John Louk

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more. ~ Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) How The Grinch Stole Christmas Perhaps Christmas does mean a little bit more. I have struggled with how we celebrate Christmas for several years. I wonder if you struggle with it too. For the last ten years the average spending on Christmas gifts has been around $1,000. Last year, Christmas spending dropped a little to $859. This year, most shoppers are planning to cut their gift spending by 50%. The American Research Group conducted their twenty-third annual survey on holiday spending and found that shoppers are planning to spend an average of $431 on gifts this year. This is the lowest amount recorded since 1991. I am really pleased to see this shift, however, I imagine the reduction in spending is mainly because of the poor economy and not because of a sudden realization that Christmas does not come from a store. But we are the church. We do kno...

Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:22 NRSV) Three weeks ago we met together during the Administrative Council meeting to talk about our future as a congregation. Many who participated in that Q&A session came thinking we would talk about the possibility of purchasing a building. Instead, that evening I said several things that took us in a new direction. For the sake of communication, I want to reiterate what I said that evening, add a little more specificity, and answer some questions that have arisen. I said two things: 1.We are not ready to build or buy a building. 2. We need to take the next year or two and define our identity: Who are we? What is our mission? What leadership do we need? Before we focus on “brick and mortar” we need to be a healthy, strong congregation engaged in a radically different world in the 21st cen...

I often hear church folks wondering how we can attract people to come to church. We have a rich history and wonderful people. Who wouldn’t want to come to Salem Church!? Even so, I wonder if we might not have things turned around. Our God seems to always be on the move, unwilling to wait for people to make the first move. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is God’s supreme move, coming to us, reaching out to us. “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14). Following God’s missionary example, however, has been difficult. Figure 1 shows how most churches in our culture have operated. The biggest circle is the individual. What seems most important is getting the individual saved, in the traditional language. In some newer churches the language is more about improving one’s life. Either way, the Christian life is about the individual and his or her needs. Once the individual’s needs are met then we think about how one might serve the church. After that, if there is anything left ov...

O God, we pray for this congregation, Salem Church, and our future with you. Show us what you are doing, Lord, and allow us to be a part of it. Amen. We have prayed this prayer for the last several weeks in our worship services. Now the Administrative Council has unanimously agreed to consider purchasing the King of Kings Lutheran Church building. As we continue to pray, how will we as a congregation decide to move forward? Some things are outside of our control . We do not control time. If the Kenwood Park building sells, we will need to be out in sixty days. Furthermore, if we do not begin making decisions now, we will not be ready to act later. We cannot make time stand still. Life is not static. Change happens. The question is, will we be intentional about making change to follow God’s leading or will we passively receive change that we do not choose? The future of our downtown location is also beyond our control. We should have a better idea in another month what decisions the cit...

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. So how do we make disciples? The Apostle Paul tells the church at Philippi that they are to conform their thinking and their practices to Christ, as well as to Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus, who are models in discipleship. “Brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example” (Philippians 3:17 NLT) Again at the end of the letter Paul says, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing” (Philippians 4:9 NLT) . This may seem somewhat presumptuous to us, maybe even pompous. Paul says this five or six times in the New Testament, “Imitate me, follow my example.” It’s not presumptuous, however, it’s discipleship! And we didn’t learn it from Paul. We learned it from Jesus. Jesus chose Twelve to be his disciples, to follow him closely. Jesus was the model, the Master. The disciples were the stude...

I have been with you for three weeks now. Much has happened in this short time. We have been worshiping at Lovely Lane UMC since the flood (may God bless them for their hospitality!). Now, on the first Sunday in August (3rd) we will gather for worship at our Salem East location (the former Kenwood Park Presbyterian Church building). With the change in location we will also change our worship time to 9:30 am. We will continue to have one service for the rest of the summer at 9:30 am. Our location, time, and single service are all temporary. Please know, there will be changes. The stability and tradition Salem enjoyed has evaporated with the flood waters for the time being. That means, as a congregation we need to be patient, flexible, and light on our feet. Following Jesus isn’t easy but it is an adventure! While we are preparing to begin worshiping at Salem East, the real estate agent selling the building has been showing the building to several people. Potential buyers have shown quit...

