When we first opened our restaurant, our menu included three freshly made soups each day. The plan was that one soup would be the same or “static” each day for a season and the other two would change almost daily. The first “static” soup was a New England-style clam chowder and right from the start our customers raved about it. So much so that when it came time to make the seasonal changes we had planned, our regulars complained about the prospect of not having the chowder available whenever they might want it. We listened to them, and that soup was served every day in the restaurant until we closed, 18 years later.
In the years since we closed the restaurant, Anne and I, often assisted by our kids, have recreated the chowder on a variety of occasions. including this time of year when home-made treats are readily exchanged and special gatherings help to celebrate the holidays. Making this particular soup can be a little tedious, especially when you’re making five gallons at a time. But because I don’t have to do it all that frequently anymore, I’ve really come to enjoy the time as I’m prepping the ingredients, tending to the stock pot, and portioning up the results. I think about all the joy I’ve been able to share over the years and imagine it to be a small way of paying back those who will receive a taste for the delights they have brought into my life.
Food is another key entry point into the delights of Advent & Christmas. What is your favorite dish to make or enjoy this time of year? Whose holiday cookie or baked good makes your mouth start to salivate? Is your lefse topped with white, brown, or cinnamon sugar? May the delights we share and experience during Christmas, whether they be culinary, musical, visual, or otherwise, prepare us in comparable measure for the delight of God’s presence celebrated in the story of Jesus’ birth.
May God’s hope embrace you today. -Pastor Peter
Let us pray… God of abundance. You have filled the world with so many good things to eat. May these tasty treasures become foretastes of the delight we experience as we remember and celebrate Jesus birth. Amen.