Sabbath Reflections

Sabbath has never been a huge deal at our house, although church has always been. We have few traditions, but going to church as a family, sitting together (usually in the same pew) and coming home to have pancakes for lunch is one of them. After the pancakes, however, we go our separate ways, doing our best to prepare for life on the other side of the weekend. Sometimes that means a nap, or a movie, but most of the time it's house projects that need to be continued or completed, or books that need to be read or papers written. I never thought twice about it until I arrived at college as a freshman and found a campus that cares about such things, and as the semesters went by I became more attracted to the idea of "working from my rest" instead of resting from work. The work will always be there but so will God - and I'm thinking he should take priority.

But even if this is a day of rest, there are things that must be done - like eating, for example. So how do I reconcile this work with a day devoted to God and the enjoyment of his creation? I'm not sure yet, but this week it's about reflection on the fact that this is the sabbath. It's also about cooking... not the same old pancakes, something "new and exciting" - something to enjoy.

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I never claimed to be a great cook. I've been making dinner for the family since middle school, but I never had the time, ingredients, or desire to actually consider myself a "cook." For the first time, though, I understand the joy so many people find in it. I won't pretend that the recipe I'm using today is at all original; in fact, I'll give you the link: Quiche Supreme Recipe.

If you followed the link, you saw the regular ingredients - eggs, cream, veggies, cheese, meat, crust. Some seasonings. A stove top and oven. Setting it all out on the counter (with the exception of the stove, which is heavy even for me), I realize how blessed I am already to live in this country with so many good foods available to me. The eggs are farm fresh, from the Lutz family at Seven Springs Dairy Farm. I didn't have to do all the work of making the cheese or separating the cream. Finally, it's the middle of January and I have fresh peppers and onions and mushrooms. I also have a father willing to run to the store for the ingredients I missed.

The second layer of this experience is actually preparing all the ingredients. Since I have no schedule (and my father isn't to his "grumpy-hungry" stage yet), I love this part - chopping the vegetables and seeing the colors and textures blend on the cutting board before they go into a frying pan, grating the cheese by hand (it's surprisingly soothing to shred things), beating eggs and cream. Tossing in spices by the "pinch" or "too taste" makes me think of my grandmothers and the way they would pull out a bowl and start throwing ingredients in... and you'd ask, and they'd say they didn't know what it was going to be, but you'd better like it.

See? My amateur attempts at cooking remind me of the love of my family and precious days spent with them. My heritage affects the ingredients I use, too - polish influence demands extra garlic, and who needs ham? We have extra kielbasa from the New Year's celebrations, and it tastes better anyway. I'm wary of the nutmeg, and the vinegar is the only ingredient I measured today (why? because if my dad knows it's in there, he'll be wary of the whole meal).

Alright, enough story; more reflecting. It's all in the oven and the mess I made of our kitchen has been cleaned, so here's what I'm thinking. This morning my pastor preached on Psalm 122, a Song of Ascent, and on the value and necessity of corporate worship. Bad things can happen when a person says, "I'll worship by myself at home" (for further study look up "Joseph Smith) and completely gives up on the Church - you'll notice that despite the many problems of the 1st Century churches, none of Paul's letters includes the suggestion that they should just give up and try another way.

Churches should be like quiche, with different colors, textures and flavors, being honest about their history and cultural influences, and helping others to enjoy the good things God provides. Unfortunately, a lot of them are like my quiche, which will probably be a bit strong on the garlic, light on pepper, and lord-help-us if Daddy finds out about the vinegar. But I'm not going to stop trying because my double "pinch" was too much, I'm going to do it different next time. I hope that we see the church community where we can "do it different next time" and grow closer to each other, because worship is partly about being forgiven and being conformed despite the excess of garlic in our lives.

I will admit, this is probably only the beginning of my day's reflection, but if you've noticed the clock it's about time for me to make sure that the rest of dinner is ready to go with this quiche. Later I'll be making cookies but I won't force you to join me for that. I'll give you the recipe and be out of your hair, but I hope you have a chance to reflect on God's love while you make these awesome Caramel Blossom Cookies :)