Daily Advent Devotion for December 12th - Denise Johns




Smorgasbord
By Denise Johns

As I watched the youngest children sing in front of the congregation in this year's children's program, I thought of my own childhood memories of attending church at Christmas time. The church community where my family attended  had deep cultural roots in Sweden and many of the celebrations involved the serving of Swedish food. Every year, the first Sunday in Advent was celebrated by having a Swedish buffet called a smorgasbord. The tables would be filled with platters of ham, smoked salmon , pickled herring, scalloped potatoes, coleslaw, deviled eggs and Havarti cheese. My dad loved herring while the rest of my family could not stand the strong and pungent smell of this vinegary fish. I remember the delicious, gingery taste of the pepparkakor cookies which were still baking in the oven so they could be served warm for dessert. My grandmother would let me have as many cookies as I wanted. Although I have not had any of these cookies in 30 years, the smell of a cinnamon candle takes me back to the cookies and the church I grew up in. 

I loved to attend these church events with my grandmother, parents and sibling. While at these dinners, there was always a long line to wait for your turn to select your food. I never minded standing in line with my grandmother, she was the church secretary and everyone would come over to say hello to her. She was full of joy and happiness and loved to laugh and was always willing to play a game of Yahtzee or cards. She also loved to take home leftovers from the dinners not for herself, but for feeding her cat...but that is a another story.  

More important than the food was the sense of love that was always present in that crowded and cramped room. The Christmas music would be playing in the background, the candles would lit be on every table and everyone would be talking loudly with smiles on their faces. I felt a sense of fullness in my body and not because my grandmother let me eat 5 or 6 cookies. It was fullness that comes from being in a place where you know that you are loved and care for. It was a fullness from knowing everyone around you is looking out for you and encouraging your belief in God.  

It has been a long time since I’ve thought of the Advent dinners and pepparkakor cookies, but my heart is full as I think of my grandmother, my former Sunday school teachers, and the church where I grew. Cookies are still my favorite dessert to eat so  I plan to introduce pepparkakor to my family this Christmas. I have already found a recipe for the cookies! 

Spend a few minutes thinking of your childhood Christmas memories and share these with your family. Do you have any long lost Christmas traditions that could be reintroduced to your family?  My hope for you is that you are filled with the love of Christ, not only this Advent season but every day throughout the year.


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