“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:2
It’s strawberry season here in South Carolina. The berries are ready to be picked and the grandchildren are excited about making jam, but the schedule is tight and berry picking is not on it. I am at my daughter’s house, watching three of my grandchildren and two cats and one dog. There is school work to do, after school activities to get to, and meals to be made and cleaned up. Berry season has arrived but it will have to wait until the weekend.
My daughter did order berries from the grocery store, and though they are ready to be eaten and transformed into freezer jam, certain key ingredients would require a trip to the store. One look at the three of them and I put the running to the store idea out of my head. They need this day at home as much as I do.
“Can we make applesauce?” My granddaughters have been eating apples as if it is fall. They are standing beside a pile of apples on the counter, some their mom had purchased and some I had brought with me so they would not spoil.
“It’s not apple season,” I reply. But of course we can make applesauce. They both climb up on the counter and watch as I peel and core the apples. “I don’t like that kind,” one turns her nose up at my macintosh apples. Macs are too mushy for her eating, but they cook down superbly. And blended with the other varieties the apples become one aromatic substance with no consistency issues.
Heaven will be like that, I think. All varieties of Christians coming together as one, varieties that seemed so different in the orchard, harvested and made into one blessed pot of applesauce, all inconsistency issues laid at the feet of Jesus. Always in season, and seasoned with love and patience.
The apples I used were not perfect, new specimens. Some of them were large and fresh, while a few of the others were on the edge of life, a bit wrinkled and marred. But all of them together, cooked with a little water of life and sweetened and spiced with brown sugar and cinnamon sent a fragrant aroma throughout the house. I can still smell it, though the applesauce was eaten hours ago. It is dark and quiet here, the three children asleep, the dog resting and the cats walking across my keyboard as I type.
An hour ago, as I put my grandson to bed, I had a moment to just lay on the bed beside him and listen. He told me about flag football practice and the book he is currently reading. We talked about the cats and how they keep him awake at night, but how he loves them. We prayed together. As I left I told him what fun it was to just have time to be with him and he said, “I love talking to you, Grandma.”
I know he is young, but what a blessing it is to have the time to talk with him now, in this season. This season when being with a grandma can be fun and not necessarily uncool or uncomfortable. This season when praying together seems natural, an extension of our relationship with one another and our shared relationship with God. This season when he can ask questions without fear of judgment; when he can be totally honest about hard truths that may be difficult to comprehend.
In 2 Timothy 4:2 it says we are to preach the word in season and out of season. It reminds me of Deuteronomy 6, The Great Shema. “Hear O Israel,” it begins. Big news, absolute truth is coming. The verses continue, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.“
Preach the word, teach the word, live the word. In season and out of season, with your children and grandchildren and neighbors and coworkers and everyone you see. Applesauce in spring, strawberry jam in spring, give them the words of life that everyone needs, live the truth that everyone needs. At all times, in all seasons. To every variety of person.
Homemade Chunky Applesauce
- 10-12 apples, your choice of variety
- 1/2 – 1 cup water
- 1/4 – 3/4 cup brown sugar, sweeten to your taste
- cinnamon
Making chunky applesauce only requires a sturdy pot, sized for the amount of apples you are cooking. I typically peel, core and quarter 10-12 apples and use a dutch oven style pot. Place the prepared apples into the pot and add 1/2 to 1 cup of water. The less water you use the chunkier it will be, but you don’t want the apples to burn to the pot, so use enough water and check often.
Cook the apples and water over medium to low heat until the apples are soft enough to mash. With an old fashioned masher, crush the apples to your desired consistency. My family likes it chunky. You can run the cooked apples through a food mill or food processor if super smooth applesauce is what you are looking for.
Once you have mashed the apples, add brown sugar to your desired level of sweetness. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm.
Cooking time will vary depending on what type of apples you use. Macs cook down quickly, harder apples take longer. Check the apples often, stirring and pressing them to see how close they are. Granny Smiths taste great but will take longer. Honeycrisps cook down well and add great flavor.