|
This will be the last Monday Meditation until after Holy Week and the conclusion of Lent, so I wanted to be sure it got penned - and hopefully sent - today! (Many thanks to Robert for the extraordinary work he always does in managing our church communications – to be sure, any delay in publishing is always mine, not his.) The dreariness of our rainy grey day has not – in and of itself – been inspiring, but it did help create time and space for writing, so perhaps I need to remember to be thankful in all things …
Sunday, February 11 at Saint Mark United Methodist Church was a feast, I tell you, a feast for both body and soul. I hope that you didn’t miss out on our feasting, but if you did, these are some of my takeaways – recounted roughly chronologically.
- I came to the church early, having fretted over some of the logistics for our “Souper Chili Cookoff,” only to find that Robert Gilleo and William Steele had already expertly addressed most of my greatest concerns. William even helped me bring in my contest contribution of homemade Jalapeno Pineapple Chicken Chili. Between us we didn’t spill a drop, so I felt it was an auspicious start to our feast day.
- Having special guests of honor is always an appropriate part of any feast, and before the 9:00 service our ministry team gathered as we do on Sundays, only this time joined by one of the leaders of our conference, the Rev. Dr. Byron Thomas. As someone who counts Dr. Thomas as a mentor as well as a colleague (I was lucky enough to have had Byron as my district superintendent and also to have served on the Interfaith Children’s Ministry board of directors with him) I felt my heart warmed to be preparing to lead in worship together.
- At the early service in the Chapel, the sacrament of communion was unusually moving for me. Perhaps it was that I am beginning to know the members of our faith community, connecting faces and names. Or maybe it was that my mind was making a connection between communion and the breaking of bread we would be doing later during our fellowship feast activity. Or it could have been that the Spirit was just poking my heart, reminding me, “hey, I will always meet you here!”
- Between services of worship our vision of a Cookoff really came to fruition as 15 different “competitors” arrived in Wade Hall, bringing their homemade chili and soup concoctions. Each contestant received a biblical pseudonym (Mephibosheth was mine) and during the Sunday School hour all of our dishes were sampled and voted upon by all who desired to join in the fellowship and fun. I loved the diversity of selections provided, and many people commented they enjoyed seeing faces they didn’t normally get to see.
- Another characteristic of feast-full activities is that they tend to include special or uncommon elements. On Sunday, in our 11:00 service, the re-introduction of acolyte and crucifer into our procession served to add an element of gravitas and joyful celebration to our worship.
- My soul feasted on all the many elements of worship which came together so well on Sunday to honor Black History and the African-American experience. Ken Mills’ ministry moment. Our hymn selections. Pastor Carolyn’s curating of worship and her eloquent pastoral prayer. The responsive reading from the writings of Cole Arthur Riley. The powerful anthem from our wonderful choir. The inspiring, elevating, and challenging message that was delivered by Dr. Thomas. And our chorus refrain of “AMEN” at the close of worship. I was proud to be a part of Saint Mark and the United Methodist Church on Sunday.
-
And to top off the feast day – we gathered and ate and celebrated together! We found out who our Cookoff contest winners were (1st Place: Megan Kramer & Jill Lee-Barber; 2nd Place: Mike Smith; 3rd Place: Meagan Williams & Isaac Wasson). And we broke bread (well, cornbread and saltines) and enjoyed as much and as many different dishes as we cared to. All throughout the fellowship hall I found people to be talking about how much fun the event was. We came up with ideas that can help us improve upon it when we do another cookoff in the future. And we also came up with ideas for fun future fellowships – including the idea of an ice cream social and hymn sing sometime this summer, with contestants bringing their best homemade ice cream. (I’m still hoping we can do a fried chicken and waffles event and/or maybe a fellowship feast featuring all different kinds of interpretations on the theme of BBQ.) Please share your own ideas!
I hope to be feasting with you again soon. For many folks, Sunday night and the NFL’s Super Bowl was such an opportunity. For others, this week’s Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras will provide such as opportunity.
But on Wednesday of this week – despite its falling on Valentine’s Day this year – our attention will turn from feasting to fasting with the arrival of Ash Wednesday.
Please remember that there will be two opportunities during the day on Wednesday to stop by the church for imposition of holy ashes (on the terrace/front steps along Peachtree Street) from 7:00-8:30 a.m. and from 12:00-1:00 p.m. You are also encouraged to observe Ash Wednesday by attending our special worship service at 6:30 in the church sanctuary. We hope to see you there as we mark the beginning of the Lenten season together.
Grace & Peace –
Andy
| 
