Cooking for Jesus: Celebrating the Christian Year

November 30 is the feast day of Andrew, fisherman and apostle. Though he is often in the shadow of brother Peter and was the odd fisherman out in the sense that he was not part of the inner, inner circle (which I often thought must have been somewhat awkward as inner group consisted of his brother and his fellow Galilean fishermen James and John), Andrew has a special distinction: he was the first disciple to acknowledge Jesus. Hence it is rather appropriate that his feast often, but not always, falls at the beginning of Advent.

“All praise, O Lord for Andrew,

The first to welcome You,

Whose witness to his brother

Named you Messiah true.

May we, with hearts kept open

To you throughout the year,

Coness to friend and neighbor

Your advent ever near.”

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Jennifer did such a good job introducing this blog that I have very little to add. You may have noticed that she kept writing in the first person plural. This was not nosism but an acknowledgment that there are two of us here. So I’m Mollie, and I’m a liturgical Christian (“Hello, Mollie”). I live in Washington, D.C. I’m a writer and I have a wonderful husband and two dear children.

The genesis of this blog really goes back several years when Jennifer and I were working together at an academic research outfit. Every few days, Jennifer would bring in the world’s most amazing cookies and breads. I soon learned that she was a liturgical baker. She was making food to commemorate particular Christians throughout history and to celebrate festivals and seasons throughout the year. So she’s beautiful, brilliant, bakes like a boss, and has the dryest sense of humor around. What’s not to love?

I have no baking skills. Or very limited ones, at least. But hey, we can’t all make the perfect St. Lucia lussekatter or whatever it is that Jennifer does. That’s why it’s good that bringing the liturgical calendar into the home isn’t just about baking. It’s about prayer, home decorations, activities for children, fasting and more.

My own motivation for doing this blog is to help me with planning. I grew up in a pastor’s family and my parents did a great job of celebrating the church year at home. Now that I’m a parent, I’d like to do a better job of marking holy days and seasons with my children.

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