Give Me Back That Fillet-O-Fish

On March 9th through the 11^th our Jewish friends celebrated “Purim”. The Holydays center around the book of Esther and the way that Jewish Queen Esther engineers a crafty plan to save her fellow Jews from certain death. It is a great, short book of the Bible that you can read in thirty minutes or less. I would like to suggest that we step out of Lent for one day to celebrate the way Jews do at Purim.

People gather in synagogues to hear the story, but they also get to participate in the story. They are invited to bring noise makers and to hiss at certain points of the story (such as when the name of the evil villain is shared). For those of you familiar with the cult classic movie “Rocky Horror Picture Show”, you’ll remember how people who attend late night showings of Rocky Horror are expected to bring toast, newspaper and to interact with the movie at various points. Purim is the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” of Judaism. Not only is the story meant to be a raucous affair in the house of worship, it is also a raucous home gathering. One of the expectations of Purim is that participants drink until they have trouble distinguishing between the Book of Esther names “Haman” and “Mordecai”! I suppose Boston-based Jews could then simply keep that spirit going straight into Saint Patrick’s Day!

Of course another expectation of Purim is offering food to the needy. Afterall, what good is enjoying a feast when brothers or sisters cannot? The point of the Book of Esther (which never mentions God, by the way) and Purim is that one person took responsibility for lots of people.

We are in the Christian season of Lent, a penitential, serious season. Traditionally there is to be no feasting but instead, fasting—abstaining from excesses. However, the Roman Catholic tradition, while discouraging meat consumption through the week, nevertheless allows fish on Friday. McDonalds knows this and so we always see McDonalds “Fillet-O-Fish” Commercials in Lent. When else do you see them?

United Methodists are not bound by that fish tradition, but I think we still need a day like Friday or like Purim to step out of the seriousness of Lent. It would be a day where we could sing and laugh together, like my friends and I do when we see that McDonalds “Fillet-O-Fish” commercial. A day of feasting and taking care of those without the resources to feast. It could even be a day to think about one person taking responsibility for many others—being inspired by such a story! Thankfully, we have just such a day to step out of Lent seriousness and into celebration. Sunday. Sundays are not a part of the 40 Days of Lent but are, rather, little Easter celebrations.

So I hope I will see you for celebration on Sunday! Bring your noise makers!

Pastor Doug