The Sacrament of the Holy Casserole

I was reminded of this humorous (and completely dorky) writing of mine last week when it was mentioned by my DS' previous secretary...I think I wrote it after making some joke when talking to her about something, and then I went home and in a fit of dorkiness, wrote this. I hunted it down because my husband hadn't seen it, and though it points out how dorky I am, I still get a chuckle out of it!
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The Sacrament of the Holy Casserole
Historical Reflection by Rev. Sarah Andrews

From the very first generations of the Christian Church, the celebration of the Holy Casserole (or in Latin, casserolis sacridis) has been a hallmark of Christian tradition. Though the sacrament was lost for many centuries, in eighteenth century England, a man named John Wesley created a spiritual awakening, based largely upon a renewed and regular celebration of Holy Casserole.

Critics of John Wesley cited the centuries of lapse in the celebration of Holy Casserole as an indication of the lack of importance of the practice. Indeed, the Roman Catholic Church had long practiced casserole-in-one-kind, limiting lay participation in Holy Casserole to those dishes without cream of mushroom soup. Protestant reformers, however, had themselves re-introduced the celebration of Holy Communion with the cream of mushroom soup included for all people.

Since the time of the Reformers and of John Wesley, Holy Casserole has remained an important sacrament in all major Protestant denominations, though its place of honor in the United Methodist Church is without question. Indeed, the 1968 union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church finally united those two traditions which had a shared value of Holy Casserole, and who from their first days in the American colonies had shared many a potluck supper together.

Today there is a great importance in recapturing the theological and scripture value of Holy Casserole. Though Jesus is nowhere directly cited referring to Holy Casserole, scholars have long seen his miracle of the loaves and fishes as being a reference to an ancient casserole recipes including fish, bread crumbs and cream of mushroom soup. Scholars also believe, though not mentioned in the scriptural descriptions of that miracle, that goat’s milk as well as goat’s cheese would also have been included in the casserole on that miraculous event.

As we seek to make disciples for Jesus Christ, let us never again fail to place the sacrament of the Holy Casserole at the center of our worship and practice. And may we never forget the importance of cream of mushroom soup in our liturgies!