Why would those with no church affiliation -- who rarely if ever attend Sunday worship, and who have yet to make a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ -- want to be married in a church or have a pastor officiate at their funeral? The answer may reside in the story of the pot roast.
Pot roast used to be a not infrequent item on many home menus. Add potatoes, carrots, gravy and steaming fresh rolls dripping with butter and you hit a home run with those around the table. One day a woman was asked by her husband why she always cut the ends off the roast before putting it in the oven. Her husband was an astute observer and after several years of marriage made the inquiry. "Because that is the way my mother always cooked it" was the reply. "Why?" he asked. "I don't know. She just did." Her husband walked away as puzzled as before, but resigned to the mystery. His wife, however, could not. Her curiosity prompted a call to her mother to ask the question her husband had asked her. To her dismay, her mother gave her the same answer she had given her husband. Her mother hung up the phone resigned to the mystery. Her daughter, however, sleuthed on. She rang up her grandmother, asked about her method of preparing a pot roast and was told when she was a young bride she only had a small roaster. Most roasts would not fit, so she cut the ends off so it would.
Requests to churches and pastors occasionally occur due to Christian culture. That is the way weddings and funerals are always done. Somewhere in the past the person making the request attended a church and had a positive experience or had a relative who did. Another possible explanation is many still live in a part of the country where they always see people married or buried in connection with the church. Consequently, that is just the way they are done unless you are one of those people who march to the sound of a different drummer. Is this wrong?
It is not wrong to cut off the ends of a beef roast before you put it in the oven. You do not have to, but you can. But why would you want to? I can understand if you said because it feels like the right thing to do or it appeals to your aesthetic tastes. Nevertheless, there is a better reason.
James, the brother of Jesus wrote, "I will show you my faith by what I do." Followers of Jesus Christ want God to be a part of everything they do, including marriage and death. They trust God's wisdom, strength and love will enhance every part of life and ease the pain conveyed to all who are touched by death. What about you? Why do you do what you do?
-- Dr. Randy Rowlan is pastor of First United Methodist Church. Comments are welcomed at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 06/24/2015