“To the church of God that is in Corinth [and Cedar Rapids!], to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 1:2-3 NRSV). Brothers and Sisters, I am very excited to begin this new adventure as the pastor of Salem Church. Many have asked me how I am feeling about being appointed to Salem considering the flooding of 2008 that has wreaked havoc on us. After all, this is one of the 10 worst disasters in the nation's history. But what an opportunity to be the church, the people of God. We are not constrained by buildings. We the people of Salem Church are a royal priesthood. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. How are we part of God’s mission in transforming Cedar Rapids? Following Jesus may not be safe, but it is good. I am looki...

I spoke to Pastor Linda Bibb this evening. She’s the outgoing pastor at Salem Church where I have been appointed effective July 1. Salem is just a couple of blocks from the Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids. She told me they were evacuated from the church building at 4:00 pm yesterday. The wonderful people of this congregation worked together sandbagging and moving as much as they could to the second and third floors. But the river was too much. Linda said the water is at least 8-10 feet deep at the church building. There is a car port over one of the entrances and the water is above that car port. So the water could be to the second floor now. This picture from the Cedar Rapids Gazette shows how high the water was earlier today at the Dairy Queen which is right across the street from Salem United Methodist Church. Unfortunately, the river hasn’t even crested yet so the flooding will probably get worse. We will attempt to get to Cedar Rapids tomorrow. In the midst of all this we ar...

Last Sunday I preached for the last time at First Church. You can listen to the sermon here . It was a wonderful day. At the beginning of the service, the Lead Pastor, Kevin LaGree, invited my family to the front of the church and said the church had a surprise for us. At that moment five people in the congregation stood up and came forward. It was such a cool moment. They brought prayer shawls to each member of my family and placed them around our shoulders. The prayer shawls are an important ministry of First Church. Each shawl is beautifully knitted and crocheted and blessed and given to a person in need of the congregation’s prayers. They symbolism was clear: We are going on to a new place of ministry covered with the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Des Moines. Following worship the Staff-Parish Relations Committee hosted a farewell reception for my family. It was a great experience to have so many people greet us lovingly, and to see friends who surprised us by showing up. ...

My daughter, Kaitlyn, made a movie at the end of last year. She has now posted it online for others to see. It’s a stop time animation. I thought it was really cool. In fact, I was quite amazed as she did this on her own without any help. She started by taking 97 digital pictures of scenes she created and ended up with this...

We are ending the 9:00 am worship service as of now. I’m sorry for the abruptness. I know this isn’t the best situation but this is how it's working out. We have the early 7:30 am Easter sunrise service tomorrow, and then I'm gone on vacation the next Sunday. We wouldn't be having the 9:00 am service while I’m gone. Then if we start the 9:00 am service back up when I return from vacation, it would only be for a few more weeks (since I am moving to another church this year). So we'd stop it and start it and stop it again. Furthermore, I'll be doing the 10:30 am service all of April as Kevin is gone on vacation during that time. Therefore, while it's not the best timing and we haven't had a chance to really talk about it, we're ending the 9:00 am service after tomorrow. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to let me know.

We are now in the midst of Holy Week (the days from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday), traveling with Jesus during the last days before his death. Today is Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) which gets its name from the new commandment ( mandatum novum in Latin) Jesus gives to love one another in John 13:34 . Tomorrow, Good Friday, marks Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and death. This is all part of the story that leads to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. The message, “He is risen!” turns the events of Holy Week into a celebration of joy. This is the story of Jesus the Christ. I invite you to participate in our Maundy Thursday worship at 7:00 pm this evening. My sermon, “Everyone Will Know,” is based on John 13 and Kevin LaGree is celebrating Holy Communion. Tomorrow, our Good Friday worship service is at 7:00 pm. Kevin LaGree’s sermon, “Lead Us, Lord,” is based on Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Hebrews 10:16-25 . This Sunday is the beginning of Easter. Our first celebration ...

