Under Construction

Many years ago, I was leading a mission trip and (I honestly can't remember where this was) we slept in a church basement on the way to our destination.

I slept in a youth room with the theme "Under Construction" based on the idea that as a people of God, we are all under construction.

I've come to the conclusion, that as a pastor, I am still "Under Construction" - and that's a good thing.

That's a long way to say - I think I'm going to officially close this blog. I'm still learning ways to reach out to others. And this outlet isn't one that I put a lot of time or energy into.

Thanks for reading along the way.

Sincerely-
Pastor John

Attempts at Poetry

I'm trying to read more poetry. I find it slows me down enough to pay attention in ways I don't normally do when reading. I'm starting with Wendell Berry.

In his poem "The Record" he is talking about people of a certain age giving directions by using landmarks that don't exist ("where the peach orchard was...."). The line that caught my attention was this one: "You'd have to know this country mighty well before I could tell you where."

Last night, the City of Plainview held their annual mass registration for summer recreation activities. The flyer that I got from my kid's backpacks announced that the registration was at the "new public works building." There was no address. No map. I checked the city webpage....same announcement - "at the new public works building."

Now, I know where this building is...but it's a big assumption. In fact, my dear wife, the librarian, fielded a few reference questions along the lines of: "Can you tell me where the...heck... is the new public works building?"

And it makes me wonder, if there are assumptions that we have in our church that leave people confused or unclear.

God is not finished....yet

Today, I had the great honor and privilege to meet Mr. Tom Truszinski, Center Director of the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. (if you don't know the mission and ministry of Mn Adult and Teen Challenge - please check out their website - www.mntc.org - this center has been in operation in Rochester for just over a year and is doing amazing things to change lives!)

I met with Tom for two reasons. First, my dear friend Kel Mulholland (who past away a couple of months ago after a lengthy battle with lukemia) was on the staff for awhile. Kel was a man of deep faith and many talents; Kel admitted to me that although he had several jobs and careers throughout his life, he described his work with the residents of Teen Challenge as "finally finding his sweet spot." I was visiting the center because I wanted to learn more about the work that Kel did that he found so rewarding.

Second, my church - Community Presbyterian Church (www.cpcplainview.com) is hosting Minnesota Teen and Adult Challenge in worship on Sunday, May 3rd. They will be leading us in worship through their choir and their testimonies. I'm am so excited to not only hear these stories but for my congregation to hear these stories. There is power in hearing the story of how - through Jesus Christ - the lost have become found.

One of my favorite things to discover is one's passion. I don't know if you know what I mean - but I love it when I can find something that the person I am talking with is passionate about. It's a special thing to experience - because they get so animated and excited.  And I think it is an indication that they are doing God's work and the Holy Spirit is working through them.

Tom Truszinski is such an individual. When he was giving me a tour of the facility and introducing me to the staff and the residents of the program, I could feel his passion. He knows that he is doing good work, holy work, faithful work - hard work to be sure - but blessed work. Tom's passion was contagious. A couple of times he got teary-eyed telling me the stories about how he came to be the director and about how he has seen lives changed through the power of the God we know and worship in Jesus Christ. It was a powerful experience for me.

Last Sunday in my sermon, I said that God is not finished yet. And I believe that with my whole heart. Even though death has been defeated in the power of the cross - God is not finished yet. This is true in my own life. When I am completely honest with myself, I know that I fall well short of the glory God intends for me...and yet God does not leave me there - but continues to guide me and shape me into the person, the pastor, the disciple, the John Curtiss, that I am intended to be.

God is not finished yet. But God is doing amazing things. Come to worship this week and hear some of those stories.

Realistic Thomas: String Theory

(Note: This post is based on my sermon from Sunday, April 12th. The text for that sermon is John 20:19-31 - the story of  'Doubting Thomas.')

There is an inside joke among some at Community Presbyterian Church - leftover from a leadership conference or retreat from way back (seriously - before my time at CPC). The inside joke is about string people and balloon people.

Balloon people are the wonderfully creative people who are always asking "What if we did this?" or "We should try this..." Churches need balloon people to keep generating new and creative ideas to engage in ministry.

