It was March 17thand everyone was just walking around campus like it was any other day. “What is wrong with these people?!” I thought. “It’s SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!!!! Where’s the green? Where are the shamrocks? The sounds of a parade and scents of festival food wafting through the air? And bagpipes. My word. Can someone tell me why I don’t hear bagpipes?!”
Apparently Saint Patrick’s Day is not a universally celebrated holiday. But in my family? You better believe it. It was also considered a work day for my parents and I remember many a Saturday falling near Saint Patty’s day when my mother would groan at the thought of performing at another parade. “This is my last one!” she would insist; a declaration that spanned decades. I grew up with parents who bag piped. They met at bag piping school in their teens. So the Scottish-Irish traditions were very much a part of growing up.
A bass drum case would serve as my play pen at the Highland Games. Band members considered all the band babies their own. My siblings and I were frequently awakened early on Saturday morning to the sound of bagpipes being tuned outside for a wedding or funeral to take place later that day. We took it for granted that our parents wore kilts. We knew to check my dad’s sporran (think Scottish fanny pack!) for loose change to buy candy. My parents would frequently tap out beats and tunes, their fingers drumming along the table top or a chanter if one was nearby.
And yes, potatoes are a staple at every meal. Baked potatoes, party potatoes, mashed potatoes, and colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage and cream).
So Saint Patrick’s Day is like a family holiday for me, and when I walked around campus and in a town where NO ONE was celebrating— it left me homesick like I was in a foreign land at Thanksgiving. I need my people. I need someone to celebrate with. Can I justify peeling an entire bag of potatoes for a party of one?! It’s time for a céilí! Sigh.
Gatherings and traditions are important. Food, music, language, dress, and shared experience all help form a culture and create community. What gatherings and traditions stand out in your memory? What delights your soul as you either remember traditions growing up or anticipate a gathering to come? Which scent or taste of a food instantly transports you back to a time of a warm family/friend gathering? Fabrics can have that effect too: faded aprons, stained coveralls, bonnets, or gardening gloves.
At Morning Star United Methodist we want to create a space where memories are created, preserved, and treasured. We want you to have that sense of belonging, knowing that when you walk in the door you are welcome and when you aren’t here your presence is missed. We want the sounds of the church bells ringing to make your heart soar as you anticipate gathering to worship. We hope that the towering trees out front will remind you of the many people that have walked under them for decades on their way to Sunday school. We hope that you will long to be present at the time-honored Old Folks Day, feel the quiet holiness of Christmas candlelight services, experience the power of Holy Week and Easter, feel the excitement of Vacation Bible School, grow deeper in your faith through Bible studies, delight in singing with the choir, and feel empowered through the mission and service opportunities of the church with and for the community.
To be a part of the church community is special. Your family of faith is creating and renewing traditions and celebrations every week. What a joy to know that you belong. You have a community, and you are an important part of what God is doing through our church. There are others in your path that are longing for that community too. I hope you will invite them to enter into the Morning Star story, where our tradition and our celebration is sharing God’s light through love, fellowship and service.
Céilí blessings friends!
Pastor Nicole