On being born and chocolate bears . . .
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:4-7
My husband was born during a Christmas parade sixty years ago. According to family lore my mother-in-law went to the hospital, gave birth to a curly haired little boy and was home again cooking and caring for all six of her children a day later. She hardly skipped a beat.
A year before that I was born into a nation shocked and grieving over the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. My mother tells me I was blessed by a priest in the Catholic hospital where she gave birth. She remembers wondering what kind of a world I was entering, another infant born into chaos and confusion.
My third child was born in December. I remember driving around downtown Charleston crying and praying the baby would come soon so birthday celebrations would not always just be crowded in with Christmas. My OB finally scheduled an induction three days past my due date. I gave birth to a healthy beautiful little girl and I got her home just as one of her older sisters took a hard fall, connected her head with a cement floor and vomited all over. Welcome home mommy and baby!
Giving birth. Being born. All of life permanently altered in an instant; in one long instant that stretches way beyond nine months. Moments of joy and wonder, planning and pondering, fear and chaos. For the mom, the excitement and awe and secrecy of knowing that a new life is growing within morphs into weeks and months of showing the truth, you are going to have a baby.
Then comes the moment of surprise, something you’ve been expecting for what seems like an eternity still shocks and assails with pain. Now. Right now. This very minute a mom must put all other things aside and focus on how to bring a baby from the cozy world inside of her out into a very different world with her.
And that is just from the mom’s perspective. How does the baby feel? I have both given birth and been born but I only remember giving birth and time softens those images and feelings. Every one of us has been on the being born side of the equation but I have never met anyone who can remember that ride.
Think with me for a moment, about being warm and secure, safely floating, being fed and rocked and comforted by the beat of your mother’s heart. Inside the womb a baby’s needs are instantly met; other than a growing need for more space, all requirements are automatically taken care of, no verbal communication is necessary.
But then something happens. Pulsating waves of tightness begin to constrict this Eden. Time to vacate the premises; no option given for an extension on the lease. An eviction process, short or long, where you and all your belongings are thrust out onto the street where it is cold and bright and loud. Gone the secure link to breathing and eating, you must fend for yourself, open those lungs, cry and gulp in air. Someone wraps you in a blanket that feels much different from the amniotic sac that once cradled you. Previously muffled lights and noises blare in your eyes and ears and there is a gnawing in your stomach you never noticed before. Welcome home, baby!
It was into a moment of vulnerability like that the Creator of the entire universe chose to make an entry. Why and what a baby Jesus mean to deep issues of theology like sovereignty we cannot know with absolute certainty. Just as Mary pondered these things in her heart, trying to get a grasp on what was happening, we ponder and study and pretend to understand but really the appropriate response is a Mary response. She agreed to God’s plan whether she understood it all or not, and she worshipped God.
Jesus laid aside the nature of “god-ness” and took on the nature of “man-ness”.
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2: 6-8
I am not a theologian, but I plan to spend a bit of time this December thinking over what it meant for Jesus to love me so much that he would endure the birthing process, the growing pains of being human, and the derision of those who refused to accept his real identity. Jesus was born into a broken, fallen world, knowing that only He could return that world to it’s original perfection. Will you allow Him to fix what is broken in you, knowing He understands all that you are going through because He took on flesh for you?
Christmas is a time of creating; decorating, baking, making presents, planning parties. We were created in the image of God and like Him, we are creative. One of my family’s favorite Christmas cookie recipes offers bakers old and young the opportunity to create little chocolate bears.
These treats are a basic chocolate cookie shaped into bears. If you cook them a long time they resemble a chocolate shortbread cookie, if you bake them for less time they are fudgy and brownie-like. My husband loves the brownie-like variety and would eat them 365 days a year if I would make them, but I don’t because they are time intensive. Making individual bears, like making individual people, takes much more time and effort than a cookie cutter variety!
Chocolate Bears
- 2/3 cup softened butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups Gold Medal flour
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
In a large stand mixer cream butter and sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, blend well. Add dry ingredients to mixer and beat until thoroughly mixed. Chill until dough is firm enough to handle, several hours or overnight.
When ready to form bears, remove dough from refrigerator. Form two balls, one slightly smaller than the other which will abut the larger ball. These are the head and body. Make 6 tiny balls, 2 for ears and 4 for paws. Make a really tiny ball for the snout. Using a kitchen nail or toothpick, form eyes and a mouth. You can add marks for claws and belly buttons, bowties or neckties. Be creative. This recipe has also been known to work for chocolate ducks and reindeer and any other creature you can imagine.
It is very important to flatten the dough slightly so it will cook through. Also be aware that every bear or creation on the tray needs to be about the same size or you will burn some and undercook others.
Bake at 350* for 6-8 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack or paper towel. When cool, add ribbons to make the bears really fancy for gifting! I took the chilled dough to my Sunday School class last week and they had fun making their own shapes!
I often double this recipe as it typically yields about 16 bears.