String people are also important in the life of the church. A string person wants to know "if there is money in the budget for that idea" and "who is going to be in charge."

If you've every been on a church committee, you know that it takes both kinds - balloon people and string people - to make ministry happen.

The disciple Thomas is, without a doubt, a string person; a realistic, pragmatic, string person...with a strong bit of realism to boot.

Consider this: everything we know about Thomas prior to the story that earns him his nickname "Doubting Thomas" suggests that he is forthright, genuine, and courageous.

Two examples - in John, chapter 11, Thomas is the one disciple who urges the others to go with Jesus to see the body of Lazarus - even though their lives are in danger (bold and courageous Thomas!). And in John, chapter 14 - when Jesus is speaking in cryptic metaphors about where he is going, Thomas is the one that calls Jesus out. Thomas says, "Lord, we do not know where you are going...how can we follow you?" Thomas just wants a straight answer - because he is a realist and a pragmatist.

Thomas strikes me as one who likes his truth straight and to the point. Thomas strikes me as a great disciple. If I were putting together a committee, a team, or a task force, to plan a new ministry in the life of the church, Thomas is who I would want. He is dependable, honest, and brave. He is reliable and practical. He not only gets things done - but he plans carefully so that the things that get done are done the right way. Thomas is a good disciple.

And yet, we call him "Doubting Thomas" because of this encounter (John 20:19-31) with the risen Jesus and the disciples.

In this story, we don't know where Thomas is. We do know that the other disciples are hiding in the room, behind a locked door, for fear of their lives. They are scared because they don't know what is going to happen to them - and they are fearful of being found by the Jews. But not Thomas. He is not with them, cowering in fear. Thomas is, I suspect, trying to figure out what is next - now that Jesus is dead. Practical Thomas is out and about - discovering and deciding what the next steps are. Because that is what practical (string people), realistic people do. They figure out how to move on.

Let's not forget - Thomas witnessed a pretty brutal dose of reality. He witnessed the arrest of Jesus. He was there when Jesus was sentenced to death. He saw the hands of his Lord nailed to a cross. He witnessed Jesus die...and with it all his hopes and dreams. For Thomas, all his hopes and dreams of following Jesus for the past three years, ended brutally on the cross. They perished with Christ.

So can you imagine how Thomas felt when he returns to the disciples and hear's their ridiculous story. "We have seen Jesus. He was here, Thomas. He is alive."

Thomas doesn't just doubt their story. Frankly, Thomas simply doesn't believe it. No way, no how. Thomas requests to see his hands and feel the hole in Jesus' side before he believes.

Which leads me to believe that what changes for Thomas when he is confronted with the new reality of the risen Jesus is not his doubt - nor his penchant for reality. No - what changes for Thomas is his very perception of reality. For Thomas, the idea of what is possible is blown wide open. For Thomas, the idea of what God can do, becomes much broader then ever before.

Jesus comes to Thomas and says - here is my hand and my side. Now do you believe? Jesus confronts Thomas with the possibility that his reality was too small, his vision of what is possible too limited. When Jesus calls Thomas to belief and to faith, he is actually inviting him into a whole new world.

What can Thomas teach us at this moment? You see, if is easy for us (especially in the church) to have too small a vision. We've tried...(insert new idea here)...before and it failed. There isn't enough money in the budget for that idea. Look at our numbers - we don't have enough people to pull that off. We must be realistic about who we are.

All of these might be realistic assessments...and yet they might also be a vision of a world too small. Sometimes we need to be reminded of a grander, broader vision; a new reality of the life together in Christ.
This vision - is not defined by a "what if we fail" or a "what if there isn't enough" mentality...but it is defined by the possibility - even the reality of God's abundance. This vision is not ruled by past offenses - but is set free by forgiveness and reconciliation.

To be fair - I get that life can be hard - both because of choices we make and because of circumstances beyond our control. And I get that when life is hard, our vision shrinks. We become string people like Thomas who can only see limited options for the way forward.
But like Thomas, let us be reminded that God's reality is filled with no limits. Like Thomas, let us be invited into that new reality as the risen Christ meets us and draws us close. Amen and amen.

