2009

by Rev. Neal Neuenschwander

"A Time of Decision"

Long before Joe Garagiola became a popular sports announcer, he worked as a catcher for a number of Major League Baseball teams. When working for the Pittsburg Pirates, he noticed a rookie pitcher literally trembling on the mound when the legendary Stan Musial came up to bat.
Joe signaled for a fastball, but the pitcher said, "no."
Joe signaled for slider, and the pitcher said, "not that either."
Joe signaled for a knuckleball, and the pitcher said, "no, not that."
Then he called for a change up, the young pitcher's favorite toss. But even that call came back with "no."
So, Joe went out to the mound and said, "Listen, I've called for every pitch you've got. What do you want to throw"?
The rookie replied, "Nothing. I just want to hold the ball as long as I can."

Sometimes, Christians of all ages are a lot like that young pitcher--we don't want to commit. Deadlines come upon us, and decisions must be made, but we hesitate. Perhaps we fear the possibility of failure. Or perhaps we long for the reassurance that our choices will be completely "right." But, that level of assurance rarely comes. And, eventually, we simply must decide. That's why the Book of Proverbs says,

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." (Proverbs 16:3)

This Sunday, I'll be preaching upon that text and some other proverbs that deal with the challenge of commitment. Then, I'll ask each of you to come forward with your pledge of support to the work of God in our church for the year ahead. Some folks find this act to be a bit intimidating (since we don't usually walk forward in church), but many find it to be deeply rewarding--they love the opportunity to demonstrate their devotion with a physical act of faith.

This year, as usual, I won't see your financial commitment--nor will anyone else in our church except our financial secretary and her assistants. So, the amount you give is purely up to you. We certainly hope that God has enabled some of you to increase your financial commitment as an act of faith. But we know that some of you have experienced severe financial hardships in 2009, and your pledge must reflect that tension, too. That's perfectly O.K. Just make SOME sort of commitment. Even if you can't give anything, commit to pray for us, commit to attend church weekly, or commit to volunteer your time. That's because a life well-lived is built upon commitments, and those commitments will be your legacy when this life is done.

I will admit that commitments are scary, but God knows that. God knows your circumstances, God knows your future, and God knows your fears as well. But God wants YOU to know the joy of His provision as you choose to ACT on faith. Many of us can tell you about this experience, but you really can't understand it until you DO it. So, take a step of faith this Sunday morning. Pray about your commitment for 2010. Then, entrust your family's future into God's keeping for the year ahead.