6th Sunday after the Epiphany

Valentine's Day (February 14)

Lectionary Texts:  Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1;

1 Cointhians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

Bread Words

"Thus says the Lord:  Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.  They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.  They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.  The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse--who can understand it?  I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings."  (Jeremiah 17:5-10)

The "heart" language in this passage as well as Valentine's Day approaching make "heart" imagery irresistably obvious as the shape for Communion bread this Sunday.  Though there are many who would question the appropriateness of associating the celebration of mischievous match-making by Cupid (Eros) with the above passage from Jeremiah, one might be equally confounded by why the feast day of a 3rd Century Christian martyr would be celebrated commercially with hearts, chocolates, and roses.  "In any case, the Valentine whose name is oddly commemorated was apparently a Christian priest in Rome who assisted martyrs during the persecution under Emperor Claudius II.  He was arrested and sent before the prefect of Rome.  When he refused to renounce his faith he was beaten and beheaded.  Thus by offering his heart, he proved himself a true devotee of the God of Love."   (From  All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time by Robert Ellsberg)

Bread and chocolate.  They go together as sweetly as Valentines and chocolate bonbons.  There is a chocolate filling baked into this Communion bread which is not evident until the bread is broken.  To complement the sweet filling, a sweet-ish bread dough made with unbleached flour is used to create the heart-shaped loaf.  The double spiral shape of this particular heart is inspired by an ornament made by Hmong hill tribe women from Thailand.  The point of the heart represents those of us who are present, here and now.  The spiral from one half of the heart recognizes the gifts bequeathed to us by our ancestors;  the spiral spinning forth into the other half acknowledges the legacy and hopes we imagine for future generations.  This ancient symbol of the Hmong enriches immeasurably the significance of the flat, commercialism of Valentine's Day.

(The pictures of the "innards" of this bread look fairly disgusting during the preparation, but it creates a lovely surprise when the bread is broken and it tastes better than you think Communion bread should taste.)

Sweet Communion Bread

1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated

2 teaspoons dry yeast

5 - 5 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cups organic sugar

1/4 softened butter

1 teaspoon salt

Pour the heated milk into a large mixing bowl.  When the milk is sufficiently cooled, sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface and allow it to dissolve for a few minutes.  Add 2 cups of unbleached flour;  stir for at least two minutes and then let the mixture stand for 10 minutes (or for as much time as you can afford).  Add the sugar, butter, 3 cups of unbleached flour, and salt.  Mix to make a very stiff dough and then turn out onto a well-floured surface, scraping the bowl thoroughly.  Knead the dough for about 8 minutes.  (Recognize your inheritance from your parents, grandparents, the past generations who have influenced your life.  Take a very deep breath.  Imagine the kin-dom into which you hope future generations will live.)  Place the dough back into the bowl which has been well-greased.  Let the dough rise for at least an hour.

Mix together the following ingredients for the filling:  !/4 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1/4 cup organic sugar.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto the well-floured surface.  Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 10-inches x 20-inches.  Spread the chocolate filling onto the dough:

Roll up the dough from the long edge to create a log which needs to be eased into an even longer rope, about 30-inches long.  Place the extended rope onto a well-greased baking pan.  Form the rope into a heart-shape formed by the double spirals folding into each other from the point at the base.

   

Let the dough rise for at least an hour.

 

Bake at 375-degrees for about 45-minutes.

Let the bread cool for about 5-minutes prior to removing to a cooling rack.

This is how the chocolate spiral looks when the bread is broken.  Trust me.  The bread TASTES so much better than it looks. 

Comments

[Carlos]

I tasted this and it is unbelievably good. I think this is the recipe for increasing church attendance at dying mainstream church. Warm bread and chocolate! My God, who could resist?