Mighty Mouse

I came into my office at church one day and saw it.

A plastic bag of granola sitting on my desk was ripped open. Well, not ripped open, more like gnawed open. All around the desk were the telltale sign of what was going on here.

My office was invaded by a mouse hungry for food and leaving a reminder of it’s presence.

One of the church members went and bought a mouse trap. I decided to keep my food in a more secure place where any rodent could get to it.

It’s interesting how a little animal that decided to have a meal could make grown adults freak out. The mouse had more power than it was aware of; it didn’t matter if the mouse was...a mouse.

I remember seeing a number of cartoons on television where a mighty elephant is brought low by a very small creature. Yes, the mouse was a powerful, just like Mighty Mouse, the cartoon character that was not your typical mouse. He had superpowers, kind of like Superman, if Superman were a little mouse.

In our culture, we really don’t like small. Small is so...well, small. Small is regarded as a sign of failure for the most part. Yes, sometimes small isn’t good, but sometimes small can be what saves the world.

First Christian of St. Paul, the congregation I serve, is a small congregation. When I started here last September, the congregation only had a few members left. I think most pastors, would think that this church had breathed its last and needed to be shut down.

But the people who were left, were determined to still be church. And so they have. Some make sure that the mail is brought in. Others tend to the yard. Some clean up the Sunday School rooms in the basement. They might have been small in number, but they had spirit (actually, I believe they have THE Spirit, but that’s another story).

I’ve seen this small number of people come together and make sandwiches for the Dignity Center in Minneapolis. I’ve seen them pack food at Feed My Starving Children. I’ve seen them volunteer at Hope for the Journey, a family shelter in Oakdale, helping families who are in crisis find a little bit of respite. They’ve raised money and food for the Mahtomedi Area Foodshelf and made Welcome Baskets for Karen refugees. In a week’s time, First will join two other Disciple churches and staff a booth at the Twin Cities Pride Festival offering hospitality and love to a population that has at times in the past and present been treated as outcasts.

Small can be big. This small congregation has made a difference in the world seeking to follow Jesus in word and in deed.

The church has grown even though there hasn’t been a uptick in people. This community has grown in its faith. They are learning that with God, all things are possible... even if you are only 10 people.

One of the stories in scripture that I love the most is the story of Gideon. He was the lowest of the low in Israel, but God chose him to lead his people out of the bondage of foreign invaders. God lead Gideon to lead an army of 300 against an army of multitudes. The result was bad...for the invaders. The small won over the rich. The mouse wins against the elephant.

I would like to see First grow numerically. But I also want to see this church grow spiritually, to believe that with God, everything- everything is possible.

Mighty Mouse used to have a saying: “Here I Come to Save the Day!” First is here working to making God’s salvation known. Save the Day, indeed.

Dennis Sanders is the Pastor of First Christian Church of St. Paul in Mahtomedi, MN.