Who likes cookies? What are your favourites? Does your answer change if I say what are your favourite Christmas cookies? Why do you think we have classification of cookies specific to the Christmas season?
For many people, there are cookies that we only have at Christmas. This makes them special. It may be because certain ingredients are only available at Christmas time like eggnog, and candy canes. It may be because there are flavours that are associated with the season – like warm holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. It may be the shapes the are reminiscent of this time of year as cookies look like snowballs, candy canes, Christmas trees, and more. Some simply have a nostalgic connection between certain cookies and this holiday season as I do with a kind of macaroon my mom makes for me and a rugulah I have made for my mom – both of which are actually Hannukah cookies. When we think of Christmas cookies, it is like we hunger for something different, something that specifically points to what we are hoping for and expecting to happen in this time of year.
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
John the Baptist wasn’t like the religious leaders found year-round in the temple and synagogues. He dressed different. He ate different. He spoke different. He acted different. His mannerisms, however, were not something totally out of the blue. They pointed to something familiar, something people recognised from their own history and traditions, something that reminded them of hope and possibility. John’s actions had the flavour, shape, and form of what the scriptures said about the Messiah.
This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
John the Baptist was kind of like the Christmas cookies of the religious leaders of his time. He provided an opportunity for people to shift their focus away from the usual, the everyday understanding of religion and faith and reflect on traditions and stories of who they were, who they are, and who they could be. Of course, this meant recognising that they had messed up in some ways, so repentance was needed. Change was also needed and so he challenged people to look differently at how they lived in the world, how they shared their gifts, how we share our Christmas cookies.
This is the hope that comes from moving beyond the ordinary whether that is with a prophet in the wilderness or special cookies, it gives us an opportunity to see in a new way. Yes, that reflection involves owning our mistakes and challenging ourselves to do better based on what we know now. It also creates space for change, for transformation. John prepared the way of the Lord. At Christmas, we are reminded we can continue that work today.
When we consider the possibilities for Christmas, for our lives, what can we do, what do we do, to prepare the way of the Lord? How do our lives mimic the differentness, the hope and possibility that comes with John the Baptist and Christmas cookies? What more can we do to prepare the way of the Lord this season and beyond?
As we prepare for Christmas this year, may we engage in traditions that remind us that Jesus came to do something different, something new in our lives and in the world. This we pray as we sing: 101 Hail to the Lord’s Anointed