I ask my daughter if she would be willing to write a blog post this week. Now I know why I ask--I truly needed this reminder!
Hi, Brittney here, Pam’s daughter, providing a guest blog post for the week! It is hard to believe that Christmas will be arriving in just a few short weeks. Reflecting back on this year, 2020, I am sure there are mixed emotions when we think about Christmas arriving. Some of us can’t believe it’s already here and are feeling unprepared for Christmas. Some of us can’t wait for it to come and go and are anxious to turn the page and welcome 2021. Some of us are probably emotional because we are spending the holidays away from loved ones, thanks to the circumstances that 2020 has presented us with. Whichever camp you’re in, I hope that you pause to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus Christ.
I recently have started learning a new hobby - bread making! I happened to come across a recipe for an overnight bread dough that could be used to make a variety of different breads and after telling my husband over and over that I wanted to try making the dough - I finally did it. Milk, butter, sugar, butter, salt, butter, yeast, butter, flour, butter - all ingredients for a good yeast dough! (Just kidding about the amount of butter, kind of...)
While mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough, I have quickly learned that preparing dough takes a lot of strength. I have realized that my arms are weak and pitiful when trying to wrestle the dough. However, when I think about this past year, I imagine that most of us have felt as if we, too, have been kneaded like a bread dough. Some of us are probably feeling incredibly weak as the year ends as it feels as if there have been many unprecedented trials this year. But, good news, do you know what the next step of bread making is? Rest. Let it rest, let it rise. Once I have kneaded the dough, I place it in a large Dutch Oven to rest and rise. With an already chaotic year I hope that you will take this Christmas season, and my simple reminder with bread dough, to rest. Rest in God, take refuge in Him, be thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ, the one who ultimately can provide us rest.
Matthew 11: 28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The interesting thing about dough is that when you let it rest, it rises. I find myself sneaking back to my Dutch Oven periodically throughout the day just to double check that the dough is rising. And guess what? Rest truly does make it RISE. To my amazement, it often doubles in size! Rest is funny like that. I guarantee finding rest in this Christmas season will make you rise. Rise and able to face a new day. Rise and able to tackle new challenges. Rise and able to love your neighbor. Rise and able to look expectantly to a new year!
John 6:35 “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It’s probably a simple illustration but I hope it serves as a reminder that Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. He is truly the reason for the Christmas season. Merry Christmas!
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