From Sour to Sweet

Confession: I didn’t give anything up for Lent this year and I don’t feel bad about it.

Instead, I baked loaves of sourdough bread every Sunday for communion at my church, Southeast Raleigh Table. It’s a time consuming process; beginning Friday evening by feeding my sourdough starter to “wake it up” and begin the process of growing it from a half cup to the two cups needed. That involves some time again Saturday morning and Saturday evening so that everything is ready to begin baking at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. The process has helped me to slow down, be more intentional with how I use my time, and reflect on the previous week.

We often have one loaf leftover, and I have been blessed to hear stories of how the abundance has been enjoyed. Couples stopping to grab some wine and cheese on their way home from worship to go along with it or families serving it alongside their Sunday evening soup or sharing it with neighbors. I think that type of thing was what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

On Sunday, we said goodbye to the sour taste repentance and confession leaves in our mouths and instead enjoyed the sweet taste of forgiveness and redemption alongside some warm, freshly baked milk-and-honey bread. This Easter season, my hope and prayer is that we all would experience the sweetness of our communities and country being redeemed around us by the one who laid death in its grave.