The Power (Personal!) of Jesus Christ

Dear Friends -

Last Sunday (February 8th, 2015), I told a deeply personal story during my sermon.

The text for the story was the lectionary - Mark 1:29-39 - a story about the early ministry of Jesus. In this passage Jesus is healing people. First, he heals the disciple Peter's mother-in-law and then he heals the entire village. In fact, Jesus heals so many people that he has to sneak away, early the next morning, to get some time alone in prayer. But in the story, I found it remarkable, that when Peter's mother-in-law is healed, she gets up and begins to serve them.

In other words, Jesus healed her so that she could do the things that she was created to be. It's a theme throughout the gospel of Mark. Jesus heals those he meets from illness, demons, basically everything; he heals them and sets them free to live into the life that God desires for them.

Because of my experience, I know the power of this. I know what it means to be healed and set free by the power of Jesus Christ.

You see, I am an alcoholic. I attended my first AA meeting in November of 2009 - just over five years ago. And on December 1st, 2014 - I attended another AA meeting a received my five-year chip. I have been sober for just over five years - and I plan on staying that way - one 24 hours at a time.

AA is a 12 step program. Here are the first 3 steps:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God as we understood him.

For me those first 3 steps have made all the difference. I had come to a place in my life where I knew I needed help, big help (step one) and I had come to believe that only the God I know in Jesus Christ could help me. And so I asked God to help me stop drinking.

I remember going to a meeting and saying for the first time: "My name is John and I am an alcoholic." And I remember feeling the power of God take away my desire to drink. And it's not always easy, but God willing, I continue to focus on the next 24 hours and continue to be grateful for my sobriety.

Honestly, I've been struggling with how to tell this story to the congregation that I serve as pastor. I know that no one expects me to be perfect - but still I was hesitant to share this part of me. But recently, something has shifted within me. I was thrilled to get my five year chip in December. Absolutely thrilled. And I realized that this is my story - and it is good news. It's my story of amazing grace - for I once was lost, but now I am found. And if it is such good news - then I should have the courage to tell it. To share it. To tell other people what God has done for me.

And so I'm telling me story. And I hope you can find hope within it. After I shared this story in my sermon on Sunday, one person came through the line to shake my hand and she said, "Pastor John, you became human today."

Amen and amen.

Last Year's Super Bowl Commercial

Yesterday in my sermon, I opened by talking about my favorite commercial from the Super Bowl....last year's super bowl.

Here is a link to it:

http://www.davidlose.net/2014/02/empowerment-marketing-and-theology/

Follow Me!

Read Mark 1:14-20

“Follow Me.”

This simple invitation is extended to Simon and Andrew and to James and John. The amazing thing is that they do just that – they follow Jesus. They walk away from their fishing nets; they leave their father in the boat; they follow Jesus.

I find this story to be both inspiring and frustrating.

First, inspiring. This story is inspiring because the four disciples mentioned in the text demonstrate incredible faith and obedience. Immediately, they drop what they are doing to respond to the call of Christ. There is no doubt that these disciples are committed entirely to the cause of following Jesus.

And then: frustrating. This story is frustrating because the bar for discipleship has been set so incredibly and unrealistically high. I’m not sure that any of us would leave the comforts of home, work, and family and follow Jesus Christ into such an unknown future.

I suppose I could boast about my own call to serve as pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Plainview, Minnesota. I could brag that I left behind my family and friends to come to the unknown region of Southeastern Minnesota, that I dropped everything when I heard God call – and followed unquestioningly and with great faith. I could say all that, but it wouldn’t be entirely true.

Although I certainly feel like I am called to be here – serving as pastor of Community Presbyterian Church – my experience of discernment was not immediate. I spoke with the Pastor Search committee on several occasions. I visited Plainview 3 times over the course of 6 months – once to interview, once with my family, and once without telling anyone – to learn the lay of the land. If I was called to come to this place, I wanted to do my homework and make sure that this was a place that my family could and would thrive. (For the record, we are thriving – affirmation of the call process!).

“Follow Me.” 

