For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9: 6-7
The click and clatter of the donkey’s hoofs on the rock-strewn path of the road somehow blended with the steady wind coursing down from the northeast, chilled by the snow atop Mount Hermon, no longer in sight over their left shoulders. Surely Mary wondered, “how much longer, how much farther?” to Bethlehem. How could she forget the words of the heavenly messenger, “Don’t be afraid!” Here on a seemingly endless road, incredibly young, far from home, about to deliver a child, Mary and Joseph took wearying step after step southward. We, too, can only wonder, “how much longer?”
As the Advent days pass and Christmas nears, our thoughts turn to family and tasks yet to be completed. The pages of recipes are reminders of other days of preparation. The aromas of baking and roasting send their messages, some of them helping us to recall other times, other words and faces, and other places.
