Our theme for Eastertide is finding joy as we faithfully do the small things, so today we will look at baking bread.
I have heard it said that cooking is an art, whereas baking is a science. When we bake bread, we must faithfully follow the instructions and carefully measure the ingredients. It may not be exciting to carefully measure out each ingredient, but it is this small, faithful act that leads to a consistent, repeatable, delicious bread.
Likewise, in our faith, we must faithfully follow the instructions and carefully check our actions against God's commands in Scripture. The small, faithful act of checking our actions and allowing friends to call us out for ungodly behavior is a step we can take to nurture the virtues God wants us to embody.
Making bread consists of stages: mixing, resting, kneading, resting, preparing, resting, and baking. Some stages are messy, some give us time to tidy up the kitchen. Kneading is hands-on and active work, whereas we step back in the baking stage, to let the oven do its part. The small, faithful act of following the rhythm of the directions, allows the bread to rise, develop, and finish.
Likewise, our Christian walk consists of stages, periods of work and rest, times of preparing and doing. Some stages are messy, whereas others allow us to recuperate and rest. Sometimes our time and energy must be heavily invested in a person or activity for a season, other times, we step back and let God work as we observe. The small, faithful act of following the Spirit through the rhythm of the day and seasons, allows us to grow, mature, and be molded into a more Christ-like person.
The aroma of the bread permeates the house, as it rises, as it bakes, and once it is finished. It is not something that can be hidden away. If you are baking bread, any person entering your house will realize this. The smell may seem to be a small, insignificant thing, but it faithfully announces that bread is being made as it draws hungry bellies to the kitchen to await the finished bread.
Likewise, we want the aroma of Christ to permeate our actions, our words, and our lives. We don't want to hide away our Christianity and faith. We want those who encounter us to notice this aroma. Through faithfully living in obedience to Christ and His commands, people will catch a trace of Christ's aroma in us as we go about our days.
Baking bread is something that brings me joy.
Bread recipes often make such quantities of bread that we are subtly encouraged to share with others.
By looking at the loaf of bread and the process of bread-making, we can consider ways that it points us back to our faith and therefore towards Christ.
A delightful thing that I learned about bread was that in some places, such as Ireland, they have a legal definition of how much sugar to flour can be in a loaf of bread. (Spoiler, it's not a lot). So a lot of the baked products that we call bread, would be considered a "pastry" under Irish law or a "cake". I'm looking at you, banana "bread"! While sweet things are delicious and so enjoyable to eat, we can use this distinction to consider how much sugar we are adding into the flour of our lives. Are we investing our time in things that will satisfy us and bring us closer to God or are we filling up on mindless and worldly fillers that do not satisfy us. There are some bread recipes that are made with little to no sweeteners. It is a different taste, but I want to challenge us to find a hearty bread recipe that doesn't use sugar, sugar substitutes, or other sweeteners to bake, so we can chew on the "flour to sugar" ratio in our lives while munching on this hearty loaf.
