ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 22, 2026
Today is National Vanilla Pudding Day, and if that isn’t enough to excite you, it is also the day Orville and Wilbur Wright were granted a patent for their new “flying machine.” I wonder if any of the airlines will offer vanilla pudding instead of pretzels? I get a little tickled with all the “special” days or months on the calendar. I occasionally hear people say, “Why do we have to celebrate that group (or that happening)?” Well, first, no one is forced to celebrate anyone or anything. Today, anyone can say, without repercussions, “I refuse to attend the Mount Olive Pickle and Wright Brother Festival.” Growing up in Nebraska, there was the annual Wilber Czech Festival in Wilber, Nebraska, about 45 minutes away from Lincoln. Every July, you can enjoy live polka music and dancing, wonderful kolaches, a parade, and the crowning of the Czech Queen. Wilber, NE, population of 1,900, proudly calls itself, “The Czech Capital of the United States.” Again, some people will push back against celebrations of history and culture, but I find it fascinating. I’m not Czech, though I married someone with a little Czech in her DNA. But as a younger person, I enjoyed some good food the three or four times I attended the festival, and it was a blast. We can approach diversity with disinterest or even with some animosity. Or, we can approach with curiosity, even a willingness to jump in, enjoy the kolaches, and wonder why it is that Wilber, NE, feels bold enough to declare itself, “The Czech Capital of the United States.” For whatever reason, it’s sort of cool!
For the beautiful diversity that is humanity, I give you thanks, Holy God. We claim you to be the Triune God, reflecting the multiplicity found in the unity that is you. May we find similar enjoyment within the many differences that make up the human family. Amen.
