Acouple of times a year the men of one of my churches gather in the church kitchen (yes, we have special permission from the kitchen overseers). We get together to make cinnamon rolls to sell at the annual Bazaar and every other year for the Yard Sale. These rolls are popular with folks because they have a unique recipe – they are made from a yeast dough. Because of the special properties of yeast, the rolls come out light and chewy (unless we add too much flour).

Yeast is an amazing substance. According to Britannica online, there are about 1500 different varieties of yeast found throughout our world. Yeasts are singlecelled fungi and only a few are used in brewing beer, fermenting grapes into wine and for baking wonderful tasting breads and rolls. The special function of yeast in bread making is for them to feast on sugar and create carbon dioxide bubbles. These bubbles lighten the dough and create a unique texture.

Yeast is the main agent for producing gas – which is referred to as leavening.

Jesus talked about how a small amount of yeast was enough to leaven many times its weight in flour. He used this analogy to teach the disciples that they could do much good in the world even though they were just a few among so many nonbelievers. Jesus taught his followers to tell the stories he taught them, to live in a way that was different and helpful, to give of themselves so that their light would shine into a world that was often dark, to be servants to all and to always work for the common good. If they followed in his way, then they would be able to lighten the loads of those around them and to bring nourishment to those who were starving.

The blessed assurance that we have as followers of the God of our understanding is that God has given us the ability to leaven the world around us. Spencer W. Kimball helpfully writes, “…Jesus said several times, ‘Come, follow me.’ His was a program of ‘do what I do,’ rather than ‘do what I say.’

His innate brilliance would have permitted him to put on a dazzling display, but that would have left his followers far behind. He walked and worked with those he was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led….”

People come and buy our cinnamon rolls because they are made from scratch with love and attention. They are not mass produced; each one is shaped a little different from its neighbor. The yeast is allowed to do its work, but only to a certain point, then the rising has to stop or the dough gets “over-proofed’ and it is unusable. As we are working, the guys have time to share our lives and add a little leaven to each other. We never know all the burdens that others are carrying, and this kind of group event lightens the load for all of us – creating memories that we carry away with us.

Memories of times shared with those who are no longer walking this earth.

Leavening is important for all of us right now. The world seems dense, heavy, and it weighs us down with concerns and fears. Jesus lived in such a time as this, and there have been many such times over the last 2000 years. Into each heavy situation, there has always been just enough leavening to get humanity through. There have always been those who are gifted and called to be that small amount of yeast in the world – ready to do what they can to lighten things up. You may be struggling with heavy burdens right now. If so, I encourage you to come to a faith community this week. There you will find folks who are leavening agents in this part of God’s world. They have found a way to transform the world around them into something resembling God’s kingdom.

If you hang around them, you might just get leavened too.

Blessings for your journey this week!

The Rev. Albrant is pastor of Mineral and Mount Pleasant United Methodist churches