We’re snowed in today, which means the kiddos are home for a snow day and we got off to a late start. They had oatmeal and I made myself French toast with Martha Stewart’s recipe I found on Huffington Post:
Click me for a yummy recipe!
Do you see the Barbie car in the background? I had to fight my daughter off of my breakfast this morning. Which goes to show maybe I should do these before the kids wake up. Like at 5am when they’re still sleeping the house is still. Maybe. That’ll be a goal for next month. Right now, I’m slowly easing into the discipline of eating breakfast every morning and reading my bible while doing so. I’m not going to try to exegete scriptures with the kiddos running around, cabin-fevered and cranky. I’m going to take my time and not rush to a bigger goal. Right now, I’m doing fine with waking up, planning my breakfast, listening to a sermon while I cook, and then reflecting on the sermon and passage while I eat. This series is for me, for accountability. But it’s for you too, to see that with one small step, one small change, one “yes” you can (hopefully) taste and see that the Lord is good.
I like this line from the french toast recipe:
Don’t rush things — give your bread time to soak.
This is my goal with “taste”: don’t rush things—give yourself time to soak.
I want to savor the experience of making a delicious breakfast, pouring myself a hot cup of coffee, serving my OJ in a wine glass, and soaking in Jesus’ words for me today. Then I’m going to write for five minutes on what I’ve learned. Not too much to feel overwhelmed, but enough to whet the taste buds of my heart. Have you ever inhaled a meal and an hour later you wondered, “what did I have for lunch again?” Yeah, me too. I do this all the time. I eat while standing or on the go. I graze throughout the day, never really tasting anything, just satisfying an urgent need. No, this year I want to taste my food and taste the Bread of Life slowly, intentionally, and completely. So today I was so tempted to eat instant oatmeal with my family and just check off my 2014 to-do list of eating breakfast every day, but this year I’m tasting.
Today’s five minute reflection will also serve as my Five Minute Friday, submission where I write for five minutes without over thinking, over-editing, and second-guessing my words. It’s hosted by Lisa-Jo Baker and I think you should join us, it’s super fun.
It just so happened that the passage I read during breakfast was on Mary’s Song, often called, The Magnificat. It’s this beautiful prophetic, social-justice, freedom song for the oppressed that Pastor Brian illuminated in his sermon, “Leaping Baptists and Revolutionary Jews”. He described Mary, the mother of Jesus as a revolutionary, subversive poet, who recognizes the brokenness of the world and praises God for intervening through the child in her womb. But that’s not what stood out to me. When he highlighted the relationship between the two women Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist and Mary, mother of Jesus, I wrote in my journal, ‘Sisterhood! These woman had a special relationship, forged by shared experiences as Jewish women under oppression, pregnancies in unlikely circumstances, and mothers to boys who will become revolutionaries for God’. They are revolutionary mothers. They are revolutionary women. And while he doesn’t make this connection, I want to explore the power of life-giving friendship that empower us to sing our freedom songs. These songs fight against oppression. These songs bring holy discomfort to comfortable. These are praise choruses to God for his faithfulness when we’re battling with doubt in our souls. But most and best of all, these subversive songs break down the expectations that women cannot and will not support each other. We are not a group of shrews, my friends. We are sisters in arms, fighting alongside, not against each other.
So it here’s my FMF on the word “fight.
GO:
Taste and See the Sisterhood of Peace
More than Naomi and Ruth, I love Mary and Elizabeth. These two women reframe what it means to have a life-giving, honest, joy-filled relationship. Naomi is plagued by her bitterness and I get this sense that Ruth is patiently caring for her. Which is beautiful, but I sometimes wonder, ‘where’s the reciprocity between these two?’ And then we have Mary and Martha and, oh good Lord have there been so many commentaries and sermons and ideas on deciding if you’re a “Martha” or a “Mary”? And that tastes like division and separation to me. Not Sisterhood, not support. It’s the perfect recipe for conflict, and I wonder, ‘where does the Prince of Peace fit into this? ‘ So I look at Elizabeth and Mary. And I find him there. I’m moved by two things:
One: They were set up for some major drama. One older than the other, yet the older woman is carrying the lesser child. In most settings, on most reality shows you’d hear a mischievous melody playing the background as the older talks about taking down the younger, “She’ll never know what hit her!” And we all rush to Twitter to talk about Elizabeth the shrew!
But they didn’t they greeted one another and the baby inside Elizabeth leaped— because of the Holy Spirit.
Two: Both women are in impossible situations. One pregnant in old age, the other young pregnant virgin tween. They could have entered the scene complaining to one another:
Both: oh woe is me! God has orchestrated this pregnancy and no one believes me.”
Mary: Oh Elizabeth you don’t understand, I’m so young!
Elizabeth: Girl, please! Try having a baby at this age.
Mary: Whatever, listen. I’ve been traveling for days and I’ve been plagued by morning sickness
Elizabeth: Oh you think that’s bad…this prophet is sitting on my bladder!
Mary: I’d rather have to pee all the time than have people think I’m a whore and cheated on Joseph.
Elizabeth: Oh you think people don’t talk about me to. Well…people think my husband Zacharias is crazy or at least cursed by God because he’s mute.,
Mary: Well…well…I had to flee all to get away from all the drama back in Nazareth.
Elizabeth: Well…well….well…. THIS PROPHET IS SITTING ON MY BLADDER!!!!”
and back and forth they could have gone trying to one-up the other.
But they didn’t, Elizabeth spoke words of blessings and joy over her young cousin—because of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, the comforter, the one who empowers us when we need grace and words to respond when we’re caught in the crossfire of this spiritual war-torn world, spoke peace, inaugurated community, and filled Mary’s heart with a song.
I want to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that I remember I belong to the women in my community, not battling with them. I want to be a member of the Sisterhood of Peace.
STOP.
If you want to join this amazing group of writers who bravely write for five minutes, graciously share their words, and generously praise each other. Then link up today at Lisa-Jo Baker’s FMF
If you want to find a sisterhood of peace, like the one I wrote about, consider joining Story Sessions . These women have become my Story Sisters and my tribe in every sense of the word. I joined last fall and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The women in our group are beautiful writers and fierce lovers. This is my favorite line from the site:
We are your long lost sisters you never imagined you ever needed. We breathe words into each other, laugh until we cry and hold each other’s hair when things get a little scary.
Ok…the kiddos want to play in the snow. Please pray for me. I’d much rather be drinking hot cocoa!
Check back here tomorrow for another Breakfast with Jesus post and a new link to a breakfast recipe.
Love,
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