Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Matthew 1: 18-20
There’s a stillness, a silence you don’t often hear, when you go for a walk around my house on a clear, cold night in the winter. In the wee hours of the morning the stars bathe the woods around the house in light and there is not a sound to be heard. Summer’s frogs and insects are gone, children and grandchildren are asleep, even the neighborhood dogs are in bed. The silence is deafening.
Every once in a while, on a good star gazing night, I tiptoe outside to drink in this cold but amazingly cozy sound; the sound of silence. The sound of stillness; the sound of cessation of work. Nothing is moving that can be heard. I can choose to stand or walk within this silence, but I don’t need to DO anything, I can just be.
Joseph Mohr would have us believe Jesus was born into such silence. He penned the words to the classic Christmas carol Silent Night.
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
’round yon virgin mother and child!
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.
Scripture does not give us many details on the actual birth of Christ. We know Joseph and Mary were far from home, staying in an area where livestock were kept and a feeding trough or manger was available. What we are not told was if anyone helped them, how long the delivery took, or if the animals were totally quiet during the process. Was Mary herself quiet during the process? Did Jesus cry when he entered the world as a baby, like most babies do?
I’m guessing there were sounds in the stable where Jesus was born. The mooing of cows, the cooing of doves and the screams of a woman in labor seem like good bets to break the silence of that first Christmas night. Still Joseph Mohr has a good point, it was a holy night. It was a holy moment and in that moment of holiness perhaps there was a stillness, a silence, a slow motion, time standing still instant when Mary and Joseph did not have to do anything else, they were just there, existing with the great I AM.
I wonder what Mary and Joseph thought as they gazed at this baby from God. They both knew what the angels had said; they were both aware that this child was Mary’s only and not Joseph’s. They knew all they had gone through already in carrying this child as a not quite married couple and they truly did need to figure out what would happen next; but in that holy moment in the stable with the newborn baby, the newborn king, the newborn savior who was responsible for the creation of the whole world, were they able to lean into the truth of the angel’s message and worship God?
The sounds of Christmas are all around us; frenetic sounds, urgent pleadings for the last black Friday pricing, last day to receive shipment before Christmas, last chance to impress a loved one with a special gift. Turn them off. Turn off the noise. Tiptoe outside your home in the quiet of the night, or find a still space inside and spend a few holy moments existing with the great I AM.
If you can’t find time to celebrate the birth of the Savior at Christmas, you are missing the whole thing. Nothing you are doing is so important you can’t set it down for a few holy moments with Jesus. You don’t have to do anything but open your heart to Him. Sometimes the silence can be deafening.
Today’s recipe is an heirloom from my husband’s family. These cookies are a highlight at Christmas and birthday celebrations. They can be baked two ways, as a filled cookie or simply as a cut out ginger cookie. Your choice of baking time will yield a crispy crunchy cookie or a soft cookie. Both kinds will harden so store cookies in a sealed tin or plastic bag with a bit of bread to keep them softer.
Canadian Molasses Cookies
(a family tradition from Aunt Dot to Ann Gates to Debbie Gates)
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups Gold Medal Flour
Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, using a stand mixer or stirring by hand. Dissolve baking soda and salt in hot water, add to mixture. Finally add flour and mix until you have a rollable dough. You may need to add a little more flour, or just add flour to your work surface. You will be rolling the dough out on a floured surface and using cookie cutters to form the cookies. I often go heavy on the spices to ensure the spice to flour ratio keeps these cookies delicious. Too much flour will make them stodgy and less tasty. It helps to keep your cookie cutters floured.
On a floured surface, roll dough and cut with cookie cutters. Place on well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 4 minutes for soft cookies, just until just set. For crunchy cookies bake 6-7 minutes depending on the size of your cookie cutter shape.
My family loves these cookies as a flat, cookie cutter cookie, but the original recipe calls for this to be a filled molasses cookie. This additional step turns these cookies into an extra special treat for anyone who likes raisins. For the filled cookies you will need to make the filling and roll your dough thinner so you can have a bottom layer cookie, the filling, and top layer cookie.
Additional raisin filling for cookies if desired:
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 tbsp Gold Medal Flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
Place first 4 ingredients for filling in a sturdy pan on the cooktop and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until mixture has thickened; remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp lemon extract.
Roll cookie dough slightly thinner, top with one tsp of filling, then place another cookie over filling. Seal edges and make tiny slits over the filling to allow steam to escape while baking. These will need to bake a little longer, 6-7 minutes for soft cookies, 8-10 minutes for crispier cookies.
