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?