Monday Morning Message 12.26.2022

Dearest Members of Bethlehem,

“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our

potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8

These are some of my favorite days. It’s still Christmas, and our

house looks like it. The decorations are certainly still up. There are a

couple of gifts lingering beneath the tree. And of course, the candy

dishes and cookie trays (while covered with plastic wrap) are still

littered about the living room and kitchen.

As I walk past, it’s not uncommon for me to pull back the covering and

enjoy a chocolate covered pretzel, a peanut butter blossom, and

then… well, nothing goes with a nice cup of coffee like a pizzelle. Do

you have any pizzelles left at your house? If so, I hope you’ll pause at

some point today and enjoy a few, or a half dozen.

You see, the pizzelle is not only a Christmas staple, it also serves as a

reminder of just how important our faith really is. Just think for a

minute about how pizzelles are made. You get all the right ingredients mixed up, all wonderful stuff in and of itself, but it still needs shaped and formed! So, we fire up the pizzelle maker, we pour in that batter, and we let things heat up a bit. And

when just the right amount of time passes, we have a thing of beauty.

Yep, that’s what I said, because… the glorious design present in the

pizzelle maker is permanently pressed into the cookie. You could

rightly say the pizzelle takes on the shape and beauty of its maker.