Merry Christmas and a happy Advent to all!

Although people cook, bake, and celebrate in the Bible, there are only a few places that I would describe as giving a recipe. Perhaps the funniest example in the Bible is obscured a bit by the measurements used. When the Lord comes to meet Abraham in Genesis 18, Abraham hurriedly asks Sarah to make cakes out of three seahs of flour, which translates to roughly 21 quarts’ worth of flour!

So while the Bible does not frequently refer to a recipe, it still often does give important combinations of factors, elements, and events to show God’s decisive work in the world. Paul gives a good example in Galatians 4:4-7:

“⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”-ESV

Notice how Paul points out the need for the fullness of time, Jesus to be born of a woman, Jesus to be born as Jew under the Law, and how each of these elements are a kind of recipe that lead to adoption, sonship, the gift of the Spirit, and even being heirs.

There are many other examples like this in the Bible, and in Advent we celebrate with our Advent candles the mix of hope, peace, joy and love. Each of these are an essential part of the recipe of Christmas. Hope for Jesus’ coming and rule in the world; peace that comes through Jesus’ blood which forgives our sins and breaks down the walls of enmity; the joy that overflows living in the promises and goodness of our God; the profound love God has for in Jesus.

We are only scratching the surface of course, but this focus on hope, peace, joy, and love gives us a central focus and recipe for our hearts and minds going into this season. We need these things not only for our families and personal lives, but in our witness and walk in the world around us. So while many of you will surely be working by recipe in the days ahead, remember God’s recipe of Christmas for you: the wonderful gifts of hope, peace, joy and love that he offers you again and again through his Son Jesus and which are made manifest in the Holy Spirit in your lives.

Hoping your Advent is full of all the good gifts of our God,

Pastor Devin Murphy