“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9 ESV).
My wife, the mother of my children and grandmother of my children’s children, has begun her annual ritual of converting our kitchen into a Christmas bakery and confectionery extraordinaire. During this time, I, the master of my house, must humbly request admittance before entering this sanctuary of sweets from the maker, who is busily buzzing about from cookie to cake leaving a cloud of flour and sugar in her wake.
“What?” She asks, with a perturbed look on her face, when she catches a glimpse of my entrance in her periphery.
“Uhh… I was just wondering how long you were staying up. I mean, it’s uhh… nearly 11:00 P.M. Aren’t you coming to bed?” I mumble, carefully staying out of her path as she carries a sheet of peppermint chocolate bark to the counter. I’ve learned after 33 years of marriage to this woman that she is not to be interrupted without consequence during this time of year.
“Bed? Do you realize how much I have to do before Christmas? I’ve made the cookies that Finny likes. I’ve started the peppermint bark that Binzy requested. I’ve got the second batch of fudge on the stove for your oldest son, because he already ate the first batch. And I still have to make the peanut butter pinwheels, the chocolate logs, the ginger snaps, the maple…” She goes on and on from here, while wiping a stray hair from her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a white streak of confectionery sugar behind.
I must admit I can’t remember everything she said. My mind fogged over a bit as I sneaked a taste of one of the white chocolate covered cookies on the counter nearest me. Which was quickly followed by slap of my hand and my wife’s exclamation:
“I told you those were for Finny!”
As I hurriedly left the kitchen, grabbing another of “Finny’s” cookies as I made my escape, I thought of how much my wife loves her children. And I reminisced about how most of the items in her kitchen are Christmas recipes that have come down from my mother and from hers. Each of these are like gifts of love coming down from mother to daughter to us.
My wife loves to cook for us. She loves to make things that she knows each of us like best. She knows each family member’s favorites. Her cooking for us is an expression of her love.
Just don’t get in her way while she’s doing it!
Don’t try getting in God’s way either. There was no stopping Him from sending His only begotten Son to us that first Christmas. Believe me, Satan and King Herod tried. Yet, God’s love came down and was made visible for all to see in the person of Jesus. And God wasn’t finished, having given His only begotten Son to us, He offered Him as a propitiation for our sins, atoning for us, so that we might have eternal life through Him.
As the poet, Christina Rossetti, wrote:
“Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.”
God is the source of love and Jesus is the greatest manifestation of that love. We receive this gift of love from God at Christmas when we receive His Son, Jesus Christ.
Now, I’ve gotta go… I think I smell a red velvet cake that needs tasting…