Kurt Christenson

First Lutheran Church of San Diego

• Contact: 1420 Third Ave, San Diego 619-234-6149 www.firstlutheransd.org
• Membership: 280
• Pastor: Kurt Christenson
• Age: 59
• Born: Groton, CT
• Formation: St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN; Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley
• Years Ordained: 32

San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon?

Pastor Kurt Christenson: I was blessed to have interned in an African American parish in south-central Los Angeles. So my sermons are topical—the scripture has to come alive for today—so it starts with a deep exegetical process but that would become a lecture without including the story of the people and how that story interfaces with the story of scripture. How does scripture form and shape us through its story? It’s taken me 33 years to write my sermons – no, actually, make that 59 years. But I usually set aside two big chunks of two days, but that’s just the formal part of the preparation.

SDR: What’s your main concern as a member of the clergy during this time of pandemic?

PC: Not much has changed for us, other than having to stream our worship services on Facebook from my house because there’s too much echo in the church to record anything people can hear. Here at First Lutheran we have a ministry to those on the edge of society which we’ve been engaged in for 30 years, and really, in some form or another before that, for almost the whole 112-year history of the church. We have to do it differently during this time but caring for the needs of those at the edge of society has been a hallmark of this congregation. I arrived in September, so I’m pretty new here—and privileged to be here. The church started the Third Avenue Charitable Organization – TACO – and we had 160 guests for breakfast this morning whom we served. There are still people here too for social work services and to pick up their mail. On Mondays we have dental, medical and legal clinic—and an acupuncture clinic. There are 300 souls a week who get taken care here each week. How to maintain that with social distancing and all these other things we have to do has been a significant concern.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PC: Heaven. We get to go to heaven. I don’t know if everyone goes to heaven – but I’m so grateful that no human being gets to judge. God will be the judge. I have every confidence in the eternal, loving, graceful hands of God and his wide embrace of humanity and of this creation that, thank God, he decided to make. He loves our stories and wants to hear our stories. I have a pretty wide view of heaven and I’m grateful that eternity means having enough time to get things right. I’ll be able to make amends for the all the relationships I screwed up and have enough time to build relationships with the ones I missed. Also, maybe I’ll learn to play the stand-up bass. But that’s the mystery – how will people get to heaven. I’m happy to live in the mystery of what God has in store. I know there are people who want to have nothing to do with loving their neighbor in any way, it seems, or very little. I don’t know – I’m grateful I’m not being asked to judge them, but God will. The same goes for me – I don’t know if I’d be let in on my own merits. I’m grateful it all begins with unearned, freely given grace.