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| Linda Worthiemer (of NPR) shared her mother's recipe for Lemon fruitcake. |
An “Ode
to a Fruitcake” by Ryan Taylor:
Fruitcake! Fruitcake!
Oh, what a
glorious fruitcake!
Nothing quite
says, “Merry Christmas, Good Cheer!,”
like a
fruitcake.
With raisins, green pineapple, candied orange peel,
an applesauce
batter to make a good seal,
the walnuts
and hazelnuts, pecans and cherries,
cinnamon,
nutmeg and cloves mid dried berries!
Though many may dispute its reputation,
the fruitcake
is a holiday sensation!
And, though
the thought might fill a few with dread,
I proudly
declare that the fruitcake
is the
ultimate queen of quickbread!
Fruitcake! Fruitcake!
Oh, what a
marvelous, glorious, beauteous fruitcake!
“Merry
Christmas, Good Cheer!”[i]
By
the 1700s, in Europe, a ceremonial type of fruitcake was baked at the end of
the nut harvest. By the eighteenth century people got inventive and created the
plum cake; they were so “sinfully rich” they were outlawed. During the Crimean War soldiers carried them
into battle. In the end the fruitcake
would find its home at tea.
Queen
Victoria is said to have waited a year to eat a fruitcake she received for her
birthday because she felt it showed restraint, moderation and good taste. So it is that, good citizens of her Majesty’s
realm, and all Anglican Church men and women have become fine connoisseurs
of
fruitcake – it’s in the catechism.
Today
the average fruitcake has a 1:1 density ratio with mahogany.
The
world's oldest known fruitcake was made on Nov. 27, 1878, by Fidelia Ford, of Berkeley,
Ohio. Today, Fidelia Ford's great-grandson
Morgan, who is 92 years old, lives in Tecumseh and still possesses the 134 year
old cake.
So
you see…the fruitcake has been made, and its miraculous mysteries have been
shared, passed down by generations, for over a millennia because it gives life,
it nourishes and it sustains you no matter what the world may bring. [Pause]
No
matter the darkness. No matter the
loneliness or heartache…God’s love, love, is the most sustaining message of
Christmas. Like an ancient recipe passed
down to us tonight we hear the echoes of love in songs and readings.
The
truth is we live lives of spiritual uncertainty. Lives marked by faith and goodness can seem
out of reach. The world longs for renewed hope, words of kindness and mercy.
As
one philosopher put it, “We try to find cosmic satisfaction in a lifestyle, a
career, a self-image, or a romantic relationship. Some employ therapists to attain
self-acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding."[ii] Yet, that does not satisfy.
We
gather to night, to rediscover a spirituality adequate for our times. On this most holy of nights, we remember the
story of love.
We
remind ourselves of the sustaining angelic words, “Do not be afraid, love has
come. A light in a land of
darkness… Joy in the midst of sadness…
Peace in the midst of war… Justice out of chaos… worthiness instead of
relentless guilt…Fear not, God is with you, love is here.”
We
put ourselves in the midst of the story of God’s in-breaking love; that it may
wash over us and sustain us.
We
allow ourselves to feel the love of God which swims within our heart to the
deepest corner of our soul where it connects with our intimate quiet longing.
We
acknowledge the love which unites heaven and earth.
We
rehearse the truth that God’s love comes to the lowly, the weak, the powerless,
and the forgotten.
We
recall this love and we name him Jesus.
Tonight
we share our love abundantly with one another, with our neighbor, with our
family members, and all those we meet; wishing them the very best of life.
We believe
in a world where love triumphs over greed, poverty, oppression, malnutrition,
abuse, illness, war, and all other dark powers we have created and have come to
know. And, for those who find their life
yoked to this sacred story there is an inescapable desire to change the world
one small act of love at a time. The
world is being recreated by love.
Such
miraculous mysteries passed down, for over a millennia. Sustaining truth, that no matter what may
come or what the world may bring. God’s
love, love, is the most sustaining message.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas Angels
The great glad tidings tell:
O Come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.[v]
So
take your children’s hands, embrace your beloved, welcome your family, hold
your friends tight, and share the warmth of God’s overflowing love.
[i] Ode to a
Fruitcake by M Ryan Taylor, Copyright © 2008 M Ryan Taylor
[ii] Helminski,
Knowing Heart, p 5.
[iii] Robert
Bly, "A Christmas Poem", Morning Poems. © Harper
Collins, 1998.
[iv] Alexander
V. G. Allen, Life and Letters of Phillips Brooks, London, 870ff.
[v] Phillips
Brooks, in English Hymnal, London, 1906, no 15.
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