Have you
seen the promotional brochures and the posters for the 30th Annual
Barbecue Festival? Over the image of the
old courthouse you will see a banner that reads: TCBBQ—Takin’
Care of Barbecue. I was intrigued by
the new slogan so I contacted Stephanie Saintsing Naset, the festival’s executive
director who told me that the clever acronym was created with Elvis Presley in
mind as he had adopted “Takin’ Care of Business” (TCB) as his personal motto. His band was named the TCB Band and he even
had TCB painted on the tail of his private jet.
In Lexington we “TCB—BQ,” we
take care of BBQ!
Two
weeks from today over 175,000 people will pack the streets of Lexington town to
celebrate our signature product—pork barbecue.
(Of course its pork! Is there any
other?) From the day old Simon Peter had
his vision on the rooftop in Joppa and God announced: “Q is good for you! Take and eat with a little red slaw.” (Lexington Standard Version), to BBQ pioneers
Jesse Swicegood and Sid Weaver, and to today’s plethora of Barbecue
establishments in and around town, that simmering, delectable, slow cooked pork
shoulder just gets better and better.
Thirty years ago Dispatch Publisher Joe Sink along with Kay Saintsing
created the first Barbecue Festival. From
the very beginning the festival has been much more than our delicious barbecue;
it has been a celebration of community, a venue to share talents and crafts, a
showcase for entertainment, and an affirmation of what is right with our world.
Lexington
barbecue developed out of a basic need.
As the county seat of Davidson County, people would flock to town on
court days. They came not just to seek
justice, but to shop in the stores, obtain professional services, and enjoy the
fellowship of friends and family. There
were not enough restaurants to accommodate the large crowds, so entrepreneuring
individuals decided to provide temporary food services. They would dig a pit in the ground where they
would slow roast pork shoulders over hickory wood. Lexington barbecue was born! The first official “restaurant” opened in
1919 when Sid Weaver set up a tent in the center of town. Jesse Swicegood soon followed, and today
there are over twenty barbecue restaurants that TCBBQ!
Last
Sunday was World Communion Sunday and I couldn’t help but notice the connection
with our upcoming BBQ Festival. Both
celebrations focus on a table that brings people together. A big, big table---it takes a big table to
serve BBQ for 175,000 and an even bigger table for all God’s children to gather
as they receive the bread and wine. Both
tables address basic needs: the need for
nourishment for our physical bodies and the need for spiritual nourishment for
our souls. Both tables invite the creation of community.
The
table of our Lord is a table of love, mercy, and grace. We come to the Lord’s table out of great
need. We need the Lord. We need his mercy and grace that we find at
his table. But there are so many more
people who are not in our churches. Many
are suffering. They have medical
needs. Children are hungry and there are
those who need encouragement and a helping hand. As we shared the bread and
wine this past Sunday, I challenged my congregation to take God’s mercy and
grace out of the walls of the sanctuary to the community where people are in
need. If they are not coming to the Lord’s table, we will take the table to
them.
Two weeks from today it will
be my great joy to “Bless the BBQ” as part of the Opening Ceremony. What I’m really doing is simply expressing
gratitude to God, because he has already blessed us with a loving and caring
community that loves to throw a party.
We’ll be ready to welcome the tens of thousands of guests who come to
the celebration. Don’t worry, we know
how to TCBBQ. We also TCGPT. We’ll take care of God’s people, too!
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