I think this story in Mark’s gospel is intended to give us an example of how to follow Jesus. But we are not limited to only following Jesus as the disciples did. We are invited to follow Jesus today in distinct, unique and particular ways. How are you going to follow him?

I know some who follow Jesus with their vocation – doing the work that they are called to do to live out their faith, like teachers or health care professionals. I know people who follow Jesus by volunteering and giving themselves to a cause that is bigger than themselves. I know people who follow Jesus by looking for those on the outside, and reaching out with love, making them feel welcomed and invited. I know people who follow Jesus by caring for their aging parents, by listening to friends, by comforting the bereaved, by counselling the lost. There are countless ways in which we can answer the call to follow Jesus Christ today.

How are you going to follow him?

Come and See!

Read John 1:35-51

Dear Friends,

We call Friday's "All Daddy, All Day" at our house. Friday's are my day off; my wife works at the library most Fridays; and my 5 year old is not yet in school. So Friday I am available for my daughter's every whim. I usually enjoy this. Usually.

Last Friday, I had one email that I needed to send. It wasn't even church related - I am the Cubmaster of Pack 57 and I needed to update the Pack calendar. So I asked my daughter to entertain herself for 10 minutes so I could stare at a computer screen.

It took me nearly 45 minutes to send that email.

"Daddy, come here - look what I did!"
"Daddy, come here - I'm doing a puzzle."
"Daddy, come and see - do you like this picture. I colored it just for you."
"Daddy, come and see."

Each request conveyed excitement and eagerness to share the experience. All Daddy, All Day, indeed.

In John's gospel, when Jesus calls Philip he simply says, "Come and See." In turn Philip tells his friend Nathanael, "Come and See." It's a simple invitation to check out what God is up to.  In John's gospel, Jesus is at his best when he is encountering people. It starts with these disciples, continues with a certain Pharisee named Nicodemus, and then the Samaritan woman at the well and the man born blind. Jesus encounters Peter, Pilate, and even Thomas, who doubts.
To all these, Jesus says in one way or another: "Come and See."

Come and see - what God is up to.
Come and see - what God might do with your life.
Come and see - a new future is possible.
Come and see - God's grace is at work around you.
Come and see - God's love is real - and is available to all people.

Come and see.

What if we invited our friends, our colleagues, our co-workers and neighbors to come and see what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of Community Presbyterian Church?

I believe that God is working here in this place. God is up to something - and it is good. I have discovered that this is a special place - a place to worship, to experience fellowship, to grow in relationship both with one another, but more importantly with God in Jesus Christ. Come and See for yourself what I have discovered to be true about this place.

I have no doubt that the future of the church - and this church in particular - are in God's trustworthy hands. I have no doubt that the same spirit of God that was present when Jesus was baptized is still working through us. I have no doubt that the same spirit that worked through Phillip when he asked Nathanael to "come and see" is working through us. Might we trust that spirit to continue working as we say to others: "Come and See."

Amen and amen.

Remember Your Baptism

Read Mark 1:4-11

I have a confession. I can't remember my baptism.

To be fair, I was three months old. Baptized in November, 1974.

Yesterday was "Baptism of the Lord" Sunday in church. Ever since the days of Martin Luther, reformed churches have been encouraging her membership to remember your baptism.

Now, I get the importance of baptism. Hey, I went to seminary - so I can say things like "baptism is a sacrament and a sacrament is an outward sign of an inward grace." And when I do stop and think about it, I can articulate several reasons why baptism is important. But the truth is, I just don't think about baptism all that often.

I am, however, thankful for the opportunity to think about the baptism of Jesus at least once a year. I like to think of it as the story where John the Baptism got his name, after all, if he didn't baptize Jesus we would probably call him "John the locust eater" or "John the beheaded."

There are two things I want to highlight from this reading. First, the words from heaven are deeply personal and profound. God says to Jesus when he is being baptized "This is my son with whom I am well pleased." These words contain some deep and abiding promises about being claimed by God and blessed by God.

The thing that I love about Mark's gospel is that this is one of the first stories about Jesus. Immediately after being baptized, Jesus finds himself in the desert resisting temptation. And then he begins his ministry - healing, casting out, welcoming, and the like.

