Did you know that the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed and Love Feast have something in common? They do, and it’s more than both dealing with something edible. Actually, Shrove Tuesday, Love Feast, our One Thing, our Mission Giving, and Meals on Wheels all have something in common! Plus, you can throw into this mix part of our United Methodist belief about the Sacrament of Baptism. Now you’re really wondering what on earth all these things have in common. The answer is one simple word, “Service.”
One of my favorite activities at our church is the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed. It’s not just about the pancakes, though I really do like pancakes. It’s not just about Chris’s Cakes and the fun the pancake flippers have with the guests coming to eat, though that is really fun to watch. It isn’t just about the smiles and the enjoyment that the people coming to eat seem to be expressing and experiencing. All of that is a part of what makes Shrove Tuesday a special event. But what I really like about Shrove Tuesday is watching our church family work and serve together to make the event happen…and to serve the community.
The same is true with Love Feast. It’s great to see guests come and share in the meal. It’s great to talk with the guests and hear stories of how their day is going. It’s great to visit with the different people that come to help prepare and serve the meal. It’s fun to hear the banter among the drivers and delivery helpers as they get their allotment of meals to take into the community. But what is really great is to see the way people from the community and different churches work together to serve the Mitchell community.
Even our One Thing and Mission Giving opportunities are a way for us to work and serve together to make a difference in the community. That’s also what is so great to experience on Sunday mornings. We all enjoy the sounds of the children in the hallways and classrooms, but I also appreciate the faces and faithfulness of all the adults and youth that arrive before the children to make sure the classrooms are set up, the lessons are prepared, copies made, and the welcoming smiles and hugs are ready when the children show up. It’s how we as a church family work together to serve one another…and this is where baptism enters the picture.
You see, the United Methodist understanding of baptism is that we are baptized or born anew “for” something not just “into” something. Some traditions hold that baptism is about being born into salvation. And that’s OK…that’s a piece of it. Some traditions emphasize being born into a new family. Again, yes that is a piece of our understanding. But we hold that baptism is about being born anew for service. This is in part why we generally don’t do private baptisms because every time we celebrate a baptism, it is a reminder to us all that we are baptized into a life and family of service. After all, this is why Jesus came to this earth, to show a better way to understand God’s love and what it truly means to serve.
There’s a great story in the Bible, it’s found in both Matthew and Mark’s story of Jesus’ life. Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem to offer the greatest act of service for all humankind. The disciples are arguing as they travel about who will be the greatest when Jesus establishes his kingdom. Jesus calls them on it and tells them very pointedly that his kingdom is not about power and authority, his kingdom is about service.
I’m looking forward to Shrove Tuesday. I’ll have all the pancakes I can eat that day!! But what will really fill my soul is seeing our church family work and have fun together through serving. So, if you haven’t been able or won’t be able to help with Shrove Tuesday, that’s OK. There are so many other opportunities for us to work and serve together. And just remember, every time we serve here in our church, in the community, or out in the world, we live out the meaning of our baptism and the real presence of God’s Kingdom here on earth.
Pastor Keith