The first weekend in October is one of, if not the biggest of weeks in the quintessential small town of Seymour, Indiana. It is the week when Oktoberfest takes over the streets of this little city and our sleepy town comes to life. I, for one, am here for it!
According to their website, “The Seymour Oktoberfest is a celebration of German heritage, food and homecoming.” The German flavor is undeniable. Speakers pump the sounds of polka music out into the streets from the center of town. Bratwursts, sauerkraut, soft pretzels, and a variety of other German foods and beverages are available in abundance. Lederhosen, dirndls, and Tyrolean or alpine hats are sprinkled throughout the sea of people enjoying the festivities. Even the street signs throughout the downtown area are changed from English to German for the week of the festival. It is all very German.
The Oktoberfest is community in German costume. It is a brief moment in time when we put our differences aside and create common ground on which we all can stand.
As important as German heritage and food are to the festival’s identity, I don’t think they are what makes the festival special. The real value of the festival is the way it brings our small town together. In my humble opinion, the Oktoberfest is community in German costume. It is a brief moment in time when we put our differences aside and create common ground on which we all can stand. For a few days, we put the things that divide us to the side and choose to celebrate something that brings us together.
For the last few years, First Baptist Church has had the honor and privilege of taking part in the festival. We roll our “little white church” out to our corner of the community and sell copious amounts of pepperoni rolls. Make no mistake, we are grateful for the money we make over those several days. The extra income subsidizes some of the important outreach work we do through the Alley, the Attic Student Ministry, and other missional endeavors. But, that’s not why we do it. We do it because it allows us to create community, both within our congregation and with the city in which we are situated.
For weeks leading up to the festival, men, women, and children have been gathering in our kitchen and fellowship hall to roll and bake pepperoni rolls. Dozens of folks of all different ages and ability levels have sat side by side pursuing the same objective. Over the course of the festival, many more will come together at our little white church to serve those rolls to those who graciously visit our booth. We may be serving up Seymour’s finest pepperoni rolls, but what we’re really creating and celebrating is community. And our participation, along with many other churches in the city of Seymour, injects the light and love of Christ into the festivities.
We may be serving up Seymour’s finest pepperoni rolls, but what we’re really creating and celebrating is community. And our participation, along with many other churches in the city of Seymour, injects the light and love of Christ into the festivities.
As I was thinking and praying about the festival this morning, the words of Colossians 3:11-17 came to mind:
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
Over the course of the Oktoberfest, we will celebrate the German heritage of our town, but the celebration transcends any one ethnicity. People from all different backgrounds and perspectives will come together, and for a few days that which divides will be marginalized by that which brings us together. As loud and chaotic as the streets will be in downtown Seymour, there will be a sense of peace and harmony. For that, I am thankful. And I pray that we, as FBC, will make the most of the opportunity by letting the love of Christ rule in and through our involvement.
