Pastor's Corner: Did Jesus eat lutefisk

This Saturday, the Lutheran Men in Mission will be putting on the 89th annual Norwegian Lutefisk and Swedish Meatball Dinner at First Lutheran Church. This beloved tradition makes it clear what kind of Lutherans first came to Havre and the surrounding land: Scandinavian Lutherans. As we look out our windows at this winter's long-lasting ice, it's no wonder that those northern European immigrants saw something of home in northern Montana's cold, snowy, and icy winters.

And it's no wonder that they brought with them the culinary traditions that reminded them of the home they left behind. Food connects us to places and people in a powerful way, and when it comes with a smell as strong as lutefisk, it's even more powerful!

I'm still learning these particular traditions myself (as the descendent of German immigrants rather than Scandinavian, I grew up with bratwurst and sauerkraut), but there's so much to admire. For instance, I just love that lefse is made with potatoes. Lefse is Norwegian; potatoes are South American. Looking at a plate of potato lefse, you get a (tasty!) history lesson: this land our ancestors homesteaded was already a home for millions of people across thousands of years. It also reminds us of the good that can come from mixing cultures. When you butter up your lefse, thank the Native Americans who first cultivated potatoes!

Traditions like these also remind us how strong, resilient, and resourceful our homesteading ancestors were, and how we try to live into the best of their example. We honor the legacy left by the older generations. We invite the younger generations into the work, so that they are wrapped up into the same life-giving traditions and sense of belonging. It reminds me of Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23, when he writes, "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it..." (and I imagine a lot of you can complete the verse from memory). We pass on what we receive, just as Saint Paul passed on the traditions around the Lord's Supper that he had received.

It's interesting that just as we pass down to the younger generations our family's favorite recipes and mealtime traditions, Saint Paul took such care to pass down the shape of Christ's last meal. While there's definitely something unique about the Lord's Supper, it still follows a pattern throughout Jesus's life: he works a lot with food. He's always feeding people or getting fed-and fish featured in his most famous feeding miracle. But Jesus' feasts contrast sharply with another feast mentioned in the Gospels: Herod's feast. Herod fed people to curry favor; Jesus fed people to bless them.

Isn't that why so many churches have such rich traditions of meals and potlucks and food ministries? We try to be like Jesus, using food to bless the world. We don't work so hard in the kitchen to bolster our reputations or secure our place in society like Herod. We get our hands white with flour and brown with grease and red from cranberries because we want to make God's love into a tangible, taste-able reality. Even lutefisk - whether you love it or hate it - is a sign of love when served from neighbor to neighbor. So pass the butter ... there's a plate of lutefisk and lefse and potatoes that's calling my name!

--

Pastor Megan Hoewisch

First Lutheran Church