Monday, November 27th this year was a rather busy day. On that day, Algona continued a wonderful tradition, many gathered to eat together, and something new was started. All three of these actions speak to the value and importance of community. A community that continues valued traditions, eats together, and starts new projects is a community that is following the same structure that Jesus patterned for us in His life on earth.
It may come as a bit of a surprise to some, but I think that Jesus valued tradition in His life. As He was growing up, He took the time to learn the Scriptures of the day (what we call the Old Testament). During His ministry, He stated that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. Thus, He desired to become an integral part of the traditional beliefs of Judaism. Further, He understood the Law better than those around Him and encouraged them all to follow it as God had intended. When asked what the most important part of the Law was, Jesus didn’t make up a new interpretation of the Law. Instead, in Matthew 22, He quoted two passages (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) to stress the importance of loving God and neighbor.
Jesus also used meals to say and do important things. Jesus fed the 5,000. Jesus shared a last supper with His disciples. After His resurrection, the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Him when He broke bread with them. There are many other instances of Jesus revealing importance pieces of the gospel message over food.
Finally, Jesus also started something new. The Gospel message that Jesus shared through His life, death, and resurrection changed everything. Suddenly, a pathway to salvation was opened that all may walk through. Jesus showed us that we do not have to bow down to those who think of themselves as powerful here on earth, because there is a greater power at work within us. Jesus gave us salvation with something new: the gift of His life.
Traditions, sharing meals, and starting new things all happened here on that last Monday of November. That evening, community members gathered at First United Methodist Church and shared a meal, “Tacos for Tots,” in support of the CARE Team. I’ve always enjoyed that meal because it’s an opportunity to sit with friends that you don’t ordinarily eat with and to catch up with others as you see them. Eating together brings people together.
After the meal, we all had the opportunity to go downtown and be a part of the “Live Greeting Card Windows” display. This is one of my favorite things about Algona, and I’m always sure to tell my friends from larger cities all about it. I tell them that we have something that they’ll never be able to recreate in a big city. We have the ability to gather in the center of town, greet our friends, chuckle at the various displays, and take an evening to simply enjoy each other’s company as an entire community. I’ve noticed that attendance has been dropping some the last couple of years. I truly hope that we don’t let this go. We often say that there’s more to do in larger cities; however, this is one thing that a larger city could never duplicate.
Finally, I want to mention something new that started that Monday evening. 100+ Women Who Care held their first gathering to choose a recipient of what turned out to be $8,800! Women of our community will continue to gather once a quarter to seek out those among us who need help and then immediately give them that help. This is a great idea and I’m proud that Algona has joined this movement.
Tradition, sharing meals, doing new things. These are all marks of a community following the path that Jesus laid. Keep up the good work, everyone!