For Mark's gospel, Jesus' baptism is not an preamble. Rather it is the foundation for all of Jesus ministry. In fact, I think that Jesus is able to say the same thing that God said to him through his ministry - that is that you are a child of God; God is well pleased with you." Every time he heals someone, Jesus is saying that they have worth and value. Every time he casts out a demon, Jesus is saying that they matter to God.

And that's why it is important for us to remember our own baptism (or at least reflect on the meaning of it.) In our baptism, the promise that God made to Jesus is extended onto us. We are God's children. With us God is well pleased.

And these promises enable and empower us to extent the same love, care, and hospitality to those we meet in our daily lives.

So don't forget - God loves you. You are a beloved child of God. And with you, God is well pleased.

And one more thing - as you live into the truth of these words, don't forget to share them with someone you love.

Amen.

Leaning into the Light

Did you know that author Katherine Patterson (married to a Presbyterian Pastor!) wrote an original story for her husband to read on Christmas Eve to his congregation? Well, I'm no award winning novelist, but I do recognize a great tradition. For three years I have written a story for the children of my church and read it to them on Christmas Eve. My hope is that the adults present also listen to the story. Here is my Christmas Eve story from December 24, 2014. Blessings!

John

Leaning Into the Light

An Original Story by Rev. John H.G. Curtiss

Written for the Children of the Community Presbyterian Church for the worship service on Christmas Eve.

December 24, 2014

Hello there. My name is Jack and I am 8 years old. And I want to tell you about the best Christmas I ever had. It all started with the lighting of the first Advent Candle.

You see, my mom and my two sisters – I’m the middle child – a Jack-in-the-box – my family likes to tease – we go to church each week. My Dad…he’s not really into church. My Dad once said to me, “Rooster Nugget (that’s his nickname for me), I work all week with a bunch of hypocrites! Why would I want to spend my free Sunday morning with more of ‘em!” Now, I’m not entirely sure what a hypocrite is – but Dad stays home on Sundays and does yard work or little things around the house (when he’s not watching SportsCenter on ESPN).

My oldest sister is 12 and my mom says that she is practicing being a teen-ager a year too early. That means that she rolls her eyes at half of the things my mom says and ignores the other half. Because she is nearly a teen-ager, I am stuck with my baby sister a lot. She’s fun, but she is only 3 and can’t do a lot for herself. So I sit next to her in church and help keep her quiet so that mom can listen and my big sister can pretend like she isn’t listening.

At my church we prepare for Christmas by lighting the advent candle. It’s a way to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. There are four Sundays in Advent and each Sunday we light another candle. When we get to Christmas Eve we get to light the big candle in the middle and then we know that Christmas is the next day.

Well last year something amazing happened during Advent. I was actually listening to the words of the pastor (amazing, I know, I’m only 8!). And he said that we can prepare for Christ to come into our hearts at Christmas time by doing the things that Christ did when he was alive on earth. He said that Jesus was doing things like feeding the hungry and caring for those without.

And that just gave me an idea. You see, I’m a growing boy and I like to eat. And Jesus was always eating with the people around him. There are lots of stories about Jesus feeding the people around him. His disciples, complete strangers, even little children. It seemed to me that Jesus spend a lot of time feeding people. And so I thought we should have a meal at the church on Christmas Eve – feed the hungry people and then invite them to church. I didn’t realize that this simple idea was going to cause so much of a fuss in my little church.

Well, I didn’t tell anyone about my idea until the Second Sunday of Advent.  And then I only remembered when we were lighting the second candle at church. So I told my mom about my brilliant idea – but she said not now. So I started to doodle and draw on the back of the bulletin and I came up with a poster for the free food before worship at church night. It seemed like a perfect idea in my head.

I went home and I made those posters. I even let my little sister color them in even though she can’t stay in the lines. I had my mom look up the address of the church and everything and when I showed her my work, my mom was impressed, but she just wasn’t sure it would work. She said that sometimes things happen in the church slowly – that different groups need to be involved – and that everyone was just too busy to make a church supper on the night of Christmas Eve happen. When she saw how disappointed I was, she at least agreed to talk to the pastor.

