Monday, October 22, 2012

There are fewer and fewer posters on church bulletin boards advertising lutefisk dinners.  I think back to my first congregation many years ago and the human energy expended to produce one of the best lutefisk suppers in the area.  I apologize to any fans of lutefisk but I never acquired a taste for the gelatinous nordic seafood.  One of my favorites on the menu, however, was the rutabagas.

For years and years Petra was in charge of cooking the rutabagas.  Petra had her station in the back of the furnace room where she cooked those pungent "beggies."  Petra was a wiry, energetic nearly 90-year old lady of Norwegian stock.  Petra knew just how much butter and brown sugar to add to the beggies so that they would be served perfectly. There were a few years that a newcomer (meaning less than 20 years in the congregation) would volunteer to assist Petra with the rutabagas. Petra would kindly shoo them out of the furnace room because she could handle the job very well by herself.  Thank you.

One winter's evening long after the autumn's lutefisk supper and just shortly after the church was finally aired out Petra was at home ready to watch Wheel of Fortune.  Petra sat in her recliner, turned on the TV, closed her eyes and fell asleep in the bosom of Jesus.  At her funeral we remembered and gave thanks for the many years of Petra's rutabaga ministry.

The following year there was the frantic question of who would do the rutabagas.  A delegate was appointed but the beggies were not as good as Petra's.  It took a couple years before the rutabaga quality was considered to be up to snuff.

Here's the point:  within the church we must all take responsibility for raising up leadership.  That may mean we are in charge of finding our successor.  Whatever the task, we run this relay and we must be ready to pass the baton to the one we have been coaching.

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