Mardi Gras – For Baptists

Posted Feb 21 2012 by Bert Montgomery with 8 Comments

    It’s been almost 26 years since I left Louisiana with my parents, and I still really miss the Mardi Gras season. Mardi Gras is one long, enormous party – in the best, and sometimes the worst, sense of the word. Every single day for a few weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday there is something exciting going on all over the New Orleans region.

    It was only in recent years that I began to reflect a lot about the Christian meaning behind the season of Mardi Gras, and I’ve discovered that as a Baptist, I may have missed out on what Mardi Gras can teach me about faith and celebration.

    We Baptists need to lighten up, let our hair down, and live it up from time to time. Even King David got so excited he danced through the the streets in a big parade, eventually stripping down to his Fruit-of-the-Looms. Sounds like Mardi Gras to me.

    Remember the story of Jesus turning the water into wine? Yes, my Baptist brethren, it was real wine – as in the Tom Paxton song, “bottle of wine, fruit of the vine, when you gonna let me get sober?” I’m certainly no biblical scholar, it seems to me that Jesus was giving his blessing to a party (not a dignified and quiet reception, but a par-TAY).

    All Baptists know that Jesus was supposed to turn out the lights and declare the party over. Jesus should have stopped the party and preached on the evils of alcohol. Some Baptists know that Jesus was supposed to throw a good-old-fashioned-guilt-trip on everyone about how they were wasting all that money on fun when it could be spent on helping the poor and neglected. Jesus should have stopped this selfish party and got them busy doing some justice.

    That’s what my Baptist Jesus would have done. But as I remember Mardi Gras in New Orleans, I’m reminded that Jesus wasn’t and isn’t (and nor will He ever be) a Baptist.

    The story of Jesus turning water into wine – in order to keep the party going! – is about Jesus enjoying a celebration. It’s about Jesus contributing to the party. To the dancing. It’s about Jesus doing his part to let the good times roll.

    There are plenty of reasons why my hometown shouldn’t be partying. Murders and high crime rates still make the national news. Racial tensions are still high. Poverty is still a big problem. And over six years later, Hurricane Katrina still haunts large portions of the region.

    And yet, once a year, in the midst of all the messiness of everyday life, everyone comes together to celebrate. And maybe Jesus – the not-so-Baptist Christ who turned water into wine to keep the party going longer – can be found along Canal Street yelling out laissez les bon temps rouler!

    It’s been over twenty years since I’ve returned home for Mardi Gras. I’ve gotta go back soon. And, when I do finally get back, and I see an overly joyous man dancing in his underwear at front of the parade, in honor of King David I’m going to toss him some beads …

    —-
    Bert Montgomery is a writer, minister and college lecturer living in Starkville, Mississippi. His new book is Psychic Pancakes & Communion Pizza (2011, Smyth & Helwys).

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      • Anonymous

        I was in your home town for the past 3 days seeing Endymion and Bacchus (my son caught beads thrown from Will Farrell!!!)

        You are absolutely right!

        I think Mardi Gras is the perfect holiday for New Orleans for all the reasons you mention. Its entire history is one of rivers flooding, hurricanes hitting, battles being fought, civil unrest. And because it keeps happening, it will happen again tomorrow. Tomorrow (Ash Wed.) we will have to face mortality when someone dies.

        But today, we’re alive! So lets party!

        Leissez les bon temps rouler!

        • http://twitter.com/BertMontgomery Bert Montgomery

          Thanks, Kenton!

      • Doug

        Did Jesus really make alchohol though ? You stereotype traditional conservative Baptists ( perhaps in a friendly way ) but I thought stereotyping and judging was a sinbin offfense here on RLC? Tsk tsk. Perhaps traditional conservative mores are steeped in unacknowledged wisdom re medical, social and not least spiritiual  consequences.

        Again – so did Jesus really make quality booze ? Every heard of the Hebrew words Tirosh or Yahin ?

        See http://www.robertroberg.com/writings/wine.html

        From the description of the Cana wedding party it would suggest Jesus made 60 gallons or more of alcholic wine ? The entire town would have been drunk ( yes drunk) on this high quality volume.

        Yes we Christians sometimes need to lighten up and Ive no problem with New Orleaners enjoying themselves ( within constraints ) but we need to be careful in saying Jesus was a bootlegger.

      • http://www.fivedills.com Greg Dill

        I dunno. I get the message. We’re supposed to have joy, have fun, and be glad in the Lord. In some regards it should seem we Christians should have more joy and fun than those who do not have the abundant life found in Jesus. I mean, what’s with the stiff suit and ties and seriousness? But, the thought of Jesus partying at Mardi Gras, I think, is a bit over the top. Poor illustration. It just seems so sac-relig. I just can’t picture my Lord downing a shot of Jack Daniels, dancing on a balcony, or throwing beads at a woman baring her chest. I’ve been to Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street and I really don’t recommend anyone going there unless you plan on getting sloshed or ogling at bare-breasted women. I think we can still have just as much fun without the worldly influence of alcohol, drugs, or nudity. And, I know you’re not advocating these things. But, this is what I associate Mardi Gras with, and I think most of the world does too. Peace.

        • http://twitter.com/BertMontgomery Bert Montgomery

          Greg, unfortunately, that’s is only a very small percentage of Mardi Gras. Tourists go to Bourbon street for that stuff. But Mardi Gras occurs all over the region and is not about bare breasted women getting beads.  Nevertheless, even still, I CAN easily see Jesus on Canal Street … Thanks for your response.

        • Doug

          Im with you on that Greg.

      • RT

        Thank-you:)  

      • simplyChristian

        Implying that there is some “christian meaning” behind Mardi Gras is only correct in that it is a celebration of debauchery prior to the beginning of lent . Yes, David danced before the Lord. He did not dance in an effort to receive worthless trinkets from faceless people taking part in revelries named after pagan gods. Your analogy is as bad as your spiritual profiling.

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