We met the pastor after worship after the 3^rd Sunday in Advent. And although he liked the spirit of the idea (“It’s always good to want to help people, Jack!” Pastor reassured me.) He just didn’t think there was any way we could pull this off. We hadn’t talked to the mission team – and they are always involved when there is outreach. And we hadn’t talked to the session – they have to approve new ideas like this. And the kitchen ladies have to be involved early because nothing happens in the kitchen without their explicit approval. “Good idea. No, Jack – great idea. But not this year. Not this year.” I think he made my mother a little mad, because she said, we will see about that, pastor. And she had that look in her eye. You know the look. All moms have one.

The next week, she helped my make posters and we hung them up all over town – especially in the places where people in need are more likely to be. We walked the streets of town putting our posters up. And at home at night Mom started to make phone calls to her friends. She had been a member of the church for a long time. She was working so hard on this that even my Dad noticed and asked what kind of trouble we were getting into. He seemed to like the idea that we were doing something without the pastor’s approval. I didn’t realize that people were taking sides – some for the dinner and some against the dinnet.

On the 4^th Sunday of Advent – just a few days before Christmas Eve – the church was buzzing with excitement. The pastor asked my mother and I to come into his office to talk. He had found a couple of our posters around town and wanted to know the story. My mom explained that the birth of Jesus Christ was about sharing God’s love – and that her son – that’s me – wanted to show love by feeding people. The pastor wanted to know what kinds of plans were made and what kind of approval she had. Does the session know about this? What about the Deacons – they are always in charge of food? Does the mission committee or the evangelism committee know about this? He had question after question about how we had planned this backwards and it wasn’t going to work. He looked a bit tired, but mom said that’s because preachers work hard during Advent and getting ready for Christmas.

He didn’t exactly give us his blessing and he admitted that he was more than a little skeptical but he could see just how determined my mother was. She quickly assured him that everything would be fine, that God would bless this meal, and that the Holy Spirit might even show up in our church on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure the preacher knew what to say about that!

Before I knew it, it was Christmas Eve. Church service weren’t till later – when it was properly dark so that the shepherds can see the star and the baby Jesus can be born at night in the manger.

My mother and I and my two sisters went to church early in the afternoon. I thought it was odd that we only had 2 onions and a bag of carrots. Mom went into the kitchen and began to chop the onions and the carrots. Soon another lady from church came – and she had the celery and a can of broth. They got out the big pot and began to cook the onions, mix in the carrots, and stir in the broth. Every little bit another member of the church would show up – with some potatoes, a bit of meat, some herbs and seasons. Even the men’s group president showed up with 6 dozen cookies from the local grocery. Pretty soon the church kitchen smelled like supper. Everytime I turned around someone was bringing a bit of this or that. Mrs. Smith brought her homemade bread. Mr. Jones brought some store bought rolls.  There was a buzz of excitement in the place.

About an hour before church began, the pastor showed up, and with him several people I had never seen before. He said they were waiting outside looking for the food.

We began to serve. We begin to eat and soon the hall was filled with the sounds of pleasant 

conversation, of laughter and story-telling. I even saw the preacher look around all misty eyed at the fellowship around him.

And then I saw my dad enter the back. By the looks of it he had showered and shaved and put on his nice shirt. He winked at me and smiled and said he didn’t want to miss what happened to the trouble makers. We grabbed a bowl of stew and found a seat and ate together as a family. I couldn’t believe that we are all together on Christmas Eve.

That night at church, the pastor set aside his notes and said that he had a different message to share tonight. He wanted to say that the church is better when we are together – working together towards a common goal of sharing God’s love. He said that Jack, that’s me, had taught him that. He said that he loved the idea that Christmas Eve happens shortly after the winter solstice – the longest night of the year because the earth is just now beginning to lean into the light. He said that he saw all of us today lean into the light by working together and sharing God’s love.

That was the best Christmas I’ve ever had. I can’t remember what present I got last year – but I do know that I was a part of a group of people who leaned into the light together. 

Amen and amen.