The big news continues with the launch of our new website for First Church. I’m very excited for you to check it out . Please let me know what you think. This has been a long process and there is still more to be done (we’ll be adding images now that we’re live). But the new site is finally up and we can continue working with it. I think it's great. Come and worship tomorrow morning, and don’t forget to change your clocks tonight. Most of us will lose a little sleep tonight in order to gain a little sunlight in the morning and lose a little sunlight in the evening. Makes sense, right?

My family and I will be moving from Des Moines in June. The Bishop and Cabinet have “appointed” me to be the pastor of another congregation, Salem United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids. We are experiencing the grief and hope that accompany most life-transitions. There’s a pretty good load of stress right now (we have to sell our house - yikes!). Yet, we are grateful for the many relationships we have with those of you around us (near and far). Please join me in praying for these two congregations: First Church (Des Moines) and Salem Church (Cedar Rapids). It has been my privilege and joy to share life with my family and friends here and to live and work with Kevin LaGree (lead pastor), the great staff, and the wonderful people around First Church. I hope it will be my privilege and joy to live and serve with the people of Salem and Cedar Rapids.

During our discussion last night about N.T. Wright’s book, Simply Christian , there was concern that some Christians feel superior to people of other faiths (or no faith). One woman had the uncomfortable experience of being with another Christian who matter-of-factly uttered that non-Christians are condemned to hell. No one in our discussion wanted to believe that was true. What a heartless and arrogant attitude! And yet, while it seems loving (or American), we do not believe that there are many different paths to God and that they are all equally good. Rather, we believe in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NRSV ) . Being a Christian doesn’t mean feeling superior to people of other faith traditions or believing that they are condemned. While many people know John 3:16 , very few seem to know the next verse: “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn...

Because of the major winter storm bearing down upon us, all worship services of First Church are being canceled for tomorrow, February 17, 2008. Please be safe!

The Bible Discussion Group begins again tonight and will meet every other Wednesday evening. We are reading the Gospel of Matthew and Lent is a great time to join the discussion. The discussion group will meet at 6:45 p.m. on February 13, February 27, and March 12 in the chapel on the second floor. Here is our reading schedule so you can prepare for each week: 2/13 - Matthew 10: The Sending 2/27 - Matthew 11-12: Are You the One? 3/12 - Matthew 13: The Parable of the Kingdom On the Wednesday nights opposite the Bible Discussion Group (February 20, March 5, and March19 at 6:45 p.m. in Fellowship Hall), I will lead a discussion about why Christianity makes sense. Have you ever wondered why humans in all places and times have yearned for beauty, truth, spirituality, and justice? Bishop N.T. Wright, author of Simply Christian , contends that it is because we hear the echoes of God’s voice. You are invited to join us each Wednesday, beginning with supper at 6:00 pm in Fellowship Hall (there ...

I returned to work today after my four-week leave of absence. For the last month I have been reading, thinking, and writing. I had fun with my family, read more books, watched some movies, set up this blog, went to the Van Halen concert, hung out with friends, visited the first church I served (and three others), got organized, and slept in a lot. Oh, I celebrated a birthday too. Did I get done with my dissertation? No. My hope was to write the first three chapters of the dissertation. I did not meet that goal but I did accomplish much. As I said, I have done quite a lot of reading and taking notes and writing out thoughts. I have the three chapters outlined and formatted appropriately. (That might sound silly, but the dissertation layout has to be in a very specific format). The writing now is somewhat like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. I take what I know and have learned and put it into the specific format. So I’m a little sad to be done with the four-week leave. It was gr...

My friend, Doug Applegate, showed me a video on YouTube. It's a skit done to the song Everything by Lifehouse. This is very powerful (probably not for children).