1st Sunday after Christmas Day

Lectionary Texts:  1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26;  Psalm 148;  Colossians 3:12-17;  Luke 2:41-52

Bread Words

(Before talking about the Communion bread for this Sunday's service, I want to make it very clear that my purpose in writing Bread Words is simply to talk about  BREAD-making.  It is not my intention to exegete the texts.  [On this particular Sunday, I am especially grateful that I do not have to write a sermon integrating the above selections.]  In preparation for making the Communion bread, I read the Lectionary texts and usually an idea for a shape comes to mind.  It's not a logical process.  During Advent, I have felt an obligation to stay closely hitched to the Lectionary texts;  but from now on, I'm kicking over the traces and going wherever the spirit moves me.)

The images that inspired the bread shape were representations of God's inter-related Universe.  "Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars!  Praise God, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!...Praise God from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling God's command!  Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!  Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!  Sovereigns of the earth and all peoples, royalty and all rulers of the earth!  Young men and women alike, old and young together!"  (Psalm 148:3-4, 7-12)  In the selection from Paul's Letter to the Colossians, there is a description of how we might all get along:  "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and , if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also  must forgive.  Above all , clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."  (Colossians 3:12-14)  But from the narrative in the Luke passage, it is evident that even the parents of the Son of God had to cope with miscommunication and misunderstandings about "authority."

The bread pictured below is an "assemblage" of shapes cut out of the bread dough with cookie cutters.  No matter what kind of cookie cutters are used, the bread will turn out fine as long as the shaped pieces are placed in close proximity to each other.  This bread has a single quarter moon shape and several stars placed close together as the base for the bread.  Arranged over the moon and stars are a butterfly, a fish, a rabbit, and several (gingerbread man-style) humans.  Making a small bread such as this one is will allow the bread to hold together while it is held up during the ritual of Communion.  The recipe is a simple Whole Wheat Bread.  Because it has a small amount of yeast compared to the amount of flour used, and because it is made with whole wheat flour, the bread will maintain the cookie-cutter shapes.  This is the recipe:

3 cups unbleached flour

1 3/4 cups warm water

2 teaspoons dry yeast

1/3 cup honey

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2-2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

In a large mixing bowl, pour the warm water and sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface to dissolve.  Add 2 cups of unbleached flour and mix for about 2 minutes.  Add the honey, oil, salt, and another cup of unbleached flour.  Mix in enough whole wheat flour to make a very stiff dough, and then turn the dough out on a floured surface to knead for about 8 minutes.  (While I was kneading the bread, I was thinking about a Christmas letter from some friends who live in Pebble Beach.  They volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and have found signs of hope in the ways that visitors become aware of the ways that even land-locked humans are dependent upon the oceans and the creatures therein.) Try to scrape the mixing bowl as clean as possible and then grease it generously with olive oil.  Place the dough in the bowl and invert it so that all surfaces will be coated with oil.  Let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Punch the dough dough and then pat it out on a floured surface to a 3/4-inch thickness.  Use thick cookie cutters to make the desired shapes.  (I "jiggled" the cookie cutters when cutting the dough to make certain that the dough was cut all the way through.)  Arrange the shapes on a well-greased baking sheet and let them rise for another hour.  Bake at 375-degrees.  Let the bread sit on the baking sheet for about five minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  It's pretty amazing how all of the separate shapes hang together as a single loaf.  YES! 

    

 

Comments

[Val]

Why not just use Teddy Grahams? The chocolate ones are pretty tasty as well. The chocolate chip ones aren't bad either. This might interest the kiddies in communion too. SNACK TIME!!!!!!!!

[Faithful]

I have to admit you did a very creative job, but I must ask how many compliments you got on this idea. If it wound up causing you to get more attention than the God Whom you are to worship in Communion, then did you do good, or did you cause your brethren to stumble?

And did you feel a little pride at your creativity? C'mon, deep down, did you congratulate yourself on a clever idea? Did you find yourself glowing, or offended at a compliment that neglected to honor God? Be honest.

I know my own nature--easily betrayed into conceit--so I would not do this, were I a preacher's wife and in charge of Communion bread. If you are immune to conceit, and if nobody was even remotely distracted, then I have no complaint...but you'll please forgive me for skepticism on either count, given human nature.

[Susie]

Wow, what an amazing bread! I have to say to Faithful that to me all good and creative things are reflections of God's good and creative works in us and in our universe. Creativity in any media reflects this creative side of God just as we are reflections of God's creativity. I think particularly in the form of communion bread, creative expressions of what comes from reading the scriptures is a beautiful offering to God. Having made the breads a couple of weeks myself, I can say that these beautiful breads are a way to both meditate on and draw us closer to God! Keep up the great good gift that is Fresh Bread!!!!

[Tracy]

I just have to ask why the word "universe" is capitalized here? Is the universe now a deity? Is the universe part of God now?

The moon and stars were worshipped by the very people God called Abram out of. Do you realize that communion is taken directly from the Passover? It is given directly from God Himself. In the early church, people were literally killed by God after taking communion in an unworthy manner.

This is making a mockery out of the sacrifice of Jesus.

[Joshua Griffin]

The purpose of Communion is to "show the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor. 9:26). Jesus, Himself said "this do ye, in remembrance of me" (1 Cor. 9:25). Communion is a time to reflect upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, and to show that until He comes again. Do not detract from the sacredness of the ordinance by making cute little shapes out of the bread. Our attention should be on what the Lord Jesus did for us, not on the bread.

[Linda]

Susie wrote: "...all good and creative things are reflections of God's good and creative works in us and in our universe. Creativity in any media reflects this creative side of God just as we are reflections of God's creativity." This is not entirely true. A crucifix in a jar of urine is "creative" but definitely does not reflect God's good and creative works. It is from the pit of hell. This bread would be fine for a Sunday school snack or a children's program but NOT for a communion service. It profanes the meaning of the sacrament.

[Timothy]

About the "2 teaspoons dry yeast"

Was not the last supper a passover meal? Does not Exodus command the use of unleavened (no yeast) bread for the passover meal?

By what authority may communion bread be leavened?

- Timothy

[Carlos]

This blog is indeed fresh bread and I would like to congratulate the writer/baker for approaching communion in such a vibrant and novel way.

What is the deeper meaning of communion? The baker here is challenging us to go beyond our set answers.

[Lanny]

Is it not great that this Bread has provided such a rich basis for people to express their opinions,but we should not assume that only Our's is the correct position.To read some of the comments one would assume that the writer was GOD'S ORACLE!! So let's each try to be a bit more self-effacing and less Pious and consider the Bread in the Loving context as intended by it's maker.

[anna maria]

I think this is beautiful. The making of the Communion bread as an act of worship. As far as the yeast goes, I attend an Episcopal church and the Communion bread is definitely leavened.
You've put your heart and love for God into this, and it shows.

[LL]

We could all wear sack cloth to Church services, and ban make-up, and prohibit music and singing as too showy. Should we all hide our talents fearing that to use them in God's service will be judged prideful. Perhaps that would please some of those commenting on the "Bread Words" blog. But does Jesus really want us to show off our piety in public for all to praise? Is that not itself the worst form of pride?
Instead of spending our time critiqueing and belittling the service and gifts of others, we could use their efforts to encourage us to use our unique talents to praise and worship God. In other words, LIGHTEN UP A LITTLE, could you?
I welcome new and innovative ways to show our love for God, and this is a delightful way to do just that. Keep the "Bread Words" coming.

[Puritan Lad]

Too bad Jesus was as inventive as this. The Pharisees may have accepted Him if he only made cute figures out of His Supper :(