Six years ago, we gathered on the Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend for the first of what has become an annual Hog Days Community Worship Service.
As we planned that service, we realized that scripture doesn’t really have much that is positive to say about the hogs that are the reason for our community celebration.
In the Old Testament we read all the dietary laws forbidding eating pork, declaring it unclean and unsafe. Not exactly the message we want to hear as we enjoy those delicious pork chops and pork patties that are a big part of our weekend.
In the New Testament we have the story of the Prodigal Son’s decline into the depths, reduced to feeding hogs and wishing he could eat their food. Or, we have Jesus driving out the demons into a herd of pigs, who became mad and dived off the cliff to their death. I often have wondered how the farmer who owned those hogs felt about that situation. But Paul Harvey doesn’t come along and tell us the rest of that story.
When we gather next Sunday afternoon, in the middle of our Hog Days celebration, what does all of this say to us about our faith?
I can’t help but think back to my experiences as a child of the early observances…. back when they actually had hogs run down the streets.
In those days, the pork chops that were grilled had bones in them and they were served between slices of white bread. Those first Hog Days pork chop sandwiches were FREEl What a deal!
But I can still see the streets downtown, a littered greasy mess. People took the free sandwiches, threw down the bread and ate just the pork chop and then tossed the bones into the street to join the discarded slices of bread. It was not a pretty sight!
And so, because people seemed not to value the bread which was given to them, the Hog Days Barbecue committee began to charge for those pork chop sandwiches. And, you know, we don’t see vast quantities of bread thrown in the streets today.
What a sad commentary. A free feast …. gone to waste because people took it for granted as insignificant and valueless. Bread to be tossed aside without regard.
Are we like that? Do we act as if we don’t know that the greatest feast of all is included in the price of our ticket … the price which was already paid for us on the cross! Are we living as those who truly realize the gift of God’s Amazing Grace, His body broken, His blood spilled out to save us from our sin? My brothers and sisters, Jesus paid the price that we might be forgiven. We are saved and given the promise of life eternal lived in His love. Let’s not toss that incredibly costly gift aside because it is given to us for free!
Next weekend we celebrate King Hog. The Hog Days Committee and Chamber of Commerce have worked all year to plan and prepare for the parade, the barbecue and all the events of this weekend so that we can enjoy a time of fellowship, fun and feasting.
Do we as Christians put as much time, energy and enthusiasm into living and sharing our faith? We’re not only still having fun; we’re living with hope, with joy, with expectation, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. He is still the one…the God of the mountains, the valleys, the Lamb who was slain; the King of Glory who conquered death and the grave for us! How are we responding to this incredible gift of love?
As I thought about that question in light of Hog Days, I realized that Jesus wants more hogs and fewer chickens for His kingdom! Yes, you heard me correctly. Jesus wants more hogs and fewer chickens for His kingdom!
When I say, “Jesus wants more hogs and fewer chickens for His kingdom!” I am, in fact, talking about the central message of the gospel. Jesus wants more hogs and fewer chickens for His kingdom!
The story is told of a group of farm animals who were talking one day in the barnyard. They were discussing the farmer on whose farm they all lived. The animals all agreed that the farmer was a good and caring master, one whom they all respected and loved. And so, they got to talking about what they might do to show their appreciation to their master.
The hen immediately turned to the hog who was standing nearby and said, “I’ve got it! Let’s serve our master a wonderful breakfast of fresh ham and eggs!” To which the hog replied, “That’s easy for you to say! For you that means only a small donation, a partial commitment. For me, it’s total!”
Yes, Jesus wants more hogs and fewer chickens for His kingdom – for Jesus wants total commitment, all of our lives, all that we have and all that we are, with nothing held back.
I’ll never forget as a child staying on the farms of my various aunts and uncles during the summer months. It was a treat that my cousins and I looked forward to so much that we would begin planning at the family Christmas gathering who would go where and when during the summer.
But one part of those summers that I didn’t like very well was being sent out to the hen house to gather eggs. Those hens didn’t give up their eggs so willingly! They had to be shooed off their nests. And then they would come flying at you or try to peck you. Of course, they didn’t always lay those eggs in the nesting areas provided either. You had to hunt for them, as if the hens were keeping a secret stash. And, of course, there were always the hens who had decided to set on their eggs and let them hatch – what fun to try to get those eggs away!
No, Jesus doesn’t want chickens for His kingdom! But all too often that’s what you and I are. We grudgingly give to God those bits and pieces of ourselves, our time and our possessions – the leftovers, the rejects, what we don’t need or want to keep for ourselves. But we carefully hide away and hoard other bits of ourselves, our time, of our possessions – because we can’t bear to let them go. We want to stay in control. That’s being a chicken – giving partial commitment.
Don’t get me wrong, the total commitment to which a hog is called, to which Jesus calls us, isn’t easy to give. If you’ve ever loaded hogs, or watched them being loaded, you know that they don’t go very willingly into the truck.
But Jesus calls us to hog-like, total commitment. Calls us to a life which is risky at best. For Jesus calls us to live dependent upon, controlled by His love. He calls us to take His love out into the world and to do so when and where God’s Holy Spirit calls us to go, not according to our own comfort and ease.
With hog-like commitment we are called to go to our neighbor, that one we have known since grade school, and speak of our faith. We are called to invite that neighbor to join us in worship, to come to know the Lord and Savior whom we know and love. That isn’t easy. If our neighbor rejects our invitation, decides that we are even a bit of a fanatic, we still will have to live the rest of our lives as neighbors.
With hog-like commitment we are called to give of our own wealth of time, talent and finances to help our neighbors in need…even when we may encounter those who tell us that it is foolish to support a Food Pantry or other charitable cause, because someone might take advantage of us. When others scoff at our loving actions, we are called to carry on with renewed zeal.
With hog-like commitment we are called to give every moment of every day to God…to allow God to determine and control our thoughts and actions…to live by faith. That’s difficult to do!
We live in a world that often laughs at those who make even a chicken’s commitment. How hard it is then to be a hog in today’s society! How hard it is to fully commit our lives to Jesus Christ, to living fully in His love, living lives filled with that love, filled with and totally controlled by God’s Holy Spirit!
My brothers and sisters, it is my prayer and the prayer of the entire Ministerial Association that next Sunday afternoon’s worship service serves to renew our dedication to work together as brothers and sisters in Christ, with hog like commitment, to share the good news of God’s love with our community.
We have been given the greatest gift of all, Christ’s body broken, His blood poured out on the cross that we might be forgiven. We have been given the free gift of God’s Amazing Grace!
We are called to live in that grace, to let the love of God flow out from us into our community…not just for a weekend, but each and every day…all year long…that others might know the joy that is ours because Jesus Christ is and always will be the One!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s recommit ourselves to joining together as the family of God to make a difference in our community!
Your sister in Christ,
Linnea Gustafson
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.
***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association
