King Cake and Trust

Rev. Ethan Brown

Pastor and Minister of Care & Discipleship

For the last few days, I have been stuck in bed at home recovering from the most recent toddler-transmitted illness. There really isn’t much to do when you can’t leave the bed besides read and watch TV, and I’ve done quite a bit of both. The newest show I have discovered is called Loudermilk, and it’s on Netflix. It’s a bit of a dark comedy whose main character, Sam Loudermilk, is an alcoholic in recovery who works as a substance abuse counselor. Sam is gruff, usually rude, and probably best described as having no social filter or tact. With the subject content and character’s personality, it’s not the most family-friendly show, but has some real gems of truth present as well. During one of the AA meetings, Sam is trying to get others to share their stories and triggers as a path toward honesty and accountability. At the same time, he continually deflects questions from other members of the group about his own journey. Finally, a member snaps at Sam, saying, “Why should we trust you if you don’t trust us? Why should we listen to you if we don’t know where you’ve been?”

This week has seen a bit of whiplash for those of us observing the church calendar. Tuesday was Mardi Gras, frequently a time of celebration, king cake, and final indulgences before the fasting of Lent. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday when we are marked with our mortality and remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. In my experience of Christianity, we prefer one of those days over the other. Whether it is the major chords of popular Christian music or smiling Sunday mornings, there is often an expectation that we be happy Christians. The season of Lent is freedom from the polite presentation of ourselves. It is the freedom to acknowledge our need of God. And perhaps like Sam Loudermilk, it’s an opportunity to lean into vulnerability and trust and find a community in which we don’t journey alone.